Just bought a 22 Stinger!

[Viper]

Hi all. I had recently purchased a 22 stinger, GT-Line! it drives great, despite my previous thoughts about it being a V4. Prior to this car, i had driven a 2019 Toyota Camry XLE(which i loved dearly). I thought to myself this would be a great opportunity to learn more about cars, and in this specific instance, a stinger.
The car has around 50k miles, white exterior, black interior. Photos soon to come!

With that said, what is some beginner advice regarding this car?
Best beginner performance/cosmetic upgrades that you have found that works great?
Any parts that deteriorate quick that i should know about?

Stuff like that

Pleasure to be on board!

 

[Brendan @ K8 Stinger Store]

Hey @Viper,

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your Stinger!

The exterior modification options are endless and there are many Carbon Fiber options.

Many people go with the JB4 tune because it offers the most bang for your buck in terms of HP.

Let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything I can help you with!

 

[Snicklefritz]

Hi there. The most common complaint cosmetically is a combo of the dark chrome trim above the doors, and the drip rails. The dark chrome trim tends to pick up spots that are hard to get off. But a good polish like Flitz will knock them out. As for the drip rails, these craze when the car is left out in the weather, mainly harsh sunlight, and this can happen in a matter of months. Drivers still under warranty have had them replaced. They have also been stripped and repainted or wrapped. One member took his down to the bare steel, polished them up and sealed them in a ceramic or clearcoat, can't remember which for sure. Anyway, in the pics he posted they looked really good as bare steel. If or when I have to attend to this chore, I will go gloss black, to match the other piano black accents all over the car. Our 2019 Micro Blue Premium came with already crazed drip rails, but the amount of crazing is still minor, only some lines in the paint, no discoloration, so, the defect doesn't attract attention until you are up close. In the more than a year we've had the car as second owners it hasn't gotten any worse, probably because it spends 99% plus of the time under a carport. I know that the first owner parked out in the sun every day that he worked in the city offices, so, that was what did the damage in the three years of his lease.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Hi all. I had recently purchased a 22 stinger, GT-Line! it drives great, despite my previous thoughts about it being a V4. Prior to this car, i had driven a 2019 Toyota Camry XLE(which i loved dearly). I thought to myself this would be a great opportunity to learn more about cars, and in this specific instance, a stinger.
The car has around 50k miles, white exterior, black interior. Photos soon to come!

With that said, what is some beginner advice regarding this car?
Best beginner performance/cosmetic upgrades that you have found that works great?
Any parts that deteriorate quick that i should know about?

Stuff like that

Pleasure to be on board!

Welcome aboard! And thank you for signing up. I'm glad you found us. Congratulations on your new Stinger! The 2019 Camry XLE was also a really nice car. Especially in XLE form. The Stinger, even now, is still very unique on the road - especially compared to a popular car like the Camry.

 

[Ah GetFd]

It's an in-line four cylinder not a V4 isn't it?

90% of the cars sold were the twin turbo V6 because of the higher performance.

I understand why Kia like many manufacturers did make a 4 cylinder option hoping to pick up the fuel efficient customers but the twin turbo V6 returns exceptional fuel economy if you drive them sedately.

And you save $10K on the purchase price for essentially the same top of the line features. on the 4 cyl model

Ford did it with the 4 cyl Mustang.

I have never seen a 4 cyl version here.

 

[RedCal]

Welcome to the hive!

 

[Devin]

Congrats!

 

[socalvn]

Congratulations a great car completely happy with my 22 2.5T
Over two years now she's been good to me

 

[Viper]

It's an in-line four cylinder not a V4 isn't it?

90% of the cars sold were the twin turbo V6 because of the higher performance.

I understand why Kia like many manufacturers did make a 4 cylinder option hoping to pick up the fuel efficient customers but the twin turbo V6 returns exceptional fuel economy if you drive them sedately.

And you save $10K on the purchase price for essentially the same top of the line features. on the 4 cyl model

Ford did it with the 4 cyl Mustang.

I have never seen a 4 cyl version here.

View attachment 84294View attachment 84295

yes actually thank you for correcting me i believe it was an i4

 

[StingerVetteMan]

Congrats! Yes it is a Turbo I4 engine. I too picked up a GT Line last month, a 2023 with only 5K miles on it. It's a nice mix of performance and good MPG. If I really need to go fast, well that's what my 2019 C7 Corvette Grand Sport is for!

I got lucky with mine, they are getting hard to find. The one I got popped up for sale online and I ran to the dealer to see it. Ends up it is also an Apex Special Edition which adds some nice goodies like Brembo brakes, black mirrors and exhaust tips and carbon fiber center console and door bits. Really enjoying it so far. The only thing I am not crazy about are the stock 18" wheels. This car really needs 19" wheels! I was going to buy a set of aftermarket 19" wheels until I came across a set of staggered 19" OEM wheels off a 2023 GT Stinger for a price I couldn't pass up. Plus they only have 67 miles on them so the wheels and tires are basically new. Should have them on the car next week. Here she is....

 

[Snicklefritz]

Congrats! Yes it is a Turbo I4 engine. I too picked up a GT Line last month, a 2023 with only 5K miles on it. It's a nice mix of performance and good MPG. If I really need to go fast, well that's what my 2019 C7 Corvette Grand Sport is for!

I got lucky with mine, they are getting hard to find. The one I got popped up for sale online and I ran to the dealer to see it. Ends up it is also an Apex Special Edition which adds some nice goodies like Brembo brakes, black mirrors and exhaust tips and carbon fiber center console and door bits. Really enjoying it so far. The only thing I am not crazy about are the stock 18" wheels. This car really needs 19" wheels! I was going to buy a set of aftermarket 19" wheels until I came across a set of staggered 19" OEM wheels off a 2023 GT Stinger for a price I couldn't pass up. Plus they only have 67 miles on them so the wheels and tires are basically new. Should have them on the car next week. Here she is....

View attachment 84300

18" wheels have advantages like ride comfort and extra cushion in case of potholes and that sort of thing. The only thing that I don't like about those OEM 18" is that they are not directional. On the driver's side they look natural but on the passenger side they look like they are on backwards.

 

[StingerVetteMan]

18" wheels have advantages like ride comfort and extra cushion in case of potholes and that sort of thing. The only thing that I don't like about those OEM 18" is that they are not directional. On the driver's side they look natural but on the passenger side they look like they are on backwards.

Well luckily here in S. Florida we have good roads. There shouldn't be that much difference in ride quality, especially with those Michelin PS4 tires. Unlike my Corvette which has Bridgestone run flats 19" 285 on the front and massive 20" 335 on the rear. Talk about a rough ride!

 

[Volfy]

The car does not need 19" wheels. We have 5 sets of wheels between our Stingers and G70, for everything from track to daily drive, and I just bought another set of 18x8.5 ENkei RPF1's. There isn't a thing 19's can do that 18's couldn't do better. Only reason I would switch to 19's is if I upsize the brakes to 6-pot Brembos that 18's won't fit over.

That said, the OEM 18's are nothing to write home about. Like most OEM wheels, they are heavy. OEM 19's even heavier. But they all work well enough for the daily grind.

That Apex package is nice. Talk about "need"... I'm glad Kia finally came to their senses and realized I4 Stingers need Brembos too. Too bad LSD wasn't in that package. Then again, nothing a little ebay shopping couldn't rectify.

 

[StingerVetteMan]

The car does not need 19" wheels. We have 5 sets of wheels between our Stingers and G70, for everything from track to daily drive, and I just bought another set of 18x8.5 ENkei RPF1's. There isn't a thing 19's can do that 18's couldn't do better. Only reason I would switch to 19's is if I upsize the brakes to 6-pot Brembos that 18's won't fit over.

That said, the OEM 18's are nothing to write home about. Like most OEM wheels, they are heavy. OEM 19's even heavier. But they all work well enough for the daily grind.

That Apex package is nice. Talk about "need"... I'm glad Kia finally came to their senses and realized I4 Stingers need Brembos too. Too bad LSD wasn't in that package. Then again, nothing a little ebay shopping couldn't rectify.

The Brembo’s only come with the Apex Edition. Not on regular GT Line models.

What I meant it “needs” 19” is aesthetics. 18”’s on a sporty looking car like the Stinger just don’t as good as 19” IMHO. Yes they are heavier, but this is just a daily for me. Not my “fun” car. But I still want it to look good!

 

[Volfy]

Gotcha. Fair enough on the 19's.

As for the Brembos. I'm just glad they offered it with the Apex. Too bad the Sun & Sound package is required for the Apex Package. I don't mind the upgraded audio, but I really don't care for the sunroof. I never open it, so it's just more weight and bulk, plus more things to go wrong, make noise, break, and leak. Worst part is now I run out of headroom wearing my helmet at AutoX/track. I seriously considered getting the base trim, without the Apex, and just retrofit Brembos and LSD, like I did with our '19 base model. But... then the SWP '23 GT-Line with red interior popped up on my radar, and it's too nice to pass up.

2.5T is definitely a nice upgrade.

 

[StingerVetteMan]

Gotcha. Fair enough on the 19's.

As for the Brembos. I'm just glad they offered it with the Apex. Too bad the Sun & Sound package is required for the Apex Package. I don't mind the upgraded audio, but I really don't care for the sunroof. I never open it, so it's just more weight and bulk, plus more things to go wrong, make noise, break, and leak. Worst part is now I run out of headroom wearing my helmet at AutoX/track. I seriously considered getting the base trim, without the Apex, and just retrofit Brembos and LSD, like I did with our '19 base model. But... then the SWP '23 GT-Line with red interior popped up on my radar, and it's too nice to pass up.

2.5T is definitely a nice upgrade.

Being in Florida, a sunroof is a must for me! Like I mentioned this is pretty much a daily for me, but doesn't mean you can't have a little fun with it!
Although this is how I get my ultimate fun.....

 

[Volfy]

Beautiful ride! I live off the TX Gulf Coast too, so you'd think I might like sunroofs. The reality is though, 6 months out of a year, it so frigging hot around here, AC is on full time, and the last thing I want to do is open to the hot &humid air outside. Then early Fall and Spring are allergy seasons, so I'm not about to let all that pollen in. That leaves maybe 2-3 months of nice clear weather when sunroof might be of some use. On those days, as much as I like my cars, I'd much rather be rolling on two wheels. That's my ultimate fun.

 

[StingerVetteMan]

Beautiful ride! I live off the TX Gulf Coast too, so you'd think I might like sunroofs. The reality is though, 6 months out of a year, it so frigging hot around here, AC is on full time, and the last thing I want to do is open to the hot &humid air outside. Then early Fall and Spring are allergy seasons, so I'm not about to let all that pollen in. That leaves maybe 2-3 months of nice clear weather when sunroof might be of some use. On those days, as much as I like my cars, I'd much rather be rolling on two wheels. That's my ultimate fun.
View attachment 84308

Nice! I always thought BMW bikes are so badass! Beautiful work of engineering.

 

[socalvn]

The Brembo’s only come with the Apex Edition. Not on regular GT Line models.

What I meant it “needs” 19” is aesthetics. 18”’s on a sporty looking car like the Stinger just don’t as good as 19” IMHO. Yes they are heavier, but this is just a daily for me. Not my “fun” car. But I still want it to look good!

I've been really happy. I don't have brembos zero issues and my car stops on a dime trust me, I've tested the breaks a few times

 

[socalvn]

I got the sun and sound package. I really enjoy the moonroof just not the rattle. Another project