Kia Shipping GT’s w/18” Rims

[MarkyMark]

Yesterday I found the rather rare GT configuration I have been looking for — GT, AWD, Drive Wise PKG, Panthera Metal.

David @ Power Kia (Salem, OR) sent me a photo of the window sticker, and I knoticed what I figured was a mis-print. Under Addition Features was a callout for 18” rims...

The car had just arrived, so David had the wheel covers removed and sure enough, Kia slapped on 18” rims! However, they look like the 19” GT variants, just smaller...

Does anyone know why Kia would do this, outside of a possible 19” rim supplier shortage (seems highly unlikely), or a somewhat curious cost cutting measure? 18” rims on GT’s are not even a possible option on Kia.com.

Before buying, be sure to check out the rims on those GT’s to make sure you are getting what you think you are signing up for.

 

[westcoastGT]

Yesterday I found the rather rare GT configuration I have been looking for — GT, AWD, Drive Wise PKG, Panthera Metal.

David @ Power Kia (Salem, OR) sent me a photo of the window sticker, and I knoticed what I figured was a mis-print. Under Addition Features was a callout for 18” rims...

The car had just arrived, so David had the wheel covers removed and sure enough, Kia slapped on 18” rims! However, they look like the 19” GT variants, just smaller...

Does anyone know why Kia would do this, outside of a possible 19” rim supplier shortage (seems highly unlikely), or a somewhat curious cost cutting measure? 18” rims on GT’s are not even a possible option on Kia.com.

Before buying, be sure to check out the rims on those GT’s to make sure you are getting what you think you are signing up for.

I assume these have the A/S tires and will not be a staggered set up , can you get a pic of the tires to confirm ?

 

[eflyguy]

Discussed elsewhere, buyers in "northern" states are getting all season tires, on 18" rims, with a speed limit set around 135 because of the V rating.

 

[KiaofMuncie]

We have had both all season GT's and Sport tires shipped to us in Muncie, IN.

 

[StingerGT68]

Yeah, if you build a GT AWD on Kia.com it says the all-season tires are 18" meaning your wheels will be, too. Mine are the all-season because I'm in Jersey so my wheels are the 18" ones. Design is the same but just an inch smaller. A good thing, too, because of all our freaking potholes.

 

[MarkyMark]

Discussed elsewhere, buyers in "northern" states are getting all season tires, on 18" rims, with a speed limit set around 135 because of the V rating.

Wow, this is indeed quite bogus... Portland, OR and Seattle, WA get about 1 or 2 days of snow a year, and it melts by noon... We get the occasional few days of snowy cold, but that's about it. Come on Kia, know thy markets!

 

[Robs]

Yesterday I found the rather rare GT configuration I have been looking for — GT, AWD, Drive Wise PKG, Panthera Metal.

David @ Power Kia (Salem, OR) sent me a photo of the window sticker, and I knoticed what I figured was a mis-print. Under Addition Features was a callout for 18” rims...

The car had just arrived, so David had the wheel covers removed and sure enough, Kia slapped on 18” rims! However, they look like the 19” GT variants, just smaller...

Does anyone know why Kia would do this, outside of a possible 19” rim supplier shortage (seems highly unlikely), or a somewhat curious cost cutting measure? 18” rims on GT’s are not even a possible option on Kia.com.

Before buying, be sure to check out the rims on those GT’s to make sure you are getting what you think you are signing up for.

Any pictures?

 

[DaJackson]

Wow, this is indeed quite bogus... Portland, OR and Seattle, WA get about 1 or 2 days of snow a year, and it melts by noon... We get the occasional few days of snowy cold, but that's about it. Come on Kia, know thy markets!

All seasons are not made for snow. They are literally called all seasons and not snow tires. Come on @MarkyMark, know thy tires.

 

[westcoastGT]

All seasons are not made for snow. They are literally called all seasons and not snow tires. Come on @MarkyMark, know thy tires.

yeah but ............. thats the reason Kia put them on , for those few days that it "might" snow, that doesnt warrant running snowies for several months . I did the dedicated winter / summer set up for years until someone convinced me to try Continetals DWS UHPAS tires and I've stayed the course with this strategy ever since , and I do some real winter driving going skiing , all has been good . I will say that the AS tires that Kia selected are not great and are the reason they had to limit the cars speed , they should have gone with UHPAS tires and "gonged" the limiter

 

[weew]

it IS an option on the KIA website. Some people just really want all-seasons instead of swapping between summer/winter.

the funny thing is canadians only get the summer tires option... lol.

 

[westcoastGT]

it IS an option on the KIA website. Some people just really want all-seasons instead of swapping between summer/winter.

the funny thing is canadians only get the summer tires option... lol.

the problem is they are offerring the US an AS tire which requires them to limit speed , wrong ! so many better AS tire options !

 

[MarkyMark]

I did tires (tire shop for two years). Ever change tires on a Scout - manually?! Those rims must have Wright 75lbs each, wow! But I digress...

Yah, I know tires. My point should have been made more clear. All Season tires - Kia could EASILY have gone 19” - they didn’t. Why? Cutting costs. Cutting costs on this vehicle in the very area of performance - which includes rims and tires - in my opinion, isn’t acceptable.

And yes, snow tires all year long? Nope. Z rated w/19’s on AWD will rock just din on OR - the valley absolutely... hmmm... thanks for the ear guys.

 

[Waynerm002]

When I saw them on the AWD GT with the 18" wheel, I thought, WTH why!!! They could have put some UHP AS tires on those 18" wheels and limit it to 150 mph. My Volvo T5 R-Design with 19" wheels has Pirelli P7 All Season tires on it, they are also GT tires and I figure for the power rating (240 hp 258 tq), they provide a good blend of performance and economy. The Plus version would ride a bit softer and offer better winter traction but I think it would give up some performance over the non-Plus version.

For the 2.0T, those tires are probably ok but to me, I knew they are crappy tires based on having them on older vehicles. They are rated in the GT category and I'm certain they did this to help with the fuel economy of this version however, they could have got better tires. The should have at least provided the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 AS+. This is probably just me but they should have also tuned the 2.0T to close to 300 lb ft of torque.

I know a lot of folks don't pay attention to their tires and want the cheapest they can get for their car. KIA probably went with that thought process in offering the 18" on the GT and limiting the speed. Some folks want the looks and the more powerful engine but are not enthusiasts and wont push it to the limited speed anyways so that will be fine for them. In my opinion, they should have offered some tire and wheel packages for the Stinger at least 3 or 4 options. Who knows, maybe in the future they will.

 

[Todd Piefer]

The 18's are the better choice for several reasons. I have a Stinger GT. I'm also a Mustang GT convertible owner. Here's an old thread from a Mustang forum on this topic... 18 inch vs. 19 inch wheels - Ford Mustang Forum

 

[MarkyMark]

The 18's are the better choice for several reasons. I have a Stinger GT. I'm also a Mustang GT convertible owner. Here's an old thread from a Mustang forum on this topic... 18 inch vs. 19 inch wheels - Ford Mustang Forum

Each vehicle is designed and tuned for rims and the tires that are on them. That said, people that want a software ride, a larger sidewall and smaller rim is almost always going to deliver a softer ride. Anyone, feel free to correct me if I'm off base here, but the GT was designed for a type of performance with Grand Turismo ride combination. To get that overall performance, the GT was designed with 19" rims and Z rated tires (at least that's what I've seen more often than not). The reviews, 90%+ (maybe all of them) are on the 19" rims and mostly performance tires, yes? And the reviews are glowing.

I've test driven the GT2 AWD and that ride was great. The car also has 5 drive modes – Comfort to Sport.

Can anyone confirm whether Kia tunes the GT's for 18-inch rims and taller profile tires? Or does Kia tun the GT's to 19-inch rims and tires and for this continuation that is shipping standard (GT w/AWD and Drive Wise with 18-inch-ers), is just thrown on without any large degree - perhaps none - in re-tuning the suspension? I am guessing zero.

I have a Mazda6 w/19" rims and V-rated Michellins. Love it. Tuned for these great ties and rim size.

 

[Neek0]

I was pretty upset myself when I purchased my awd gt 3 weeks ago and realized that all of the awds seem to have come equipped with 18s. I put the deal on hold and started searching all over for an awd with 19s, checked the internet, called 10+ Dealers and had no luck. Not a deal breaker for me, but the car does look a little better with the bigger wheels. [imo]

 

[MarkyMark]

I was pretty upset myself when I purchased my awd gt 3 weeks ago and realized that all of the awds seem to have come equipped with 18s. I put the deal on hold and started searching all over for an awd with 19s, checked the internet, called 10+ Dealers and had no luck. Not a deal breaker for me, but the car does look a little better with the bigger wheels. [imo]

However, does not the GT2 AWD and GT1 AWD cards come with 19's?... Hmmmm....

 

[Todd Piefer]

However, does not the GT2 AWD and GT1 AWD cards come with 19's?... Hmmmm....

It has nothing to do with GT, GT1, or GT2. It's the all-season tire package that comes with the 18" wheels.

 

[MarkyMark]

It has nothing to do with GT, GT1, or GT2. It's the all-season tire package that comes with the 18" wheels.

And this is just random by Kia? It seems they are doing this with AWD only (on some) and especially with AWD's w/the Drive Wise package. Ugh... There is a method to their madness somewhere in all of this...

 

[Todd Piefer]

I don't think it's random. It makes sense that in cooler/wetter areas they'd offer more AWD cars with the all season tire package. They rightly assume that a lot of people in those areas don't want to grind up summer only tires when it's cold out or have to swap tires seasonally.