This is the updated list with /DIY videos!
From my experience with the Stinger these are the following
mods in order to improve your ¼ times. (Now this subjective based on the individual, this is my personal opinion from my experience with the Stinger)
1. BMS Brake Switch – This is by the best new mod to improve you quarter mile on your Stinger and best part it is free thanks to Terry. This will allow you to brake boost and build boost before you launch the car. Launch control on this car sucks and there is still no ECU tune out there to fix and why pay for an ecu tune when you can do this for free.
- Install difficulty 2 out of 10
- Value 10 out 10
- Performance 10 out 10
2.
JB4 – This is an incredible box of wires. This alone has the potential to drop a full second off your ¼ mile time and do so at a very easy and cost effective way. The price $470 and about 20-60 minutes install time this is by the far the best bang for your buck mod to get for the Stinger. It has the option to run Water Meth Injection which can be a changer from doing back to back runs at the track. We will discuss WMI later in more detail. Now in place of the
JB4 you could get an ECU tune. This would a more expensive alternative usually between $950-$1250 not including the down time of having to ship your ECU. A spare ECU is $1000, so it’s not cheap. That being said there are currently 2 ECU tunes on the market for the Stinger. Pressertech and Tork. There are not a lot of people with ECU tunes so it’s hard to have a solid review on ECU tunes.
-Install difficulty 2 out of 10
- Value 9 out 10
- Performance 10 out 10
3.
Intakes – There are many
intake options for the Stinger. The OEM
intake system for the Stinger is very restrictive. This is a definitely one of the first
mods to do to improve your 0-60 time and ¼ mile time. I personally have the Agency Power
intakes and love them. The tubing is made of plastic so in theory better at handling heat soak. The AEM are also all plastic.
-Install difficulty 3 out of 10
- Value 6 out 10
- Performance 6 out 10
4. WMI – Water methanol Injection from BMS. This
mods is not for everyone. This will allow you to run more boost and make more power. This will also allow you to run more consistent back to back runs at the track. Not everyone likes the Idea of WMI but it is extremely effective at lowering IAT temps. Honestly this can be anywhere on the list but I feel like it’s not a common mod like the other ones listed before. This mod depends on the level of commitment you have to track your car.
- Install difficulty 5 out of 10
- Value 7 out 10
- Performance 8 out 10
Kia Stinger GT Water Methanol Injection BMS Kit Install Part 3
Kia Stinger GT Water Methanol Injection BMS Kit Install Part 4
5. Wheels/Tires – This really can go anywhere on the list. If you are RWD then this could go higher on your list. A set of aftermarket wheels will allow you to put wider tires on your car. This will improve traction, this is based on the assumption that you get wider rims and offset to fit your car properly. Traction is everything at the track, you can live and die by traction. Tires are a big factor as well, getting the proper compound and size. I personally recommend some high-performance summer tires or drag radial if possible. On the winter you can run your factory wheels, this is if you are affected by winter where you live. This is more important if you are rear wheel drive.
- Install difficulty 1 out of 10 (Assuming you are driving the car to a tire shop)
- Value 4 out 10
- Performance 4 out 10
Kia Stinger GT runs 11.9 on quarter mile
6. Secondary Downpipes/Midpipes – These will remove the secondary cats on the stinger. This will improve acceleration on the ¼ mile. I improved .2 seconds when adding downpipes. This could vary from Stinger to Stinger. Your options here are SSR/ARK/Jun BL. I personally own the SSR downpipes.
- Install difficulty 5 out of 10
- Value 4 out 10
- Performance 4 out 10
Ark Performance downpipes installed on my Kia Stinger GT
7. Intercooler – This will allow for you to reduce your IAT temps. Although to see the biggest benefit from intercooler you would need a tune. This would improve your times to be more consistent in the ¼ mile. This will greatly help with engine heat soak. When I had my intercooler I notice a drop of about 20 degrees on IAT temps and my top end power was more consistent. My car pulled stronger when WOT. This is even more beneficial, if you live in a hot state like California, Florida, and Texas etc.…
- Install difficulty 4 out of 10
- Value 3 out 10
- Performance 3 out 10
Kia Stinger GT Intercooler Install- Ultimate Performance
8. Cat back Exhaust – There are many options for cat back exhaust. For many people this is one of their first mod’s due for the ease of install and the changing the sound of your vehicle. This seems to be a very popular mod for all car enthusiast to improve the sound of their car. I personally don’t have a cat back exhaust, I only have the SSR muffler deletes.
- Install difficulty 4 out of 10
- Value 2 out 10
- Performance 2 out 10
Kia Stinger GT SSR performance axle back exhaust install part 1
Kia Stinger GT SSR Performance axleback exhaust install part 2
Kia Stinger GT SSR performance downpipes and axleback exhaust installed
9. Oil Cath Cans – In my opinion this a must do mod, especially if you plan on tracking your car. Our engine being direct injected no fuel passes thru the
intake valves. Over time this can create carbon build up and make your engine run less efficient. The OCC traps oil vapors from going into your engine/intake system. This is a relative cheap mod that will prolong the life of your engine. Make sure to check out the BMS self-clean OCC
- Install difficulty 3 out of 10
- Value 8 out 10
- Performance 1 out 10
Kia Stinger 3.3tt oil catch can
8. Blow Off Vales – This mod upgrades the stock plastic BOV to high quality aluminum ones. There are many options for the Stinger. This will help improve you holding boost better when increasing the boost pressure. Although there is no data to prove that this is true over the stock ones, but it has been proven on other platforms. This is also a safety net to make sure your oem never fail especially if heavily modified.
- Install difficulty 2 out of 10
- Value 2 out 10
- Performance 1 out 10
Kia Stinger HKS Blow Off Valve Installation
10. Lowering springs – This allows for a lower center of gravity and improved acceleration due to a stiffer suspension. It make the effect of the transfer of weight less noticeable when launching your car aggressively. It also improves handling when turning. This a must do mod if you plan on doing autocross and Track course events.
- Install difficulty 6 out of 10
- Value 5 out 10
- Performance 2 out 10
How to lower a Kia Stinger GT
11. Rear Sway bar – It improves handling and turning. It reduces body roll but there is not data to prove that this will help your straight line power. This is also a must do mod if you plan on doing auto cross and Track course events.
- Install difficulty 5 out of 10
- Value 2 out 10
- Performance 2 out 10
KIA Stinger Rear Sway Bar Install... best mod ever!!!
There are other way’s to improve your ¼ times without having to mod your car.
These are some tips/tricks.
1. Fuel – This is very effective way especially if you own a
JB4. This would allow you to run Map 5 or 7 and in return it would increase your horsepower. I usually run E30 mix, this means 30 % E85 fuel mix with your premium gas. In my area we have 93 octane, so I mix E85 with that. You also have the option of using octane booster such as Boostane and Torko to increase your octane. You can use race fuel as well if it is available to you, although it is more expensive than the other methods mentioned.
2. Weight Reduction – Reducing weight can help improve you ¼ mile times. They say 100 pound can improve your time by .1. If possible remove all the junk on your cars and your spare tire. If you want to take a step further you can remove your rear seats. There are other ways that you can reduce your weight but they will cost money such a carbon fiber hood, trunk, and other components.
3. Tire PSI – A lot of times this is overlooked. Depending on the tire you have you want to make sure you have the proper psi on the tire. You don’t want them too high or too low. You need to find that sweet spot for better traction at the track.
4. Launch Control/BMS Brake Switch – Using launch control can improve your time at the track and help you on better launching your car. There are numerous ways to launch your car but if you are not experienced this is the best method.
5. Make sure your AC is off and your windows are rolled up. This could make your slower in a ¼ mile run.
There are more ways to improve your ¼ mile times. Feel free to ask questions, provide your input and get involved in the discussion.