Test drove 2019 GT AWD - vibrations a big turn off :(

[MikeysGT]

That's weird. I too put on Continental All Seasons and never got that issue. Which continentals are they?

ExtremeContact DWS 06. The fact that it seemed to improve with continued balances leads me to believe that it in fact was a balancing issue or that I had a bad tire to begin with and somehow it's slowly working its imperfection out on its own. My dealership is basically no help. Just 2 guys run their entire service department and when I call for service I can never get ahold of either of them. The call eventually gets forwarded to some lady sitting at a desk and she books my appointment. With that kind of disconnect from my SA it's virtually impossible for me to build any type of relationship with them.

 

[Jimmer]

ExtremeContact DWS 06. The fact that it seemed to improve with continued balances leads me to believe that it in fact was a balancing issue or that I had a bad tire to begin with and somehow it's slowly working its imperfection out on its own. My dealership is basically no help. Just 2 guys run their entire service department and when I call for service I can never get ahold of either of them. The call eventually gets forwarded to some lady sitting at a desk and she books my appointment. With that kind of disconnect from my SA it's virtually impossible for me to build any type of relationship with them.

If you are having an issue with your KIA Dealership, call the VIP hotline.

 

[Waynerm002]

That reduced speed has been around for some time, that was probably the first large thread we had until the paint issue came up. I recall a short (as she referred to her self) nurse that went on a bit of a tirade about it. As I have been on the site since it first came out, I knew the 18” AS setup was speed limited but it didn’t matter to me as I was dead set on getting a 2.0T Premium and hoped when they appeared, they would surprise us with a GT Line trim. Well, a test drive got me off that idea but I still flirted with it until I got around to buying. Now I wish I had more roads with higher speed limits and less cars impeding the flow. Love the sound system and enjoying the ride, fast or slow.

 

[only1harry]

I like to go fast once in a while when there is no one around. I did 158 once in my 335i (top speed 165 supposedly) on a 3-lane highway with very few cars in the right lane, but had to slow down when I saw a couple of cars in the middle and left lane up ahead. It had more to go. Another time I hit 152-153 at night and I 've had it up to 140 many times when there is noone on the road for long stretches. The Stinger should get to 140 fairly quickly, if it's anything like the 335i, no? (I don't own a Stinger yet). After that it's slow getting up there, but before you can blink the 335i is at 125-130 from 75-80. Anyway, since Stingers with 18" wheels are limited to 130, it just made my search 10x harder

 

[MerlintheMad]

(dupe)

 

[MerlintheMad]

That reduced speed has been around for some time, that was probably the first large thread we had until the paint issue came up. I recall a short (as she referred to her self) nurse that went on a bit of a tirade about it. As I have been on the site since it first came out, I knew the 18” AS setup was speed limited but it didn’t matter to me as I was dead set on getting a 2.0T Premium and hoped when they appeared, they would surprise us with a GT Line trim. Well, a test drive got me off that idea but I still flirted with it until I got around to buying. Now I wish I had more roads with higher speed limits and less cars impeding the flow. Love the sound system and enjoying the ride, fast or slow.

Lol, I remember her. She was quite incensed at having a "slower car".

You wouldn't happen to remember which thread that was, would you? I would kind of like to read back over it; try and find that "140 MPH" claim, that was my first clue what Kia meant by "reduced top speed".

 

[only1harry]

To be honest I 'd be a little PO'd too if I found out after I bought the car.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I like to go fast once in a while when there is no one around. I did 158 once in my 335i (top speed 165 supposedly) on a 3-lane highway with very few cars in the right lane, but had to slow down when I saw a couple of cars in the middle and left lane up ahead. It had more to go. Another time I hit 152-153 at night and I 've had it up to 140 many times when there is noone on the road for long stretches. The Stinger should get to 140 fairly quickly, if it's anything like the 335i, no? (I don't own a Stinger yet). After that it's slow getting up there, but before you can blink the 335i is at 125-130 from 75-80. Anyway, since Stingers with 18" wheels are limited to 130, it just made my search 10x harder

Why ten times harder? The 19" rims are popular. It's the 18" rims that are optional.

Somebody on a YouTube vid I watched a week or so ago said that they got up to 140 MPH in about forty seconds (the vid is a link on one of our threads, but good luck remembering which one!). And yes, from freeway speeds to 120+ is child's play for the 3.3TT. When I went above 150 it was till pulling about 1 MPH per second in 7th gear; maybe it would accelerate quicker in 6th gear?

 

[Jimmer]

I like to go fast once in a while when there is no one around. I did 158 once in my 335i (top speed 165 supposedly) on a 3-lane highway with very few cars in the right lane, but had to slow down when I saw a couple of cars in the middle and left lane up ahead. It had more to go. Another time I hit 152-153 at night and I 've had it up to 140 many times when there is noone on the road for long stretches. The Stinger should get to 140 fairly quickly, if it's anything like the 335i, no? (I don't own a Stinger yet). After that it's slow getting up there, but before you can blink the 335i is at 125-130 from 75-80. Anyway, since Stingers with 18" wheels are limited to 130, it just made my search 10x harder

deleted for unnecessary meanness on my part. apologies.

 

[Grayt 8]

Lol, I remember her. She was quite incensed at having a "slower car".

You wouldn't happen to remember which thread that was, would you? I would kind of like to read back over it; try and find that "140 MPH" claim, that was my first clue what Kia meant by "reduced top speed".

My friend told me that mine stopped at 138 mph. GT2 AWD 18"

 

[MerlintheMad]

@Jimmer That's harsh. He's critical about the one he's driven, and how difficult his search options are. He hasn't trash talked the Stinger that I have seen.

 

[MerlintheMad]

My friend told me that mine stopped at 138 mph. GT2 AWD 18"

So the speed limiter might be generous. @Salman got 170 out of his 167 MPH limiter (at least that's what I remember him saying).

 

[Jimmer]

That's harsh. He's critical about the one he's driven, and how difficult his search options are. He hasn't trash talked the Stinger that I have seen.

Well, not sure I agree, but I deleted my harsh words cause it wasn't cool of me, nor my place to say it.

 

[GRStinger]

No problem. I can't stop talking about it. Last July, on my way back to SLC, down through central Oregon, south of Burns, I noticed that the traffic was light to almost non existent. Hwy 78 gets very, very straight, you can see up ahead for miles. I got a sudden inspiration to try launch control. So I stopped in the middle of the road and tried a couple, followed by some "auto hold" takeoffs; I preferred that to LC (I need to do some dedicated LC time and work out what I was doing wrong, or just get used to the counter intuitive MO of pushing the brake, mashing the accelerator and releasing the brake). The last couple of times I took off I let the car take me up to over 140. By then, Hwy 78 "T"ed into Hwy 95 (I almost missed the stop sign! My first slam on the brakes, which worked very, very well.) Well, as you can see (Google Maps), 95 is even longer and just as straight as 78. I wasn't done. The empty road beckoned and I answered. The accelerator was all the way down in 7th gear and the engine pulled strongly the whole time. At 150 I said to myself, I will take it to 155 and call it quits for today! The speedo went up 1 MPH per second or less (still pulling well) and in c. five seconds more I kept my promise and applied some brake. I came to that left curve before the right hander, and there was a sign posted: "Go Slow Prepare To Stop". LOL! The irony. The timing. Up ahead was a "lollipop" man. He was holding a single car. I pulled in behind and waited over five minutes before opposing traffic came through behind a flashing truck. Then the truck "U" turned and took the three of us south. Several miles later, there was another line of traffic building up heading north. So that was why I had the highway to myself. Fortuitous, serendipitous, glorious FUN!

Btw, those humps that line Hwy 95 turn into rapidly approaching leaps. But the Stinger at that speed stays planted, "hunkered down" are the words I use to describe the stability. It stays quiet and smooth; and inspires confidence to keep going faster: which is why I say I want to push mine to the max.

Well done. I've been out to that neck of the woods - Boise area. I love the western US - used to drive out Montana, Wyoming, Idaho from Michigan just to fly fish. Wide open / secluded, perfect for opening the taps on those empty highways. Heck, if you guys run off the road - it's just prairie and desert - you can just ease it back on the road. Over here - too many trees, but the biggest risk is all the whitetails. They're as thick as field mice, and dumb as a bag of hammers. I swear they WANT to get hit. They see you coming, wait, then bolt across the road 50ft in front of you.
I've had mine up to 125 a couple of times. Once on open "up-north" freeway, and once on open UP 2 lane - half-mile of low marsh on both sides so no Bambi's. Had to ease 'er back both times from running out of straight road and line-of-sight. And I had it in cruise @ 102 for 8-10 miles on I96 between Lansing and Detroit following 200 yds behind some guy in an Infiniti. The car had plenty left. Would've been nice to see if it is really limited!

 

[MerlintheMad]

Well, not sure I agree, but I deleted my harsh words cause it wasn't cool of me, nor my place to say it.

I can do that.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Lol. Now that is something I am sure I will never do. Cruise for me is under ten above.

And I had it in cruise @ 102

 

[only1harry]

Why ten times harder? The 19" rims are popular. It's the 18" rims that are optional.

When I went above 150 it was till pulling about 1 MPH per second in 7th gear; maybe it would accelerate quicker in 6th gear?

Merlin, because I live in the northeast and 95% or more of the Stingers have 18" with the A/S Potenza's. It will probably take an act of god to find a 19" staggered Stinger. I am going to be in VA in about a month, so I am hoping to find 1 there. Starting the search now...

Whenever I try to pull a top speed run (and have failed because of cars up ahead) I have done it in Sport-manual mode and use the paddle shifters to shift myself. It gets up to speed faster than letting the tranny/computer do it itself. The 6-speed auto transmission in my '11 Bimmer (6-speed) tends to hang at red line and hold the gear longer before upshifting, wasting precious time and distance, so I usually take over the shifts.

 

[Optima Mystic]

I read through this topic but may have still missed this, but I didn't see if anyone addressed that the lane keeping assist was turned off on the test drive. When I drove my car home the first night I was wondering why it felt like it wanted to wander at certain speeds. Only a short time later did I realize it was the active steering of the lane assist feature. I didn't expect it to assert as much input as it did. I suppose this won't feel the same as what is described as a vibration, but worth checking it's off anyway before the next drive so it doesn't affect your steering sensations.

 

[Jimmer]

Merlin, because I live in the northeast and 95% or more of the Stingers have 18" with the A/S Potenza's. It will probably take an act of god to find a 19" staggered Stinger. I am going to be in VA in about a month, so I am hoping to find 1 there. Starting the search now...

Whenever I try to pull a top speed run (and have failed because of cars up ahead) I have done it in Sport-manual mode and use the paddle shifters to shift myself. It gets up to speed faster than letting the tranny/computer do it itself. The 6-speed auto transmission in my '11 Bimmer (6-speed) tends to hang at red line and hold the gear longer before upshifting, wasting precious time and distance, so I usually take over the shifts.

They have great deals on Stingers at Koons Kia in Woodbridge VA. And they have 19 inch wheels. And front and rear Anti-Roll bars.

For example: 2018 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD For Sale | Woodbridge VA | Koons Kia of Woodbridge

It's a 2018 with an MRSP over 52K on sale for 40K

 

[MerlintheMad]

Merlin, because I live in the northeast and 95% or more of the Stingers have 18" with the A/S Potenza's. It will probably take an act of god to find a 19" staggered Stinger. I am going to be in VA in about a month, so I am hoping to find 1 there. Starting the search now...

Whenever I try to pull a top speed run (and have failed because of cars up ahead) I have done it in Sport-manual mode and use the paddle shifters to shift myself. It gets up to speed faster than letting the tranny/computer do it itself. The 6-speed auto transmission in my '11 Bimmer (6-speed) tends to hang at red line and hold the gear longer before upshifting, wasting precious time and distance, so I usually take over the shifts.

Ah, "the great white north" venue: land of AWD and 18" rims squared. I thought so. Thus my suggestion that you could order anything from elsewhere. But, you can drive other Stingers (even the "slow" ones ) to find out how great they are, and then pick your preferences and have the car brought to you. Odds are heavily on your side that the car will be fine in all respects; but if you're unlucky and the shipped car also has issues, try, try again. Don't borrow trouble. Just dive on this and persevere. A 19" AWD GT is waiting in the color of your choice.

My normal driving is in Custom and letting the automatic shift with engine set to Eco (everything else is Sport). I really like the manual gate and paddle shifters. When I get "pole position", and the way ahead is clear, I almost always put it in Sport mode and manual gate and try for over .5 G under acceleration. Have to watch out, because 60 comes very quickly.