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Kia Stinger LAP3 Review for 2.0

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#1
Hey guys! I?m seeing a lot of love for the V6TT here and not enough for the little 4 banger! I just received my LAP3 chip in the mail today (Surprise! Thought it would come Monday) and threw it right on! Okay, review time:

Installation: Installation was pretty straight forward after some digging around. All of the videos show the installation on the V6 stinger and not the 4 cylinder. This confused me as I could not find the plugs at first to plug in the LAP3. I was almost at the point of giving up looking for a 4 print plug in the engine bay. I searched YouTube for some installations on Hyundai/Kia 2.0L and they helped a little bit. It then came to me that the engine is mounted longitudinally, so the plugs that I was looking for were buried on the driver side of the engine! There are 2 plugs located there. One is on the intercooler piping and the other is hidden under some wires on the side of the engine. All you have to do is plug in the orange connecting wire to the engine harness and bam! Done! It really is that simple. I used some black zip ties to hold the wires down and some 3m mounting tape to hold the actual chip in place.

Driving Impressions: Now, 260hp/260tq is nothing to laugh at but more power is always welcome! If anybody has driven the 2.0, it definetly feels quick and very nimble. There is a surge of torque between 2k and 4-5k rpms that KINDA puts you back in your seat. This LAP3 puts the Stinger where it should have left the factory with. This thing flies now! It is so much more fun to drive. The torque rush is pretty crazy now. The power will put a huge grin on your face. For 5 minutes of work, it?s truly amazing. Also, it can finally spin through 1st gear and into 2nd (Mine is RWD)! The throttle in sport mode is much more responsive (my guess is due to the increased power). The gas pedal used to feel lazy no matter what mode you would put it in. The LAP3 changes that dramatically. Only needing 2 plugs to gain this much power and responsiveness is crazy. I came from a NA car and it was tough squeezing power out of it. This product is definetly worth the money. I wish I had some before/after dyno sheets, but the claim is 52whp on 93. It definetly feels like it. For a large 4 door sedan, this thing boogies now!

Caution: The plug on the engine has some wires that dangle close to the belt. I didn?t realize this until my car started shaking and the RPMs didn?t work. I thought this was the end for the LAP3. I found out that the wire was rubbing up against the belt and causing this chain reaction to happen. Make sure that you zip tie everything tightly and securely so you won?t have the ?Oh snap there is only 900 miles on this car and I broke it? moment.

This is great for people who lease their cars, as there is no flag the comes up in the dealership system that the ecu was tampered with.

As I keep racking up the mileage, I?ll report back with any longevity issues. I hope this product keeps the engine safe and reliable for thousands of miles to come. We will see!





 

VegasStinger

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#2
Great write-up. Can you post some pictures of where it plugs in on the 2.0?
 
OP
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Thread Starter #3
I would love to, but have no idea how
 
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ATXStinger

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#6
Thanks for sharing this, glad they finally release the 2.0 tune. Any plans to take it out to the drag strip?
 
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Thread Starter #7
Thanks for sharing this, glad they finally release the 2.0 tune. Any plans to take it out to the drag strip?
I would like to get it to the drag strip to see what times it would put down. I?m sure it?s not earth-shatteringly fast, but I bet it would put up somewhere in the 13s. There no drag strips close to Pittsburgh, though. I?ll be autox it and hopefully get it on the track a few times. She?s my DD so I?m not going to get to wild with it!
 
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#8
Great review, and thanks so much for sharing your experience with all of us--it is definitely appreciated! I was curious as to whether it also came with specs on 91 and 89 octane tunes (assuming the 2.0 chip offers this) and what octane you are running in your Stinger currently? Thanks, and cheers! :)
 
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Thread Starter #9
Great review, and thanks so much for sharing your experience with all of us--it is definitely appreciated! I was curious as to whether it also came with specs on 91 and 89 octane tunes (assuming the 2.0 chip offers this) and what octane you are running in your Stinger currently? Thanks, and cheers! :)
According to K5 site, 89/22whp 91/33whp 93/52whp. I?m running 93 in the stinger and she runs like a champ now. It?s much more fun to drive now. It feels almost as fast as a 335i. It should be putting down around 270 to the wheels. I dont have a before/after dyno, but I can compare it to my previous car which was a modded Z. That put down about 265 to the wheels. The hp in the Stinger feels the same, but the torque feels much higher in the Stinger.
 

KiaFan

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#10
[MENTION=441]Marty17[/MENTION] uploaded the images for you.[like]
 

robz32

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#11
Excellent review. congrats and thanks for sharing.
 

Kale808

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#12
Great review.
 

Bryan2.0

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#13
[MENTION=441]Marty17[/MENTION] I have a 2.0 as well and was thinking about making this purchase. Your write up seems to match the description of it on the web site. I was just wondering how it has been working and if it really is worth the investment? Also have you noticed any improvement in mpg?
Cheers,
 
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#14
It would be a nice feature for the LAP3 to remote select the fuel grade without having to open the box. Especially for traveling where the fuel octane (premium) varies between the states.
 
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Thread Starter #15
[MENTION=441]Marty17[/MENTION] I have a 2.0 as well and was thinking about making this purchase. Your write up seems to match the description of it on the web site. I was just wondering how it has been working and if it really is worth the investment? Also have you noticed any improvement in mpg?
Cheers,
It has been working flawlessly for the past 600 miles. The $$ per hp is pretty awesome. I want to get it on a dyno to get official numbers. There?s no other mod that will net you the gains that you get from the LAP3. Until a custom tune gets released for the 2.0, this is the best mod you could put on the car. It?s even nice for the people that leased their 2.0, as nothing gets ?flagged?. You will have the car in sport mode wayyyyy more so your MPG with definelty decrease ;)
 

Bryan2.0

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#16
[MENTION=441]Marty17[/MENTION] I went and pulled the trigger on my order this morning. Now the wait game for it to arrive. I will do the plugs as well as this may contribute to the HP gain. Can?t wait and thanks for posting pics, this will help when I do the install. Cheers!
 
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Thread Starter #17
[MENTION=441]Marty17[/MENTION] I went and pulled the trigger on my order this morning. Now the wait game for it to arrive. I will do the plugs as well as this may contribute to the HP gain. Can?t wait and thanks for posting pics, this will help when I do the install. Cheers!
That?s exciting! You won?t be disappointed!
 
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#18
[MENTION=441]Marty17[/MENTION], have you taken it red line yet? I assume you're using the 93 octane selection? If so and you're also using 93 octane fuel, are you listening for any high rpm/torque-load knock? 52whp extra is great, but Western WA only gets 92 octane. Am thinking I'd go with the 91 tune and run 93 to be safe, but would love to know if you've been okay running the same octane as tune selection. Cheers, and thanks again for sharing your experience with all of us! :)
 

Bryan2.0

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#19
[MENTION=464]Rufus[/MENTION] I would check with Lap3. I think they recommend against a lower octane setting and running higher octane fuel.
 
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Thread Starter #20
[MENTION=441]Marty17[/MENTION], have you taken it red line yet? I assume you're using the 93 octane selection? If so and you're also using 93 octane fuel, are you listening for any high rpm/torque-load knock? 52whp extra is great, but Western WA only gets 92 octane. Am thinking I'd go with the 91 tune and run 93 to be safe, but would love to know if you've been okay running the same octane as tune selection. Cheers, and thanks again for sharing your experience with all of us! :)
I have redlined it plenty of times and I?m happy to report there?s no pinging to speak of. I am using the 93 octane setting and running 93 octane fuel. I can?t see a problem running 92 octane instead of 93 but I?m not that informed when it comes to octane differences. You might not pick up the full 93 hp/tq of the LAP3, but the difference should be negligible. With modern ECUs running the engine, I can?t see how running 92 octane in the 93 setting would blow an engine.

Maybe somebody with more tuning experience will chime in.
 


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