Sport mode

[OzStingerGT]

Hi
Can someone pls clarify whether Sport mode is a manual mode or just a temporary manual mode? I read last year that Aussie GTs had a Sport mode that holds gears to redline as part of a software change (I think TC, ESP off). However, I’ve noticed that it will always revert to D if you aren’t hammering gears. Is this right?

Cheers

 

[ShannonC]

Yes, it will return to D after a short period if you are not actively engaging paddle shifts.

 

[mitchyboy]

Yeah I can confirm that it always reverts back to D no matter what I do (traction control on/off, ECS on/off etc etc)
There was an article that mentioned a way to get the Stinger into manual mode for track use, however that method doesn't seem to work.

 

[nhcowboy28]

Yeah I can confirm that it always reverts back to D no matter what I do (traction control on/off, ECS on/off etc etc)
There was an article that mentioned a way to get the Stinger into manual mode for track use, however that method doesn't seem to work.

On my 18 gt2 awd us, in sport mode.. it will keep whatever manual gear I select unless 1 of two things occur

1) Slow almost near stopping (5mph or less) - reverts to D.
2) increase throttle in gear until it hits redline.... then upshifts (but stays in that next gear).

 

[Manaz]

There was a change in the Australian Market MY18 that prevents the car from automatically up-shifting at redline:

Confirmed! All 2018 Kia Stingers in Australia offer manual over-ride of the transmission | Practical Motoring

You have to disable ESC to do it, which I think is a bad idea - turning a safety feature off to provide additional control of the car is counter-intuitive in my opinion.

My old MY05 Subaru Outback held the gear I selected once I was in manual mode (unless you came to a stop, it then re-selected 1st gear for you), but my MY09 Liberty GT Spec.B automatically up-shifts as you get to redline, and that can be incredibly frustrating, particularly given the delay you most often get in a manually initiated gearshift). The TCU (Transmission Control Unit) on the Liberty is effectively not after-market programmable (as the code is encrypted), so the behaviour there can't be changed - I am hoping that on the Stinger a tuner can remove the requirement for ESC to be disabled for true manual mode to be activated.