Stinger GT in Car and Driver's 2018 Lightning Lap!... didn't go great

[Brian B]

I think that their marketing is very effective; it converted me.

Brakes are for one thing only, stopping the car before anything bad happens. The brakes, factory and Brembo, are very good, very safe. But of course the way anything is done isn't going to please everybody. If Kia put more expensive brake pads/rotors on stock, they would be overkill for almost every conceivable public roads situation; so wasted money and a higher MSRP. I've already said that when it comes time to change worn pads that I intend to put on race spec. And slotted, drilled rotors. Not because I think that they should have been on the GT in the first place, but because I like UHP tires (rated over 186 mph), and the thought of race worthy brakes on my Stinger tickles my fancy in the same way.

Please dont waste your money on drilled / slotted rotors unless you want the looks. They are NOT any real improvement in stopping distance and they highy prone to cracking with track use especially the cheapo rotors that are drilled. I did I alot of HPDE and autocross with my 2015 mustang used solid rotors or rotors with minimal slots (J hook pattern are noisy and so are other slot designs), never drilled.

A nice brake upgrade for the Stinger would be a lightweight two piece rotors up front (The stinger has shares rotor diameter with the 2015 mustang GT and bolt pattern I would like to try it out soon since I have some rotors lying around). Real track pads are dusty and noisy, something like power-stop Z23 or Z26 Evolution Sport pads are not track pads although, those are great pads for everyday and the occasional hard driving / autocross events.

 

[Audible Silence]

I really enjoyed the h
Gs Motorsport pads I've had.

 

[Wan El Guapo]

Please dont waste your money on drilled / slotted rotors unless you want the looks. They are NOT any real improvement in stopping distance and they highy prone to cracking with track use especially the cheapo rotors that are drilled. I did I alot of HPDE and autocross with my 2015 mustang used solid rotors or rotors with minimal slots (J hook pattern are noisy and so are other slot designs), never drilled.

A nice brake upgrade for the Stinger would be a lightweight two piece rotors up front (The stinger has shares rotor diameter with the 2015 mustang GT and bolt pattern I would like to try it out soon since I have some rotors lying around). Real track pads are dusty and noisy, something like power-stop Z23 or Z26 Evolution Sport pads are not track pads although, those are great pads for everyday and the occasional hard driving / autocross events.

Great video by SavageGeese on brakes. Agree about the slotted rotors. I think "race worthy" brake mechanicals would be overkill for 99.9% of Stingers. Guys, Kia made a conmercomm with the stinger on a track, but it does not mean they marketed it as a race car. The intent was to show it's sporty. Acura runs ads of RDXs drifting in the desert, but it doesn't make me think those are ready to run the Dakar rally. Wanna track your stinger? Upgrade the pads. This is not unheard of. Might as well do the brake fluid as well. Rant over

 

[CaliSting]

Why is there a belief if you take your Stinger out to a track that you think it’s a race car? Quite the opposite. The car has great dynamics that make it good on track. Certainly a car that is fun to toss around if you have RWD GT model. Brake upgrade to track worthy pad , better brake fluid , stainless steel lines are things anyone who heads out to track will usually do to any street car that spends time on track. A lighter two piece rotor setup is more of a handling upgrade by lowering unstrung weight. But bringing Stinger to track is perfectly normal activity and car has all bones to handle a track day at local track with minimal prep. While not a race car, ...FYI most street cars aren’t race cars , Stinger has suspension, engine brakes, tires to be very fun. Seems like people who think going to track indicates you must have a race car might not understand many people go to track to not race but to enjoy fast laps in a controlled environment.

 

[Bbrownjohnd]

Sure defective rotors and other little bugs irritate me for mid $40k car with so few miles and floaty suspension was irritating but I haven’t changed my tune. Those things still irk me. But I have always seen potential in car beyond what others think. Car handles great and while not it’s not a Porsche It’s fun car. Guess I’m guilty of not being 100% fan boi for Kia . But don’t get me started on all negative stuff I can list about my Porsche’s ....different but equally frustrating issues.

Another note of comparison ...the 370 Z NISMO, JDM V6 track car, sports suspension, mechanical dif, with fatter tires than Stinger set same time on Laguna Seca with Randy at wheel. So when people say better off with more of a dedicated track car just wonder what they are thinking of?

Here’s a funny thought. I could load all my track gear and spare set of track tires and wheels in car . Try doing that in any other track car!

As a former 370z, 18 stinger GT1 rwd and current 2020 GT1 AWD, I agree with you. The Z was awesome little affordable car that I still miss. People knock it for its age and supposedly lack of performance, but for a normal car guy, it had excellent performance all around and had a huge fun factor. The Stinger to me is a more impressive machine, although not quite as fun. But it will for sure smoke a 370z probably even with the AWD. It's a much smoother car and the sensation of speed is very different, because of that. But when I first got the stinger, I had to reclaibrate my driving style because of burling into corners with so much speed because the car is so fast and smooth. Love my stinger AWD. The Z is my ex that I keep thinking about tho