All Things Hyundai

Spring fever!!!

2012-02-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

I think its here..

As the current temperature outside is currently 19 degrees fahrenheit and the wood stove next to me is roaring away I find myself wanting it to be warmer. My Friday night commute reminded me that I love curvy roads. In Easton PA travelling on rt 22, I found myself following a Subaru WRX on my way home from work. This fueled something within me. The next thing I knew, my speed had increased slightly and I was soon taking cemetery curve faster than I probably should have been. Keeping a constant balance of understeer, followed by let off rotation of the rear, I remembered how I used to get a ticket almost every spring. This event sparked this particular entry.

They just don't understand...

My wife used to get on me something fierce when my foot would press the accelerator slightly too much. It was for good reason. I think that winter might depress me and others. I used to pull my summer rims off, raise the car, and prepared the car for winter. While in Florida I did not have to worry about such things. It was warm all the time. I did not find myself with this overwhelming urge to speed and take corners at ridiculous speeds. Although I must say that there were really no curves in Florida, except for the occasional on/off ramp that I must admit I would take at higher speeds then the recommend yellow sign. Physically, I think this has to do with body chemistry. In Florida, the sunshine was constant. This meant that serotonin levels, and vitamin D levels were consistently high. Since moving to the NJ/PA area and working crazy amounts of time inside a small dark room. I found myself coming down. I started supplementing with B vitamins and vitamin D. I have been feeling much better. But this event with the WRX took place on a day that I had forgot to take them. I did the same thing for me! Though I must say that the driving experience did not turn my urine neon yellow it sparked that liveliness from within. So without knowing it, I think I have inadvertently found the reason for spring traffic tickets. Putting the rims back on the car, lowering it, and a good wash and wax job just makes you feel better. I'm sure the warmer weather helps too. The leaves on the trees start to bud and that desire comes back. For some of you this might have been an obvious thing. For me it was quite the enlightening experience. So I figured I would share.

Its almost here...

I'm holding out...its only a month or so away that spring will be here. Along with the New York Autoshow happening at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on April 6th through the 15th. I will be attending and looking at what Hyundai has to offer. Though there are a ton of others cars that I will be looking at that are direct competition for Hyundai's line up. This would include the new Toyrabaru BRZ/FT-86 ( I know its a Scion), the Ford focus ST, Fiat 500 Abarth and a lot of other cars. While I do have my heart set on a Veloster Turbo, I will be looking around and seeing what my wallet can afford. I have not heard anything on price for the Veloster Turbo, just lots of speculation. Though I'm expecting it to be slightly over the N/A version, but under the Genesis coupe. So my prediction is right around that 24k mark fully loaded. Who knows perhaps the allure of the new coupe will get me. The new motor with 274hp does sound good...

finally...I'll leave you with on of my first video's that I had made just prior to me leaving Pa. It was made with my very crappy Canon camera about 6 years ago. I'm hoping to pick up a GoPro in the very near future. It should dramatically help videos such as this one. It was a random road I used to take from Bangor Pa, out to Pen Argyl, Pa. Enjoy...I know I did and will very soon!

It has been awhile, but here is the quick catch up!

2012-01-21T09:39:00.000-08:00

First off, the two most anticipated cars in Hyundai's history have come to light. The 2013 Genesis coupe and the 2013 Veloster Turbo. Let us start with the Genesis coupe.

The Hotness!!

Ok so the styling of the coupe is well, different, but that is not stopping Hyundai from providing it with a fresh interior and some new motors. The basics for the interior are new gauges, softer materials, and a more upscale feel. The motors are of the same size, but the 3.8 is now a gdi motor making 350 hp and a copious amount of torque. The 2.0t motor did NOT get gdi, but rather a larger twin scroll turbo, larger injectors, and a new tune. Hyundai also says that fuel economy will go up as well. That is the basic jist for the coupe. I will have to see it in person to make a final judgement about the car. The new taillights are a nice touch and are definitely more appealing then the older "chromed" ones. The hood on the other hand, it really needs to lose the fake hood scoops. Are we Ford? I think not. I have a feeling that most of the new buyers will be looking to replace the hood with a lighter and more appealingly styled carbon fiber rendition. I do not blame them one bit. I have also seen renderings of the front "black" bar being painted to body color and it looks like it might have some potential. I'm sure the guys over at Gencoupe.com will have no issues with more power and making the newer coupe look unique.

My next car...

The Veloster turbo. I have been waiting for this car for quite awhile now and now that I'm gainfully employed I can actually afford one. Work is also why I have not be able to any blogging and why some much awesome Hyundai news has gone under the radar. Back to the new Turbo. The 1.6 will get a stainless steel manifold with an integrated twin scroll turbo. What this means is that if you want to swap turbo's you will have to get an exhaust manifold to match it. Domed pistons that lower the compression down to 9.5:1 (just like the Gen coupe). It will also receive oil skirts for the bottom side of the piston to help control heat. The FMIC can easily be seen in the pics and it runs vertically just like the Sonata (probably the same FMIC). This also makes upgrading it easier as we will not/should not have to worry about the crash bar, like the Gen coupe guys do now. Also improved on the car is the steering. Hyundai has revamped the steering to a quicker ratio. This should make tracking or racing at your local SCCA event a little more interesting. Some things added to the Veloster over the N/A version are LED tailights, European spec'd projector headlights (yes they are different from the KDM ones) and signal mirrors. Obviously the front and rear bumpers are different as well. The turbo also gets full leather seats with the "Turbo" on the seats, they are also heated. I am not a of full leather seats, but I will deal, especially considering how comfy they are and the fact that they are heated is a definitely a plus!

The thing I found quite strange is how Hyundai tackled the torque steer issue. Essentially they give you a thicker passenger axle (just like the base Veloster) but then instead of adding an LSD they simply program the steering to sense the torque steer and keep the wheel straight. Essentially what it does is it over powers the wheels, and your hands from feeling it, instead of correcting the issue. I have a feeling that this is not going to be very good when it comes to tight corners and we will be burning up some inside tires. I guess this is where Quaife will come into view and make us an LSD. The transmission on the Veloster looks pretty simple to pull out and without the huge subframe the time it takes should also be shortened. The suspension, although rumored to change to an independent rear, has not. And that is fine with me. Its lighter, and will keep costs down. As one of our friends over at Veloster.org pointed out there are some major European touring teams that are using cars that have torsion beams and are winning their fair share of trophies. I'm not really too concerned. A nice set of coilovers and I'll be set. On the downside its the lack of adjustment that is worrisome. O'well. The good looks and function of this car will be fantastic for me and a whole host of others! I can not wait to get my hands on one!

More car news...

The Azera debut on the L.A auto show and will be hitting dealerships in the spring. It is going to be using the new 3.8 gdi motor that is now found in the Genesis sedan and will probably use a 6 speed auto. Unlike the Genesis that will use the new 8 speed auto. Interior looks 100x better then the older one and definitely more upscale.

Also coming out soon is the new Elantra coupe. This sporty rendition of the highly acclaimed and awarded four door will have two less doors and we should see a bump in power in the highest SE model. Hopefully, unlike the 4 door variant, we will see a manual in EVERY model not just the base. At least I hope so. The motors are still up in the air, but I suspect either a new gdi variant of the NU 1.8 or even the Gamma 1.6 turbo. I'm not sure if it will be too much competition for the Veloster turbo, but we will see in Chicago where it is slated to debut. Though shots of the car have been leaked and its pretty much what we would suspect the 4 door would look as a two door coupe. Must say that the built in lip spoiler is a nice touch! I like it! The interior should be almost identical to the current 4 door model. Same goes of the suspension. I would like to see the Veloster torsion bar with the integrated 23mm bar in the back of the coupe, or at least the sporty SE version. Did I mention that the 4 door version just received its FIRST ever Car of the Year?! We also have the 5 door variant known as the Touring, but for the rest of the world its the i30. Same basic thing as the Elantra except hatch form and some different fascias.

Also on the burner and almost ready for its debut will be the new Santa Fe. I have not seen too much about this other than it will be following the lines of other models. Interior should be too notch as well. I suspect that the 3.8 gdi motor or even a reworked 3.3 gdi motor will be the motor of choice. We should see this either at Chicago or even New York. (ninja edit....This will debut in NY!)

Other tidbits....

Hyundai is working on a 10 speed transmission. Really? My question is why? It is slated to go into the Equus and Genesis Sedan for 2014.

Also, Dodge will be using a Hyundai transmission in their new version of the old classic, the Dart. Hyundai hs been tight lipped about what tranny will be used, but I will venture a guess of Hyundai's dual clutch transmission that is currently in the Veloster or the new 6 speed auto that is in the Elantra. Either way its good news for Hyundai and better news for Dodge that has had their fair share of crappy trannies over the years.

I personally am really excited about getting to the NY auto show this year. It will be the first time in almost 7 years that I will be attending. Let me tell you the Orlando auto show was horrible! I want a REAL autoshow!

More tidbits from "All Things Hyundai"...Have a Hyundai? Want me to show it off??? send me pics and details! I'll be trying to pick ones for every month. I also am planning a spring/summer meet this year in Allentown PA. Dates are kinda in the air at the moment, I need to find out my work schedule first. Until then I will try to keep you guys up to date with my thoughts and the latest and greatest from Hyundai! you can PM the pics and details to Only1db on your respective forum. Thanks!

tip of the day...Z rated tires do NOT work in the snow!!! Ask me how I know. Haha

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

well, with the holidays upon us. I figured I would share my creative Hyundai touch! haha

I'll be back in January to bring you more kickass Hyundai stuff! For the moment I will atleast leave you with Hyundai's newest youtube upload. Its Rhys Millen hijacking his genesis coupe drift car. This is the real deal! Not practiced or staged (too much) unlike the Ken Block episodes. Not to get down on the guy he is a fantastic driver, but if you notice how many skid marks there are on the pavement while Rhys is doing his run vs Ken Block. Rhys most definitely does NOT need to practice that much!!

check out the link to the video.....Rhys drives through Hyundai headquarters!

Remember...

Come January we will have a new round of Hyundai vehicles coming to the auto show realm. Detroit will kick it off with the Genesis coupe, and the Veloster turbo (really looking forward to this one as it may very well be my next car). Chicago is my prediction for the new Elantra coupe and will should be seeing the next generation Santa Fe! I'll be personally looking at these cars when the auto show comes to my new back yard here in NYC!

have a happy and safe holiday! Please do not drink, text and drive. Also try a little courtesy on the road...you never know it might make things easier. Keep a good attitude while on the road. There are going to be a ton of morons trying to get where they are getting to, but please refuse the urge to get upset. It will only hurt YOU!

Take care and Happy Holidays!

Are you Sirius???

2011-12-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yup!...

So what we have here is a fine example of a Hyundai fanatic going to the extremes! I love it. Andreas Margaronis from Greece is an owner of a Hyundai dealership in Patas, Greece with a history of rallying and road racing. He was able to transform this normal 1997 Accent with a 1.5 SOHC into a monster. The original Accent came with 95hp, this particular car is putting down 475whp. Lets see how.

Andreas removed the tired 1.5l from this car and replaced with Hyundai's 2.4l Sirius motor from the Sonata (here in North America). A little history on the Sirius first. The 2.4l is a shared motor from Mitsubishi. Its technically a 4g3 block with a different head. The funny thing about this motor and I have seen this firsthand is that the Evolution VIII and VIIII heads bolt directly up to the Sonata motor. I wonder if the 6 speed transmission bolts up to? Sure looks like it. Along with the rear subframe, center differential, and rear differential. The thing that normally stops the normal everyday person from doing a swap like this is the machining and customizing the body. The normal Accent is approximately 4.6 ft across. This particular car is 5.3ft. That means that he is sporting 3 inches extra on both sides and had to do some serious body work to get it all to fit properly. This included making custom front and rear bumper covers. Custom hood with vents to help cool things under the hood. The rear tank was also removed and a custom fuel cell was placed into the trunk.

What is under there anyway? We know that the 2.4l Sirius makes it under there, but its the Garrett gt3071r that pushes 24 psi of boost and the Haltech E8 ECU that makes the 475 whp and 394 ft/lbs of torque. Supporting modifications also include larger injectors, Front mount intercooler (FMIC), oil cooler, and custom exhaust (the driveline is taking up that space now). The motor also has forged Wiseco pistons, forged crankshaft, and Pauter rods. Apexi boost controller makes sure there are no surges in boost pressure and its all controlled by the Haltech on a custom tune.

Putting it down...

Along with the body modifications, the suspension and brakes have been upgraded as well. The suspension sees a custom set of coilovers with reservoir tanks and custom sway bars. Wilwood big brake kit helps stop the car when it needs to come to a hault fast. Being on the track or on the trail, I'm sure there are times it needs to stop in a hurry and with Wilwood's reputation for making outstanding kits I'm sure he has no problems. His ride sits on a set of 18 inch wheels wrapped in 235/40 semislick tires from either Pirelli or Kuhmo.

All in all, I think this is a find example of taking a point to point car and turning it into something great. A beta swapped Accent (an Accent with the Beta 2.0l motor from a Tiburon or Elantra) can be had for a reasonable price and will pretty much be a bolt-up affair but this is outrageous. Andreas says that his next trip to the dyno he will be looking for over 500+whp! Good job and good luck!!! Us hardcore Hyundai people really appreciate the hard work and dedication. So from "All Things Hyundai"...keep it up and I look forward to seeing some future numbers.

ATH Presents: 2012 Accent 4 door...The cheap seats...

2011-11-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

But by all means not cheap on value. I have been meaning to get into an Accent since they came out some months ago. The thing about it is that they were selling faster than they could make them. It was almost impossible to get my hands on one. That is until yesterday when one joined our family. My dad threw me the key this morning as I was on my way out the door. "Take it for a spin...let me know what you think." I took him up on the offer. The full tank of gas was a gift from the dealership anyway. So off we went.

First things first...

When I first saw this car unveiled, I thought it was OK in the looks department. Then I saw it in person. It looked much better. The fluidic design on the front is a nice touch and the lines on the front of the car carry the design all the way to the rear of the vehicle. Raked windshield and a high belt line are the trends now and the Accent pulls it off very well. Needless to say, I'm a fan of the new design. Although I do prefer the hatch or the sedan, they did not have a hatch available when we bought it. My dad likes it and that is what is important. The interior will also look familiar. It carries much of the same lines as the Tuscon and Elantra. While it is hard plastic on the inside, it would not appear to be cheap. The different textures on the dash and silver accents are placed strategically around the cockpit. Build quality also seems to be top notch.

When I first sat in the seat, I was able to find a comfortable position rather quickly. The steering wheel has a nice feel to it as does the shifter. The seat itself does not have lumbar support, but feels rather comfortable for a car in this price point. It is not particularly bolstered, but I do not suspect that the owner will be carving up the local mountain roads. The Accent uses the same Gamma 1.6 GDI motor as the new Veloster. It is rated for 138hp and 123ft/lbs of torque. Though I must say that in this car it feels much stronger than in the Veloster. I'm not sure why, but its feels much better in the Accent. The transmissions are the same but the shifter throws in the Accent are longer than in the Veloster. Pedal position is a little awkward. The brake pedal seems to be quite high in comparison to the clutch and accelerator. Heel toe? AH! I do not think so. Same goes for the pedals in the Veloster for that matter. On a side note, the pedals in the Coupe are just right.

Skimps on the ride?...

I found the ride to be comfortable while tooting around town, especially on the rough and uneven surfaces of NJ. Perhaps I was spoiled by Florida's smooth roads? Maybe. This car also has a sold torsion beam rear suspension which did not seem to be too upset with the rough roads. Body lean is at a minimum, unlike Accents of the past. Even the little 14" steel wheels with 175/70 tires it hold their own while driving on some of my favorite PA back roads. While route 191 south of Stroudsburg, PA has disappointingly changed from a 55mph zone to a 45mph zone, it is not the speed I was looking for admittedly, I was more concerned if I could maintain speed. Being that this car is about fuel mileage I wanted to see if I could keep my speed up and minimize downshifts and throttle movements. Happy to say that I could easily maintain the speed limit in 5th gear till the top. The sharp switch backs make it hard to keep speed, but a downshift or two and some throttle, and the 1.6 has plenty to give and will easily move you up the hill. I found the brakes to be of appropriate size and feel. This car is also equipped with ESC with traction control along with ABS and Electronic Brake Distribution. Both systems appeared to work well. Except for the dreaded 0-60 mph run. The best way again is with the ESC off. If not it will fall on its face, just like the other models, and takes a second or two to catch up. I must say that all is not bad with traction control. While on the on ramp back to Rt 80 the ESC kick in and it did not feel too invasive. It slowed the car down just a touch to keep it in line. So while it may be a nuisance at times. It better to just leave it on, especially in the wet. I think I forgot to mention that this chassis is 22% stiffer than the outgoing model. The entire package seems to be on par with, if not, better then some of the it's competition.

There are some things though....

That I do not like. First and foremost how can you have a comfort package that does not include cruise control? It boggles me, that is the ultimate in comfort features. Another thing that bothers me is that this car has power locks, but it is only power from the driver side. What? So when you it the lock button on the door form the driver side, it will lock all doors, but hit it from the passenger side and it simply locks the passenger door. That is kinda weak. I had groceries in the front seat, so I went to lock the door and I could not. I had to walk around to the driver side and either open the door and push the lock or put the key in the door and lock the doors. The arm rest on the comfort package is not exactly comfortable. It pulls down form the right of the drive side seat like Accents of old. One more step up in trim and you get a real center console. Why not just put it all of the cars? Can't be that much more expensive. It also gets in the way while shifting. I just put it up and forgot about it. One more thing is the clutch pedal. It is extremely light. The let out point is very vague. Although you can kind of guess where it is and be successful but it does not give you much feedback at all. Would these things keep me from buying this car? Nope. Although I would have gone with an SE hatch. Some of the upgrades include leather steering wheel and shift knob, larger 16" wheels with 205/50 tires, sliding armrest and storage box. It also gives you chrome accents and remote for the locks with an alarm. With that being said this is probably the best car in it's class when you weigh features vs price. Lets not forget the warranty...it alone attracts people to Hyundai.

Out with the old and in with the new!

2011-11-29T17:52:00.000-08:00

03 Elantra GT...

Nope not mine. My dad's. It needs a ton of work. Now that I'm here I can fix it right? Well, not really, I think its beyond repair. With the car acting up this morning while dropping my nieces off at school, my dad's thoughts went elsewhere. "Should I just replace it?" my response has always been neutral. It is his car and he alone needs to make the decision. I think this morning pushed him over the edge though. Metal clanking, and burning belts was the last straw. The car needs four struts, brakes all the way around, and a long list of other tidbits. So his 03 Elantra GT with 175k met its fate today...it was let go.

In with the new...

So after I picked my niece up and drove her to school, I came back to the house and we started looking for cars. At first, he was just interested in used cars. After looking around for a little bit, the only used cars worth getting were really pricey. Does a 2009 Elantra manual with 34k really go for $14,000??? Has the resale value of Hyundai come up that much in the last couple of years? I guess so. So we headed out to our local Hyundai dealership. I saw a white Veloster. I instantly went to go look at it. I knew from the rims that it was a base model. It was also a DCT. So we went inside and asked for the keys. My dad loved the car! So we went inside to work on some numbers. Too bad the guys at Hackettstown Hyundai were trying to play games. Its a shame really. I know how to shop for cars and the process that goes behind it. Please do not tell me you have zero wiggle room on a car. There is ALWAYS wiggle room. It is whether or not you want to wiggle it.Then they suggested that we do a lease to buy...are you crazy! No dice. I suggested we call our go to guy Joe Ippolitto at Towne Hyundai in Denville, NJ.

Sure enough, we were greeted with a big smile and a firm hand shake. I simply asked him if he had any Velosters on the lot?...nope. Any manual Elantras?...nope Any manual Accents?...one, it came on the truck last night! The car was automatically brought around, I think his assistant was listening and a signal was given, with a dealer tag in the window. How did he do that so fast? We hopped in the car and went. The Accent has the same motor as in the Veloster. The 1.6 GDI with 138 hp and 123 ft/lbs of torque. It also has the comfort package. Everything that my dad was looking for. No joke, 30 minutes we were done. Joe had worked out the numbers while we were on our test drive. Not only was it quick it was cheaper by almost $100 a month! Moral of the story, if you need a Hyundai and your in NJ, go see Joe Ippolito at Towne Hyundai!

I feel a new dealership partnership may have been found. He even offered me a job there if Sonography does not work out. I politely told him "It has to workout, or my wife will kill me!" I also feel another ATH review in the woodworks.

I have also been looking at cameras. So if anybody out there has an idea for a good camera without being too outrageously expensive, let me know!

so goodbye 03 Elantra GT hatch and hello to the 2012 Accent 4 door.

A good time...

2011-11-27T07:51:00.000-08:00

In the beginning...

So my journey from the deep south was quite a trip. 1141 miles and 16 3/4 hours later I made it to my home town in NJ. The trip was relatively uneventful, save one event, but we will get to that a little later. I had some repairs to do to the car before making my journey. I spent the Wednesday prior in the garage doing a laundry list of repairs including replacing a cv axle, changing out the manual gear oil, tire rotation and balance, an induction service using Wynns products (check out the video...I through it together real quick before leaving), fixing my passengerside air bag (the light has been on and off for the last couple of months), and I also replaced the TCS/ABS sensor on the driverside (having traction control and ABS might come in useful in the snow). It was essentially destroyed a year and half ago when I converted the car over to 5 lug. You have to pull the sensors out to get the bearing out, and well lets just say that after 5 years of being in its home, it was not coming out! The car was much smoother and virtually all of the vibrations in the car were gone. Dare I say that my 03 with now 211k on it feels like new?

Whoop, Whoop....

Thats the sound of the police!! Thats the sound of the Beast! While these are lyrics from a song of one of my favorite hip hop artist KRS-ONE, it was also true in my case. I did not intend to be pulled over and I'm not sure anybody really does, but this is my story. I had been traveling on Rt 95 for sometime through Florida, Georgia, and I was in South Carolina when I was travelling with the flow of traffic. We were all doing about 80mph in a 70mph. Well the road opened up and I think my foot went down to accommodate its soreness. I had cruise control on for quite sometime (which is why I have beef with the R-Spec Coupe!!!) but the last couple hundred miles or so it was jut not safe to do so. So while my ears were soaking up the wonderful sounds of Metallica's "And Justice for All" album, my foot got comfortable and without realizing it, I was going a tick quicker then I really wanted to be. Then of course you see the Sheriff in the middle of the highway...look down and say "Shit!" and sure enough he came out. I was a lone sheep in the middle of two travelling groups. I was perfect prey for the wolf. The officer was nice about it and knocked it down quite a bit and the fine is, dare I say cheap, in comparison to Florida fees.

Idiot free?...

I also hit some traffic as well. Which should be expected on such a long trip. This time it was just north of Fredicksburg, VA. There must have been an accident of some sort. So for 45 minutes I sat in bumper to bumper traffic. I traveled a whopping 5 miles. All I could think about was "This is killing my time!", but I guess that is what happens when people follow to close. Even when the flow first slowed down I heard at least two separate crashes around me. I had the correct distance and did not smack the guy in front of me and because I knew the person behind was riding my butt, I purposely put more room in between us. Thank goodness, because if I had stopped any faster, the mini van behind me would have kissed my rear bumper. The picture was taken Florida at about 80mph with a really old lady behind the wheel of the Lincoln. You can clearly see that I'm at the proper 3-4 car lengths and they are obviously not. This was also the case, at night even, when I hit that traffic...idiots.

I must say that my MPG's were getting better and better with every fill up. My first fill up was an average of 28 mpg's. While my second fill up was 30 mpg's (that is even with the going "plaid" moment) Third was higher still at 32.9 mpg's. I was thinking about this while I was driving. What is changing? The gas? Maybe it was my Cold Air Intake sucking up cooler air? The car definitely came out of the toll booths a little quicker. Maybe the car just need to clean some crap out? I'm not sure, but I'll take it!

One last thing, I thought for sure that I was going to be sore and beat up after this trip. It simply is not the case. The Tiburon seat I installed some years back is till quite supportive and comfortable. I feel great this morning.

So while I do say goodbye to others and beautiful sunsets, I will be saying hello to others. A new chapter has opened up and I am ready to read it!

One of my favorite Foo Fights songs...Everlong.

A fine example!!!

2011-11-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

JM Dug over at Gencoupe.com posted up his video for all to see! I think he did a fantastic job! take a peek for yourself. I'm hoping in the near future I can get some good camera's and start making my own video's like this. Especially of review cars and of meets. Enjoy.

A pair of Gen Coupes...and a farewell.

2011-11-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

Its hard to find good car guys, never mind Hyundai car guys. When I moved to Florida I found a whole handful, but two in particular have been there time and time again.Whether it was just hanging out, or going to car shows they were there and showed their Hyundai support. Justin owned a GK Tiburon when I first met him some four and half years ago. It wasn't anything special and the modes were light. The 2.0 Beta motor (140hp and 133 ft/lbs) mated up to an automatic transmission was definitely not awe inspiring. Hayden was driving a turbo'd Elantra GT sedan when I first met him (claimed 240whp and about 230 ft/lbs from a Garrett t28 turbo pushing 14 psi). Although I never got the chance to drive or even go for a ride in it....it moved! While the Genesis coupe may not be my next car to own, I sure do love the look and something keeps drawing my back to them regardless of its faults. What a I can say is that these faults can and have been corrected with this pair of 2.0T Gen coupes. So now that both of my buddies have upgraded to Gen coupes what have they done to them?

Doing it right!...

Justin just bought his coupe some months ago, but he has already started to upgrade it. While it looks OEM from the outside, save the quad tips. Once you pop the hood and dig a little deeper, its anything but OEM. While he hasnt gone all out, well not yet anyway. He was not looking to spend a ton of money on a brand new car. So he did his research and found the best bang for the buck. He contacted the guys at Beyond Redline and they hooked him up with their Stage 1 Exceladyne kit. What this kit includes is an Exceladyne axle back exhaust. Its T304 stainless steel will last for a long time and has a nice deep growl. Next it comes with an AEM cold air intake system. Lastly, but definitely not least, and what makes this kit so worth the $1300 price tag is the tune. The guys over at Beyond Redline have used Poweraxel's ecu module and tuned the coupe to make an extra 45 rwhp and an extra 64 rwft/lbs of torque.

The tune also ups the boost pressure from the OEM 14psi up to 18psi and holds it there out to the extended rev limit of 7000 rpms. the throttle response is also quicker and it no longer falls flat (unlike my OEM coupe I drove some weeks ago) Its a dramatic upgrade that will catch people if they try to sleep on Gen coupe. Justin is not done by an means and I do wish him the best of luck with all of his endeavors not just his current car project. Though I had to say good bye to him we are both moving on to better things and more importantly getting out of Florida.

You did what?...

Over the years I would get random text messages and phone calls from Hayden about car stuff.What do you think about these injectors? What if I do internals? Can you find out about rod bearings? Ever since I met him, he has been serious about making power and taking down the Hyundai non-believers. While he did a good job with his Elantra GT, his Coupe takes it to the next level. He started it the suspension and added a set of Eibach Pro Sport springs along with Eibachs adjustable sway bars. Moving inside I automatically saw the custom gauge pod sitting on top of the dash with AFR and boost pressure readings. Next I noticed the short shifter and heavy clutch pedal. He also has a Greddy boost controller to keep tabs on boost pressure. I popped the hood and final got a chance to see what he had done with his coupe. Custom turbo manifold and attached to it was a 19g twin scroll turbo from an Mitsubishi Evo 9. From the turbo back its all custom with cat deletes. Larger injectors help feed the motor. The Intercooler pipes are all custom made and uses a Forge intercooler (3in thick). He then had the guys at Beyond Redline tune the car with a custom map using Poweraxel's ecu module. His number are quite impressive as he put down about 340rwhp and 320ft/lbs of torque with 20psi of boost. (I just texted him to get the correct stats...keep reading, you'll find out why I can not remember!)

I hopped out of the car and was like "Man this must be a beast to drive.?" Hayden then gave me the keys and said "I told you, you could drive it next time we met up." Sweet!!! So we left the parking lot while on lookers gawked. I tried my best not to stall the car out. The clutch is much heavier then my Elantra. Taking the traction control off I punched it! 0-60 went by rather quickly especially with the rush of power coming on at about 3000 rpms. This is addicting! I do apologize for the lack of information, he was rattling off the specs as I was driving. While I was trying to pay attention to what he was saying, the surging boost had more of my attention. I really did not care at the moment how it was moving the car, all I knew is that it was MOVING! shifting into fifth though, I was greeted with a familiar "clunk" from the fifth gear syncro.

In the back of my head I was thinking "This drives so much better then the 3.8 R-spec!". The 2.0 turbo would definitely be my choice if I were to buy one and for this exact reason. It was memorizing. I wish I had more time to drive, but like all good things it must come to an end. Goosing it one last time just to hear that turbo spool and the blow off valve purge the excessive pressure. Everybody was looking as I pulled in...only to have the fail of the day...I stalled it. Not once, but twice. It was more embarrassing then the iced tea I spilt on myself a couple of hours prior. We laughed it off and pulled into the parking lot. Needless to say his car was getting quite a bit more attention from all of the the "other" car guys there. Maybe they did not realize that a Hyundai could be that fast while also being reliable. I don't know, but what I do know is that if they pulled on Hayden they would soon find out. If I know him, he is not done by any stretch and his quest for more power will continue. I'm looking forward to the text messages. It will be nice to hear from him again.

Though I have two cars featured here, this is not even close to the friends that I have met while here in Florida. I wish them all luck and farewell...its been a hell of a ride!

Ryan...06 Elantra GT. Met sometime ago and as we are both members of ElantraXD.com. We obviously had things in common. I have worked on his car multiple times including doing his timing belt, helping with his five lug swap and helping withe his suspension upgrades. Good luck in the world of pysch. Keep looking, it will work out. Nothing better then hard work and perseverance.

Tara...03 Tiburon. We met at a local Hyundai meet that I organized at Coastal Hyundai when I used to work there. Her funky red hear set her apart and the fact that she knew about cars was definitely a wow factor. I have worked on her car on multiple occasions aswell. Even though it still needs more work, she is proud of it. If I must say....get the Veloster over the Coupe...it suits you better.

Dave...06 Elantra GT Just met him, but he seems like a straight up guy. Too bad I didnt get a chance to hang more.

Andy...03 Tiburon GT We met at the first dealership meet I put together. I have also worked on his car multiple times. He has been a good friend and has given me the hook ups to all things NASA! We were able to see a shuttle launch up close and personal and the roll out of other shuttles. My son enjoyed all that you have done for us. Don't worry I'll pick my pictures eventually! Did I mention that he is an awesome photographer in his spare time? Yup, He is the one that took the pic at the top of the page. He also has his own website (Turbofox Photography...check out the link in the links section!) Good luck with the future and all of your personal and professional endeavors. The universe has a way of working things out!

To the others...JC, Phil, Jason, Casey...I'm sure I'm forgetting a whole handful of people...its been fun. While this is my last post from Florida, its not my last article by any stretch! I will have more articles, more reviews and definitely will be organizing another meet!!! Here are some pics of meets that I have attended over the years.

Farewell Melbourne, FL...its been real!

An insult to MPG's...

2011-11-22T05:13:00.000-08:00

Insult...

So I was over at my friendly dealership, Coastal Hyundai, when I saw a Sonata Hybrid on a flat bed tow truck. I walk up to whom I thought was the truck drivers co-worker and asked "why?" The guy replied "A blown tire." So I walk from the front of the truck to the side and it had 22"'s!!! Big huge chrome rims on a Hybrid. So, of course, I spoke up and said "Are those really 22"s on a Hybrid???". The guy replied "Yeah....why?". So in my stupefied trance I started to rattle off everything that is wrong with HUGE chrome wheels on a Hybrid. They are heavy, tires are much wider the OEM ones, and they will kill the MPG's. In his infinite wisdom the guy replies "I put them on for show, not go." I think I just insulted the owner, whoops! While yes the Sonata Hybrid is NOT about how fast you go, it is about how far you go. So while it might look good (maybe), you have just killed what the car was built for...I walked away slowly shaking my head.

MPG's

With this being said, lets take a very quick look at MPG's Miles Per Gallon (here in the USA) has become the new gold standard for vehicles. Everybody is striving to get the most with the least amount of fuel. Vehicles are coming out with new technology almost daily. For Hyundai it has been the introduction of Gas Direct Injection or GDI. What this does is it sprays high pressure fuel into the combustion chamber rather then the intake runners. This means that the fuel can be sprayed in at the very last second, using very little fuel. You can also increase the compression ratio of the motor increasing volumetric efficiency. This increase allows for more power and better fuel economy. Along with other technology like variable intake runners and Continuous Variable Valve Timing is why, for example, the new 2012 Veloster is able to achieve 40 mpg's on the highway. Hybrids are also a thing too...(can read about the Sonata Hybrid below "ATH Presents:..."). Here is a short film on the new 1.6 gamma GDI motor.

Any modification done to a vehicle can change the MPG's. Adding bigger wheels and tires, usually, adds weight and pushes the majority of the weight out towards the outer edge of the circumference. Modifying the motor in anyway can have a detrimental affect on mileage as well. Even something as simple as a Cold Air Intake or an aftermarket exhaust system can lead to more trips to the pumps. While I have personally found that if your not constantly putting your foot down some mods can increase or at least NOT affect mileage. Allowing the motor to breathe better does increase HP and TQ numbers, but sometimes it can yield better MPG's. What I'm trying to convey is just be aware that how you modify your car. Please, do not be ignorant and do some research on the vehicle before adding parts to it.

Also, things to come....

In the last couple of days I have had the opportunity to drive two Genesis coupe's with aftermarket goodies on them. One is mild while the other is touching on the wild side. I'm hoping I can find time in the next couple of days to post it all up and wrap up my Florida chapter. My Pennsylvania chapter will be opening very shortly! I will also be on the look out for another dealership!

So do not fret "All Things Hyundai" is simply relocating. Come spring I will have more reviews...this time with better cinematography (resolution) and pictures. I'm hoping to pick up some GoPro's and a better camera. Did I mention nice curvy roads?

ATH @ Xtreme Events Cars of Florida!!!

2011-11-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

For the love of cars...

I first met up with the guys at Xtreme Events last year, when I attended their year meet in Orlando, FL. Since then I have been to one other meet hosted by XECOFL.com (Melbourne Beach). Everybody there has always been courteous and respectful toward all makes and models. It is literally a bunch of guys/gals that truly love cars. No matter what you drive you can bring it to an xecofl meet! There was flag football, Barbeque, and a DJ at today's meet! As always this meet was very well thought out and put together. There were all kinds of cars here. Miatas, MS3s, 370zs out the wazoo, Gen coupes, Elantras, Tiburons, Eclipses and there was even a lone Honda Civic Si and Veloster.

This particular yearly meet means a little more to me. It will be the last meet that I will be attending in Florida. I was fortunate to have most of my friends in attendance. I have met some wonderful people over the last 4 and half years. Most have been to my house to have work or modifications done. I have enjoyed my time and am grateful for the friendships I have forged over the years. So to Tara, Justin, Hayden, Dave, Ryan, Andy, JC, Phil, Kirk and many others whom I have met along the way...Thanks for everything! You will be missed but never forgotten. Hopefully with return trips I'll be able to visit. Maybe even catch up with my new found peeps at xecofl. Thanks again guys! It was a blast and a great way to spend my last Saturday in the state. I threw together a small video (after the pics)...Enjoy!


Hatches FTMFW!!!


370's representing!

The very near future...

2011-11-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

2013 Azera...

So with the L.A. Auto show about to start, the auto show season is officially up and running. So what is Hyundai up to? Well, I think its going to be quite an exciting show year. Hyundai has five models that they will be unveiling in the very near future. The Azera is the first one to be unveiled at the L.A. Auto show. I pulled some pics from the web. While not 100%, I'm fairly confident that we are looking at the production vehicle. I also know that Hyundai has a 3.3 GDI (293hp and 29 mpg on the highway) that will more then likely find its way into this car. With power and mileage up from the out going model, along with better looks, it should help move some units. The current model is sitting on an old platform and has been around since 2006 (It did have a face lift, but the interior and other tidbits have essentially stayed the same.) The new Azera will also use the SACHS system to adjust for road surfaces. This should improve the ride quality and handling. Do not expect a canyon runner though, this is still grandpa's car.

The interior is far superior then the outgoing model. The older version had hard plastics galore and the seats were not exactly supportive. The trim pieces were also very easy to scratch and could degrade the look of the interior quite quickly. With prices starting in the low 30k's, I'm not sure why somebody would want a near luxury FWD car anymore. The Genesis sedan 3.8 GDI is RWD and starts at essentially the same price. Although I have hear rumors over the years about the Azera getting AWD...and that would make it special!

2013 Elantra Coupe...

My buddies and I over at ElantraXD and Elantraclub have been waiting for this car for quite sometime. We often thought what it would be like to have our favorite cars turn into hot hatches. While CEO John Krafcik says that there is not going to be a sporty model to the Elantra Coupe (probably because of the #4 car on the list...the Veloster Turbo) I'm not going to rule out the possibility of maybe an R-spec E coupe. Perhaps even using the same 1.6 GDI turbo motor from the up and coming Veloster Turbo. My thinking is that some people do not like the third door or the somewhat funky looks of the Veloster (I personally LOVE IT! and will probably be putting on in my personal garage next year) and would prefer the looks of the Elantra. I can appreciate that. The car was set to debut at the L.A. Auto show along with the Azera but it was pushed back to the Chicago Auto show. I guess we have to wait a little longer, be we can use our imaginations for the time being.

2013 Santa Fe...

While I'm not particularly a fan of SUV's, the Santa Fe has always been a curious vehicle for me. Its odd shape and somewhat chunky interior was introduced in 2001. I was not really a fan of it and I thought its two tone body cladding was a bit odd, but over the years I have come to appreciate it. The 2.7 Delta was definitely the motor of choice for this vehicle. It also came with optional 2.4 Sirius and 3.5 Sigma, both were Mitsubishi design and electronics, were
horrible to work on and not very good on fuel. In 2007 the car had a make over and thankfully the interior and exterior were changed for the better. So were the motors. Hyundai used their 3.3 Lambda and a newer version of the 2.7 Delta. If you bought the base 2.7 Delta you could have it with a 5 speed manual. The first time I hopped into one of those, it was quite surreal. I thought it was pretty cool and if I were to buy one that would have been my motor and transmission of choice. While we see spy shots of the up and coming Santa Fe, I haven't read anywhere about where its going to be debut. If I had to take an educated guess...I'm thinking NYC Auto show. Fortunately for me, I'll be in the tri-state area once again and will be going to this show. While speculations have been made about what motors are going into this midsized SUV, I will venture that the 2.0 GDI Turbo motor from the sonata will be the base motor with the new 3.3 GDI making its rounds in the higher end models. This of course just coming from me and not really based in any sort of facts other then the trends that Hyundai has been setting. From the rough shots of the interior and exterior we can see that the outside will continue on with Hyundai's fluidic styling cues and same goes for inside the cabin. Perhaps maybe even a hybrid model (not sure you want to use the turbo motor for that one though.) I do think that this will be the best one yet!

We have already talked about the last two vehicles. The 2013 Genesis coupe and the 2013 Veloster Turbo.

Far future...

Hyundai has been working on fuel cell technology for quite some time. They recently powered a 2011 Tuscon with a fuel cell and moved it across the USA. While hybrids are nice, I do not see them lasting too long. Please do not get me started on EV's. There lack of range and high sticker tags (even with government rebates as high as $7500 here in the States) do not make them accessible to the masses. Where are all of the charge stations? I would rather put money into Hydrogen fill stations rather then charging stations. Who knows maybe both will flourish. EV's for around town and Hydrogen for cross country hikes. What I do know is that renewable sources need and should be implemented. Some of you will still be holding out and to be honest so will I, but there comes a point in time when the greater good trumps my need for speed.

This time for conservancy is NOT in my immediate future. I will be attending Xtreme Events Cars of Central Florida (also added them to my list of sites) Orlando meet this Saturday! I will also be driving another Genesis coupe sporting upgrades from Beyond Redline. AND I have trying to get my last test vehicle from great partners over at Coastal Hyundai.

2013 Gen coupe...continued.

2011-11-13T05:23:00.000-08:00

So it would appear that the 2013 Genesis coupe will get a nice jump in power. I expected this though and as did everybody else. The question still surrounds the 2.0t motor. It was not shown at the release in Korea. I wonder why? Rumor has it that its going to be the same motor (non GDI) but will have a larger twin scroll turbo with increase boost. The current Coupe peaks at 14psi (approx 1 bar). So in order to increase the power that much your looking at the new coupe pushing about 19 psi. This also leaves alot of room for tuning the new motor as well. Its funny though...I know of another motor that is a 2.0 T and hits 274 hp...I wonder...

with out further interruption...

The 3.8 GDI will be making 350 hp. While the 2.0 T will be putting down 275 hp. I also snagged some more pictures of the new car at the unveil. Thanks to our friends in Korea for the pictures! Also if you want to see the picture larger just simply click on the picture.

Power Output for both motors

3.8 L GDI

New interior looks much better then the current one with hard plastics galore! This one looks like it has quite a few more soft touches to it. I like it! Especially the navigation system being higher up on the center stack.

Although there are name changes to some of the colors and added a few (not pictured here, perhaps they are saving the really cool ones for the Detroit unveil.) they look very similar to the current colors. Here are a couple of them.

They leaked!...thats gonna be a hot mess....

2011-11-09T05:11:00.000-08:00

So Hyundai let out two pictures. Presumably in front of the Korean Debut of the car on the 19th of this month. While these pictures do not look horrible, I'm going to leave my final judgement until I see the car for myself.

What we also see are some of the lines from its small cousin the Veloster Turbo. From the spy shots of the turbo the foglamp configuration is going to be nearly identical and will also have a large grill out front. Probably more so the the coupe, as the front mount intercooler runs vertically instead of horizontally across the bottom like the coupe.

Enjoy!

SEMA, A wrap up...

2011-11-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

Listen up!!!

Well most of you know already that CEO John Krafcik announced that the Turbo Veloster is officially going to be bowing at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. See "Turbo Veloster and you!" for more information on this. He also mentioned a couple of surprises for the Genesis Coupe. I take this to mean that the motors and the facelifted Genesis Coupe will also be unveiled. RMR was there with his new creation. The RMR 500. The 500 is for the Tau 5.0 V8 making 429 hp and 376 ft/lbs of torque. This motor actually is a winner of the Ward's 10 best motor's for 2011. CEO JK also said that "this could not be ruled out, I need your input!" So if you want it...you need to tell them!!!

SEMA awards...

What a let down, how in the world did the Fiat 500 pick up the Hottest Sport Compact? The Camaro won the Hottest Car award. Saw that coming from a mile away. The 4x4 went to Jeep Wrangler. Best truck went to the Ford F-150.

Hyundai Cars...

There where lots of them there, but I selected this handful as my favorites! First lets start with the Genesis Coupe's. These two are examples of the possibilities for Hyundai. First one is the Supercharged 3.8 putting down 450 hp! NICE! This was a combined effort of Hyundai and others in the aftermarket community.

Next is Rhy's RMR 500. This again is powered by the Tau V8 found in the new R-spec Sedan. It has a custom rear lip on the deck lid and some other goodies attached to it. It does almost look OEM, but man I would hate to be the sucker to race it!

Next is the Veloster. New for this year its Hyundai's hot hatch. This is by far the car that should have won the Hottest Sport Compact award. Fiat? really? O'well...maybe next year with the Turbo version. Hyundai gave a handful of people some pre-production cars to work their magic on. These are the cars that they came up with. I like them!

Here is ARK's rally inspired Veloster. It has a custom widebody kit, rear wing, roll cage, big brakes, ARK's coilover system and a whole bunch more.

Hyundai obviously has a partnership with RMR so obviously they would be showing off their FWD rallycross Veloster. It uses the 2.0 GDI Turbo from the Sonata and is putting down 300hp and 300 ft/lbs of torque

Next is Fuelcuture's Veloster. I really like this car! The color is insane and with the sequence X lip kit it looks especially good. This Veloster also sports KW Coilovers, Konig 18" wheels, big brakes, and my favorites the Seibon carbon fiber hood and hatch! I was promised we would get the weight difference once these pieces go into production. It also features the KDM projector headlights, KDM LED tail lights, and the KDM signal side mirrors. I have an inkling that these three tidbits are going to make it to the production Turbo version.

Another company that was given Veloster's was an entertainment company called Re:mix. They have three cars. One is done up with everything a connected person could ever need. Including android phone holder, Ipad holder in the dash, and tv in the seats. Although I'm not a fan of the all white interior or its practicality. I do have to give a thumbs up for effort.

Next is a car for the DJ in you. There is a full set of DJ mixer's in the trunk and the audio system to boot.

I'm not sure if these next two pictures are of the same car, but its the only green Veloster I have seen. Its Re:mix's Xbox car. Either way I LOVE this green and I think this is the green that should have come on the car in OEM trim rather then the Electrolyte green. Sorry EG Veloster owners...

What?...

All in all it was a good show for Hyundai. They showed the world what can be done with the Veloster and of course RMR always puts something crazy out there for us. The only thing that I could have wished for...was to be there in person! O'well...maybe next year?

ATH Presents: 2012 3.8 R-spec...A love affair...

2011-11-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Lust...

At times it can be a fantastic feeling. My lust for the Genesis coupe started back in 2007 when I started working as a Hyundai technician. It was a very exciting time for me. I had just changed careers and was now working on the cars that I have known for quite sometime. However, there were rumors of a new RWD platform in the works. My mentor and close friend at the time, Jerry Lawson, would be off at training sessions in Miami at Hyundai's technical facility in Doral. He would come back with tidbits of information on this new platform and other cars that were in the works. What I really wanted was a RWD sports car and my obsession began. Fast forward to April of 2009. I had switched dealerships trying to find work. I was now in a small dealership in Vero Beach, FL and on one bright sunny afternoon, there it was...the object of my affection. A nordscheife gray coupe 2.0 turbo just came off the truck. It was gorgeous! It was everything that I had imagined it would be. Seeing pictures of it just did not do it any justice. I asked my manager if I could do the pre-delivery inspection (PDI) on the car and knowing my obsession with it, he agreed. On one stipulation, absolutely NOTHING happened to the car while on my test drive. I agreed. I looked over the car with hungry eyes. Completing the PDI, it was time for a test drive. I was in heaven.

R-spec'd!

The R-spec is a trim level that Hyundai designates as their race edition. The car comes with all of the hardware from the Track edition but without the frills. There is no cruise control, no moonroof, not even a wing and some other fluffy comforts are taken away. The result is a vehicle that weighs 76lbs lighter and a price tag that was lighter on the wallet. This was only available on the 2.0 turbo, until 2010 when Hyundai released a 3.8 v6 edition. Even more cuts were made to the car. So now you could get into a 3.8 Genesis coupe for just under 27k. Doesn't sound like a bad deal. right? You get the big Brembo brakes, a torsen limited slip differential, and larger 19 inch wheels with summer compound tires.

All of the go fast parts are there and to be used at your will. Then this year Hyundai surprised us again with the R-spec Genesis sedan. This car gives you a 5.0 GDI V8 putting down 429hp and 376 ft/lbs of torque. It also gives you larger 19 inch wheels specific to the R-spec. Colors are also limited on the R-spec sedan, just as they are with the coupe. One thing though, it adds weight, presumably from the larger motor. How come the R-spec coupes do not give you more power? Are there other R-specs in the works? Maybe, with the Veloster Turbo to debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the Elantra coupe to debut at the L.A. Auto show, I'm sure anything is possible. On the other hand though, I want the options AND the go fast parts. I'm a firm believe that weight savings starts with the driver!

Finally...time alone.

I picked up my Interagos yellow 3.8 R-spec from the dealership and was ready to drive off into the sunset. That is if I could get out of the parking lot. I must have stalled it at least three times, how embarrassing. The clutch is heavy and very un-Hyundai like. Reverse does not have a lock out, but a pressure gate. It is left and up. You also get a little "Ding" when putting the car into reverse. I finally made it out of the parking lot and onto the main roads. For me, this is BIG car. Its almost a eight inches wider and longer then my Elantra. So needless to say I was being extra cautious. My initial impressions were that the car had quite a stiff, almost harsh ride. The steering was quick and accurate for the most part, though my tester did not want to center itself. The motor is powerful and will move the car very nicely. The interior is not that shabby with well placed controls, comfortable well bolstered seats and a good driving position.(the R-spec comes with red inserts and red leather on the doors) It's a nice place to be, even with all of the hard monotone plastics. The dash pad itself was soft touch, but not much else. The transmission is notchy and vague at times. I found that downshifting from 5th gear a little difficult. It would feel like it was being held up and would not move. I also found reverse to be slightly annoying. I was at a stop light putting in my flash drive into the center console usb port, when the light went green. I went to throw it into first gear, but instead I went into reverse, pulled it out, and went into reverse AGAIN! Getting honked and yelled at by a middle aged woman biker on her harley is not cool.

The sum of all of it's parts...

It all looks so good. Literally, its a gorgeous car, but like the hot girl that you have always wanted, it comes at a price. The 3.8 liter v6 is thirsty! I averaged about 22mpg. Now granted I'm coming from econoboxes where anything less then 27 mpg is unacceptable. I just could not afford to put gas in this car as much as I drive in a week. The act of driving is quite impeded by the overly granny'd Traction Control System (TCS or ESC). I made the mistake of leaving the TCS on while trying to test acceleration. My head jerked quite bad when I made the 1st to 2nd gear shift. The car literally falls flat on its face and then a second or two later will start to accelerate again. 2nd to 3rd was the same way. This was ridiculous. It was a bright sunny day here in Florida, there was no need for it to kick in the way it did. Next time, with the TCS off, it was much better a nice chirp came from the rear tires when shifting into 2nd gear, but 3rd gear still fell short and would not keep with the same intensity that the first two gears did. How disappointing. I think the electronics of this car really take away from the experience. I could only imagine if this had a cable instead of an electric throttle body. Maybe that is where the guys at Poweraxel or Seoulful racing come into play. Maybe it just needs to be programmed correctly.

My love affair...

Gencoupe.com member

I can see and feel the allure of the coupe. The looks you get in this car are quite nice, even after being out for three years peoples head's still turn. Maybe it was the extremely bright yellow. I even had a guy pull up in an S2000 and told me that he wanted to trade up, but sadly his wife won't let him. Yet another older guy in his HHR gave me a fist pump while in traffic. The adoring looks from young and middle aged women alike were nice, but sadly they weren't looking at me. It was the car. Regardless it made me feel good for the moment. In OEM form this car is very visually pleasing, but some of the guys over at Gencoupe.com have done some amazing things with aftermarket parts. Between the stance, wheel choices, and aero parts some of the coupes are down right sexy. Most even have the power the back up the looks. I would love to drive a coupe with aftermarket goodies bolted onto it. At the end of the day though my love affair was over.

Gencoupe.com member

How could it be? This was supposed to be THE car, but sadly its not for me. Its not even the really stiff ride, or how big it is. The notchy shifter I could probably live with, but man the accleration as good as it might be, it could be more linear and less jerky. Most people will say it pays to play, well I guess I'm not willing to pay for it. Having a 6 year old to tote around to hip hop and theater classes. the lack of backseat room made the front passenger very uncomfortable. If he was older and did not need the car seat then maybe, but that is going to be a year or so from now. I'm then reminded that the refreshed Genesis coupe is debuting at the NAIAS and with this leaked brochure photo...Well lets just say that I found out that the beautiful girl of my dreams has an STD. That is alot different then just having some annoying habits. (though some including Hyundai say its a Photoshop...if it is, its pretty damn close...I think its a case of CYA!)

A1A south between Melbourne and Sebastian

Even with the updated power (2.0 Turbo which is rated at 210 hp now is going to get a good bump in power. I'm suspecting the 2.0 GDI turbo from the sonata will be retooled to fit into the coupe, it has 274 hp. The current 3.8 v6 is more then likely going to get the 3.8 GDI from the Sedan, though traditionally the power output for the coupe is MORE then what the sedan sees. So the GDI motor is putting down 333hp we should see that number bump up to about 350ish?) I think it is time to find a new infatuation. Perhaps it's not the right place or time. What if I had tested it on MY roads back in PA would I have found the true prowess of the coupe. Maybe my flat Florida roads are just not appropriate for this car.

Another time another place...

One of many PA backroads...Near Bangor, PA

Turbo...confirmed!

2011-11-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

So with SEMA came some great news. CEO John Krafcik told the world, or atleast his dinner party guests, that the Veloster Turbo is confirmed. The new 1.6 Gamma GDI-T will be making an impressive 204hp at 6k and 195 ft/lbs of torque at a mere 1750 rpms. What does that mean? It means that the sporty looking Veloster will have the power to back up its fantastic looks! Nuff said.

also...I think I have my next review car in the pipes now. Should be picking it up tomorrow. ;)

Far from home, but never Hyundai.

2011-10-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Surprised?...

So over the last couple of days I have been in the NJ/PA area for a job interview. Hopefully it will pan out and some of you might have an available tech near you! I stayed with my parents and they were quite surprised when I called for them to come pick me up. I saw my dad first. I called him to come pick me up from the airport and though my phone conversation was brief and he did not seem to excited, it was when he actually saw me standing there I got some sort of reaction. Driving along in his 03 Elantra GT hatch, I could notice the incredibly harsh ride and noisy tires. I also heard the distinct sound of a bearing whirring away (especially on right turns. For those that might not know, the sound will get worse when you apply force to the bearing that is bad. So for him making right hand turns put pressure on the leftside and it was clear as day!) and the brakes were definitely making a higher pitched noise when braking. So I asked how long these things have been going on, my dad simply said "What noises?" this is very disheartening to me. His ears have been ringing for quite sometime and high frequencies allude him. I do with I was closer. I have the tools, ability and the willingness, but I'm 1200 miles away. This sucks! Now if I get the job I will be 30 miles away instead. Fingers are crossed.

Up on the highway the tire roar was very noticeable. The bad struts are killing the tires and I'm sure the car has not been aligned in quite sometime( you can take a look at what the tires look like at "Its just rubber..."). Driving the car later that day to go to the store, I also noticed that the brake pedal goes to the floor and the clutch pedal is VERY high. This just confirms that he does infact need brakes and it would appear that the clutch is going to be gone very soon. I have always helped out in the past, but now I was unavailable. I'm trying to convince him to buy a Veloster. My mom and brother were quite surprised when they came home later that day. Their reactions were priceless! Although once my brother put the pieces of the puzzle together he seemed more upset then anything. Upset that he did not figure it out before hand! haha...I did a good job of being cryptic without lying.

The Bakers and Hyundai...

About 1992 I started my mechanical training with Hyundai, but my parents started buying Hyundai's back in 1988. The first car was a blue 4 door Excel . My brother and I decided that Hyundai was a cooler name then Yugo. Two years later my dad finally traded in his 1981 Pontiac T1000. It had a ton of miles on it and it was falling apart. Back to the Hyundai dealership and they drove away with a 90 Excel hatchback. This car lasted sometime and I ended up with it on my 17th birthday, I bought it from my dad for a $1. In NJ you can not just give it to somebody, it needs to be sold. I started driving that car when I was 15 (it was a manual...along with all of the other cars they have/ will have). I finally gave it up for another car that will be mentioned later.

My brother frequently borrowed the 88 Excel and one lonely night in the summer of 91, he launched it off a set of railroad tracks. He is not what we would call mechanically inclined, so when the oil light came on, he thought nothing of it and kept driving. Needless to say that the motor seized. The oil pan was ripped off. Enter the 92 Excel sedan. This car lived its days taking my mother back and forth to work and on some family vacations. It was traded in for a 96 Elantra. My dad after giving me the 90 excel ended up buying a 97 Accent. Both of these cars went the distance and with over 125k on both the Accent went to my brother and my mom bought an 01 Elantra. Dad then bought his current vehicle, the 03 Elantra GT hatch. My mom moved on to an 09 Elantra, but unfortunately that was taken out by a text'r (check out the pics and story in...Common sense...Can it be taught?) Her current vehicle is now a 2011 Tuscon. For me, after the 90 Excel died a couple of times with electrical issues (damn Mitsubishi electronics and motor). I bought a 94 Excel and boy I racked up some miles on that car. Mostly from being and oversized load escort. It saw the Atlantic ocean from the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada and all the way out to Ohio and as far south as North Carolina.


DAMN! I have lost some weight since then. haha

It wasnt until the slave cylinder went out on my while in Vermont one summer day in 2000 that it had left me stranded (well almost). I stopped by a local dealership that I happened to pass by while escorting the truck. Stopped in to see if I could trade it in on a Tiburon. They obviously said no, I had no downpayment and a busted Excel with over 175k on it. So essentially I had nothing. I called my man at "our" dealership. He told me to come on down. I told him "It might take me awhile, I'm in Vermont...Burlington to be exact" He gave me a good chuckle and told me he'll be there till 9pm. He was a very dedicated sales man. So with just about no clutch ( I only used it for first gear, I powershifted the others, the was fun while in a 10 mile back up in Albany with stop and go traffic. I would have a clutch, then NOT have a clutch...good times.)

Besides the Orion and Eclipse system, I had Intrax Springs/KYB struts. Enkie RPO-1 rims and some other random stuff.

About 6 or 7 hours later, I ended up at the dealership and drove away my silver 2000 Tiburon. A deer and three trees would eventually take the car out of commission after only three years of ownership. Would you believe that in that three years I racked up 109k on it? Yup and now I'm at 209k on my 03 Elantra GT hatch.

I have been with Hyundai for quite sometime. Along the way I learned from my dad and some of the mechanics that I used to help fix them. It eventually became my career and now we are back to the present. I know its a long read. Hang in there.

Now the reason I was writing this was to review the 2011 Tuscon that my mom purchased. I had the privilege of driving it about 200 miles and in that time I found myself somewhat enjoying it. Who would have ever thought that a CUV could handle so nicely, although the ride was kinda harch at times especially over the rough back roads in NJ. It was quite stable on the highway and even with it being rainy and windy it never once felt like an CUV. The steering is more then capable, but for whatever reason it seemed to have a hard time going straight. Its on center feel was heavy and pulling it away form center made the vehicle sway to the one side more then expected. It was accurate, but numb with very little feedback. Maybe I just need to get used to the Electronic Power Steering (EPS). The interior is a pleasant place to be and has comfortable seating.

The dash is well made and laid out. I found the steering wheel mounted controls easy to use and master. Even comes with Hyundai's USB/Aux input. This came in handy when I was alone and I could pop in my flash drive. Power comes from the Theta 2.4L which is rated at 176hp and 168 ft/lbs of torque (although if you go for the GL it comes with a 2.0L Beta good for 165 hp with 146 ft/lbs) is more then adequate and Hyundai claims 32mpg on the highway. Although I do not think that my parents have been averaging more then 29 on the highway. It could be the fact that they are going over 70mph and well the Tuscon has the drag coefficient of a blunted brick with rounded out sides. My mom likes it and I guess that is what matters. I'm not crazy about the looks, but it definitely looks better then the previous Tuscon. All in all not a bad car for the 22k it costs and if you feel yourself needing to sit up a little higher then a conventional compact sedan (like my mom now does after her accident) its a good fit and like always Hyundai's 100k/10 mile warranty is nothing to laugh at.

I'm hoping in the next couple of months I'll be moving back home and can once again help out. I'm not looking forward to the weather though...

Suspension Options...A beginners look at the aftermarket offerings.

2011-10-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so somebody over at Veloster.org asked me to write about the different styles of suspension options for Hyundai vehicles. Being that I have personally swapped my suspension around several times and used several different styles of suspension components I'll take a stab at it.

Get sprung...

The world of aftermarket suspensions can be incredibly complicated and if you do not know what your getting yourself into you can actually spend more money then you intended or buy something that you have no use for. I will attempt to explain the differences between spring/strut, sleeve coilovers, and full coilover suspension systems. There are many reasons why people swap our their OEM suspensions for aftermarket ones. It can be as simple as wanting to lower the stance all the way up to full time track use. This is where it can become quite diluted and you may loose your way. When looking for suspension components you must have a realistic idea of what you are going to do with your vehicle. Are you going to be doing Track days or autocross? Or just simply some curvy road carving? You do NOT want to spend money on full coilovers if your not going to use them. Its kinda like the old guy that buys the Z06 Corvette just he can park in the garage and drive it on Sundays...on the highway...in the left lane doing 65mph. THAT is not what it is intended for and I cringe every time I see it happen.

Please don't...

Ok lets start with sleeve style coilovers. I know its a weird spot to start, but I will tell you that I do NOT recommend them at all. Most of the people that buy these styles of coilovers are looking to go as low as they can for as cheap as they can. In the car world, its the worst case scenario. Going too low will actually hurt the vehicle dynamics and have an ill affect on handling. Most of the time they also use the OEM struts and do not care about the ride quality. What happens is the OEM struts are not designed to be lowered and you effectively reduces the struts ability to control the spring (especially considering the sleeve style coils are very very stiff). This is when you see cars kinda bouncing along the road whenever they hit bumps. This is not good for anything. So please...do yourself a favor and stay away!!

Get lower...

There are going to be a TON of options for lowering springs. Again this comes down to how low you want to go and your purpose. If you are just wanting to lower the car a little to get rid of that unsightly wheel gap, then lowering springs are for you. If you are just want something a tick stiffer to take some corners faster then lowering springs are for you as well. Lowering springs have a higher spring rate (this being the amount of pressure it takes to compress the spring...so if its stiffer it takes more weight to compress it the same amount of distance). They usually range from an inch to about an inch and three quarters in drop. Now with lowering the car you also have to remember that you are taking away the equal amount of dampening. So if you lower the car 1.5 inches (like I have with my H&R springs) you take away an equal amount from the dampener. What that means is that the dampener will have a limited range of motion. (Fortunately for me, I had another option and lost almost no suspension travel. I'll reveal how I did it when I showcase my car).

Yes I know the Spring is upside down!

This could have an ill effect on the lifespan of the strut/dampener (strut is upfront and dampener/shock is in the rear...for the Veloster, UD/MD Elantra, RB Accent, and BK coupe...while older models have struts all the way around) and could cause you to bottom out and the ride quality could suffer a bit. All in all though, ride quality is usually retained but stiffened up a bit. When installing lower springs you will need an alignment afterwards as you have unbolted the two bolts from the knuckle. Do not let the person doing it say you need camber bolts. You can adjust the camber (although Hyundai says there is no adjustment) with the OEM bolts. Simple loosen the bolts push the knuckle in for more camber or pull the strut toward you and tighten for less camber. (if you do not know what camber is...I guess I'll have to do another installment with alignments as the topic. haha)

I like it stiff!...

While this is sometimes true its not necessarily the case. A full coilover system is a spring and shock combination. They are matched to one another, usually have camber plates, adjustable height, and adjustable dampeners (for coils, they are called dampeners). Lets start with the camber plates. These are literally plates where you adjust the camber.

They are ontop of the dampener and come through where the top of the assembly bolts to the body of the vehicle. There are usually four bolts (ones shown here are allen head, pic below) you simply loosen them and slide them in either direction to get the desired camber. Toward the inside of the car for negative camber or pulled out for positive camber. Height adjustability comes in the form of rings that travel up and down. On my TEIN Super Street coilovers I could adjust the height, but it uses the spring perch to raise and lower the spring. Others like the new ARK coilover system have a pretensioner on the spring (this way the spring does not "fall" out of place when you jack the car up. The TEINs would fall out of place and you had to be careful when you lowered the car back down to the ground) and a seperate ring for the height adjustment. Its located at the bottom as shown here. This does NOT affect the strut travel and you have the same amount of travel no matter the drop. The rears are going to be different because the spring and dampener are separate pieces. Dampener control can come on either top of the dampener or the bottom of the dampener.

Shows adjustablity and the camber plate.

Again the TEINs had the adjustability (16 way) on the top. You simply just twist the knob to adjust. Ride quality with coilovers is superior to that of just normal drop springs or sleeve coilovers.(though if you get the right spring/strut combo it will ride just as well.) This is because the spring and dampener are matched to one another. Even though it might be quite a bit stiffer the ride quality is not as jolting as one would expect. Often times people who rode in my car did not know I had full coilovers on, but rather thought the OEM suspension was stiff. Coilovers are usually used when trying to lower the car to its optimum spot without loosing suspension travel or your going to be doing events like autocross, redline time attack, or local track days. Another feature with coilovers is that the oil used in the dampener is special in that it has a tendency no to froth up and become foamy. I must say that if you buy the correct struts/dampeners they too will have this advantage.


You can see on the ARK there are THREE rings. two are for the tensioner and the bottom being for height adjustability.

Definitely not the end...

This is just the beginning of suspension tuning. There are a multitude of components that come together to form the suspension. This article is a simple description of what the three are and how they work. Your application will/may vary. In the future, I will be doing an article on my own car and I'll show you what I have done with it over the years. Most of my modifications have been done to the suspension and brakes. I havent touched the motor due to the car being my daily driver, besides I have my eye on a future Hyundai product. So I have to keep this beauty running till it comes out, still even then it will be my winter beater.

Questions? do not hesitate to ask!

Common sense...Can it be taught?

2011-10-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Driving circles...literally!...

I'm going to tell you now the answer is NO!!! I almost was in two accidents with in minutes of one another, both times while in a circle (you crazy New Englanders call them roundabouts...I'm sure others do to, but I'm from New Jersey...its a circle. haha). The signs clearly show you how to navigate a circle and in which lane one needs to be to exit the circle. Does this mean that people follow the signs or show courteous behavior while on the road? Nope, unfortunately. The sign states that the right lane should either exit right or go straight, while the left lane goes straight or continues around the circle. While in such circle I was in the left lane entering, my intention was to go straight. I figured the guy next to me would be doing the same as he did not go right out of the circle. Wrong, he decided to keep going around in the OUTSIDE LANE! So I had to hit my brakes abruptly to avoid that person and even though my horn was blazing the person just continued like nothing was wrong. This is NOT the circle that I drove through but it does have the same traffic pattern to it.

When I had arrived at my destination some two minutes down the road I realized that I forgot to stop by the bank. Fantastic, around the circle again because the bank was on the other side. Grab my money from the ATM and back on the road, this time while in the RIGHT lane to avoid any difficulties. A tractor trailer entered into the circle with me in the middle of it. He stops, I stop and then he looks at me, like I'm in the wrong. What is wrong with people? Is it that hard to drive around a circle? I guess that is why my home state of New Jersey is slowly getting rid of the circles. Its a shame, they are easy and convenient. One does not have to stop at a light and can continue on unimpeded.

Left lane IS a killer...

So most of us drive on road with more then one lane right? Well for most of us it is a lane for passing and traveling at a faster pace then the traffic on the right. Or at least this is how it is supposed to happen. The good state of Florida JUST made it a law to move to the right when not passing. I thought this was common sense/courtesy. Apparently not because on my daily travels I have to constantly go around these people. I even had a person argue with me that if they are doing the speed limit they do not have to move over. WHAT?! You are impeding traffic by, first going the speed limit, second by doing it in the left lane. Lets face it, for must highways the speed limit is a suggestion and most of us go over it on a daily basis. What this means is that the left lane hangerouters sit there (some even say "they can go around me") breaking the law and making everybody behind them very angry.

This is when accidents happen. People are going to speed, please do not be the police and try to stop them. If you do not like it move over and let them go by. Its not hard. Otherwise these angered people go around into the right lane and pass. They do it wether it is clear or not! They will squeeze past you at just about any cost. Now it might not be so bad if there is one person behind you, but what about two, three, or even four people pulling out into the right lane and gunning the throttle. Multiple people now are trying to squeeze past you. Its not a good scenario and can be avoided. I also know that people will tailgate and honk. This is not proper either and should be avoided. If your coming up to somebody who is moving slower then you give them a quick autobahn flash twice. Do not be an ass and hold your highbeams for an extended period of time. What your doing is starting a power struggle with the car in front of you. Nobody wins. So I will end by saying , please do us all a favor and move over.

Some more things that can kill...

We all also know that we should drive while distracted or angry. They both increase the likelihood of an accident. Some of those things more than others. Distracted driving, according to National Highway And Traffic Association, 16% of all fatalities on the highway were caused by distractions. Some distractions are very preventable. Wake up ten minutes earlier to shave, put on lipstick, or eat your bowl of cereal. I have driven close to 750,000 miles I have some stories about what people do on the road, but I'll save that for another time. Driving while intoxicated (on any drug) is one of those things that you would think would be common sense. Driving is a privilege not a right and if you are caught DUI it should be taken away permanently!

My personal pet peeve are people on phones. Texting, talking, surfing the net or whatever else you can possibly do with your phone nowadays. I have seen the after math of what these types of distractions can cause. Pics are of my mom's Elantra. She was struck while going through an intersection. Presumably by text'er that blew the red light. She was able to walk away with minor injuries (she did throw a clot in her leg and she is still dealing with some aftermath stuff). Thank you Hyundai for building such a solid car! All airbags deployed as they should have and I'm convinced that it was infact the car that saved her. I just saw a woman in her Toyota 4-runner run over a curb, then slow down, then ran over the curb again. Why? well as I pulled up next to her she was texting away on her phone. I guess she does not get it. Some people have to have something bad happen to them before they get it. I just hope that myself or anybody else I car about is NOT there when it happens.

some vids just because...

So with that being said...

Hyundai has bluetooth standard in ALL vehicles and the new Veloster has a "talk to text" application. This enables the driver to speak and the system will convert your voice into a text message and send it through your phone. It uses Hyundai's new Bluelink system. This subscription only package as a multitude of features. Including stolen vehicle recovery gps, emergency alert, speed limiter, and geo fence are just a couple of the options available with the Bluelink system. What Hyundai has done is made it safer to use your phone (if you really need to). Hyundai also knows that things happen and my mom is case in point. So all of their vehicles now come with atleast 6 airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Eletronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Traction Control System (TCS), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), seatbelt pretensioners, and active headrests. Almost all of Hyundai's line up are 5 star safety rated as well. The Accent having 4 stars. So you know if your buying a Hyundai, your in good hands...big fluffy ones.

So please be safe and happy motoring! End rant/

Veloster Turbo and you!

2011-10-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we know that the Veloster is a great car! There is no doubt about that, one of its downfalls though is that it looks way quicker then it actually is...all of that is about to change. We know that the Veloster turbo is coming in the very near future. I'm guessing that the car will be unveiled at either the Detroit auto show or the Chicago auto show. For some reason, and I'm probably wrong about this, that they are going to have it at the SEMA show next to the other wonderful cars.

Black Rob said it best in 99' "Like Whoa!!!"...

We also know that Hyundai has changed the front fascia, and rear fascia with a very trick dual center mounted exhaust. Although a little birdie told me that the projector headlights and LED taillights will make it to the production version of the Turbo. What we also dont know is if they are going to be keeping the torsion rear bar with integrated 23mm sway bar. I have heard rumors of perhaps an independent rear suspension for this car. I would also like to see a limited slip differential as well, but I guess we will have to see...till then I'll keep my fingers crossed. All info for the motor was taken form the press release from HMC Gamma 1.6 T-GDI

GTI? Civic SI?...

Could it be that Hyundai will make the new Hot Hatch? I sure hope so! I would also like to thank the guys/gals over at Veloster.org for their support and all those that nominated me for the Super Moderator position. It has been a please sure be apart of such a great site! Look out though, its going to get busy...real quick!

Hyundai and Motorsports.

2011-10-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

Rhys Millen is easily one of the best!

Well Rhys Millen does it again! He puts his Genesis Coupe (twin turbo charged 650hp!!) on the podium again in Irwindale! This time taking 2nd place. I received an email form the Hyundai Think Tank with a video, but it has not been release yet to the public (hence why I can not share it with you...BOOO!!

Rhys Millen has been with Hyundai for three years now. We first saw Rhys with his 2010 Genesis coupe at SEMA in 2008. This gave all of the Hyundai tuners something to talk about, especially since this car was at SEMA prior to the car even being debuted! Since then people have been taking both platforms (2.0 turbo and the 3.8 v6) to their limits.

Over the years, their joint venture has brought awesome cars like his Genesis coupe (for drifting and redline time attack races), but also the RMR 580. This fantastic car was used to climb pikes peak not to long ago this year. The previous year he raced his Genesis coupe and broke the record for RWD vehicles.

Rhys has also been busy building the Veloster rallycross car. This 2.0 liter(stroked out by BC from 1.6 liter) turbo AWD beast is packing 500+ hp. The car was first shown at the Chicago Auto Show but its first ride was in the Rallycross Series this past summer and at the 2011 X-Games. Although not as successful as they might have hoped, it brought the brand and the car to the rallying world again.

If you remember Hyundai had a World Rally Car some years back with the LC Accent (2000 model) and the WRC program ran from 2000 to 2003 until the budget wore thin and Hyundai pulled out in 2004. Too bad, it was smoking fast!! 300hp from turbocharged 2.0 Beta motor. People have tried to duplicate the car by putting the 2.0 in the LC Accent and then turboing it (its actually ALOT easier then you would think, its almost a direct bolt in) but without the AWD...it lacks in the traction department. Check out the video of the WRC Accent VS the R34 GTR!

Others are following in the path of RMR and teaming up with Hyundai for this years SEMA Show. ARK will be representing with their latest rally inspired car. This 2012 Veloster will be sporting a TON of aftermarket parts from ARK, including a custum turbo kit making 210hp. ARK has been keeping the guys and gals over at Veloster.org updated on almost a daily basis. It should be sweet to see!! (maybe in person???)

Fuelculture is another break through company that has received a Veloster from Hyundai Motor America. This car sports a custom blue paint job (I actually LOVE this blue! if only Hyundai made a color similar!) and custom tan leather interior. They too have quite a bit of aftermarket goodies including KW coilovers. They too Veloster.org and are updating us on a regular basis.

Last but not least I would like to take a minute and talk about THIS Genesis coupe picture. This picture was released and the guys over at Gencoupe.com went bananas with it. I knew that this could not possibly be true because I have read about the new 3.8 liter GDI motor putting down 333hp would be the successor to the port injected 3.8 that was rated for 306hp. People began to suspect that THIS would be the new motor. I knew it then that it wouldnt be, but this is what spawned my entry "The return of H.A.R.D?" could you imagine if this WAS a factory option? it would be pretty sweet. What we did learn some weeks later was that this Supercharger has been in the making for the past couple of years with engineers from Hyundai American Technical Center and others from Rhys Millen Racing (RMR), Magnuson products, Harriman International, and Torvec INC. This motor is good for over 450hp! But dont expect to see this in show rooms. Instead you'll find it in the Genesis Coupe Hurricane SC to be showcased at SEMA in the not so distant future.

This is just the beginning...

Although Hyundai has been making a huge push toward having the most fuel efficient cars (4 cars that are at 40mpg or more), we know that CEO John Krafcik is a car guy deep down. He has his fair share of cars in his garage including a Caterham and a Porsche Boxter S. He knows his cars and how they should drive! I'm personally looking forward to seeing (and driving!) the facelifted Genesis coupe and Veloster Turbo. Both of these vehicles should be unveiled in the first quarter of next year (I'm thinking at the Detroit or Chicago auto show). They should then be on sale in Korea first, then shipped to our shores here in the U.S. There is also an Elantra Coupe coming (and I have heard a rumors of an R-spec edition...possibly with the same 1.6l GDI turbo good for 208hp and 195lbs that will be coming in the Veloster Turbo).

Keep feeding us Hyundai, because we are are going to eat them up!

ATH Presents: The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.

2011-10-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

New car but not new to the environmental scene...

For some time now Hyundai Motor Corp. has been involved with alternative energy vehicles. While this may be Hyundai's first "production" car to make it to Hyundai showrooms, they have been doing much more behind the scenes. The late 1990's and early 2000's there was a cultural push for alternative energy sources. Some companies saw potential and started doing their own R&D, Hyundai was one of them. While electric cars are not a new concept, I'll spare you the history lesson, bringing them to the masses is a different story.

Honda in 1999 gave us the "Insight" this funky 2 door hatch was the first to hit U.S. shores. While it did not sell the way Honda had hoped, it did kick the door open for other vehicles to come. Toyota was next and in 2000 we saw the "Prius" for the first time. Granted prior to 1999 there were a handful of cars that were all electric, most memorable is GM's EV1. What a shame, GM had a home run on their hands and they let big oil and lobbyist win. Shame on you GM.

Hyundai was working on its own electric vehicle. Hyundai introduced the Santa Fe in 2001, along with this introduction were 15 very special electric vehicles that made their way to the county of Honolulu. The 15 cars would be used as every day fleet vehicles. They had a range of 70-90 miles (sound familiar?) and worked flawlessly for their two year experiment. They had to pry the keys from their hands. Hyundai saw this as a success and continued with their research. Other car companies did the same and multiple hybrid vheicles have come out since then. A couple of years back while developing their new hybrid, Hyundai was looking even further into the future. Hyundai decided that their new "Tuscon" would be a good platform to add a fuel cell to and take a 28 day trip around the good ole USA. Even without refilling stations they were able to make it across the country. While the trip was for "Hope on Wheels" (a fundraiser to help raise awareness and treatment for childhood cancers). It also showcased Hyundai's ability to build a fully functional fuel cell vehicle. By 2015 Hyundai is hoping to have fuel cell technology in the hands of the masses, but with no infrastructure...how is that going to work out? Well as it turns out, Hyundai bought out a failing oil company in Korea and is transforming the gas stations to hydrogen fill stations. Problem solved in the home land but what about here in the USA? Hyundai has a fight on their hands, hopefully lobbyist won't win this time around and we will be able to utilize one of the greatest natural resources and take our dependance off fossil fuels.

Did I mention that Hyundai also turned a chunk of Chinese desert to a flourishing green meadow? Its true...look it up!

2011...

Enter the Sonata Hybrid. The Sonata is one of the hottest selling mid-sized family cars in the USA at the moment. Most dealership can not keep them on the lot and it has won more awards then I care to list. You can go to www.HyundaiUSA.com to look for yourself. I'll spare you the facts of the "normal" Sonata as this review is about its hybrid variant. It essentially has the same interior with the exception of the driver gauge pod (we will watch a video later about that) and some other minor tweaks. The trunk has a slightly less room in it due to the Lithium-polymer battery, we will learn more about that later. Other differences between the two cars are the front and rear fascias, headlights and tailights. The fascias are dramatically different and help the Hybrid be as slippery as possible. The Hybrid also sports non traditional wheels with low resistance tires and undertrays that aid in the aerodynamics of the vehicle to help it achieve it 40mph highway/35mph city EPA ratings. But is the $6000 price difference worth it?

Hybrid is a Hybrid, they all work the same...or do they?

Hyundai does use a four cylinder motor and a powerful electric motor to power the hybrid true, but that is about the end of the similarities. Hyundai's Theta II 2.4 motor has been designed to maximize fuel consumption, this means that the 198hp mark comes down to 166hp and the 184 ft/lbs of torque comes down to 154 ft/lbs. It is then coupled with a 30kWatt electric motor that makes 40hp and 151 ft/lbs of torque. In combination its like having a motor with 208hp and 193 ft/lbs of torque. The torque curve is almost immediate with the electric motor assisting and then the motor will take over at higher RPMs. The transmission is the standard 6 speed automatic from the normal Sonata. It also retains its shiftronic feature, which I'm not sure why, but its there. According to Edmunds.com the Hybrid will run to 60mph in 8.7 seconds which seems fair and will stop from 60 in a respectable 126ft.The Lithium-polymer battery makes it debut aswell. The battery is 25% lighter, 40% less volume, and 10% more efficient over its Nickel brethren. It also discharges slower to maintain charge 1.7 times longer.

This system is truly a parallel system. It can and will run entirely on battery power (EV Mode), together, or gas powered motor. Under normal driving conditions the car will switch to EV mode and the engine will sit dormant till its needed to either charge the battery or for acceleration. As a matter of fact, you can run EV mode all the way up to 74mph! I'm not sure any of the other vehicles in this class can do that. The Hybrid also utilizes regenerative braking, electric speed sensing steering, electric air conditioning, electric water and oil pump. The only thing that is belt driven really is the generator that is water cooled. The gauges will alert you to how the power is being used and where it is coming from (see video).

Does it work as a daily driver?

I picked up the car on Tuesday the 11th of October and had it for four days. I started with a full tank, so I zero'd out all of the information in the ecu. I started driving. It then became my primary mode of transportation. This meant that I had to install my son's car seat via the latch system (which by the way is the BEST way to install a car seat and I highly recommend you buy one that has this as a feature. We personally have used Britax car seats. They are up to European crash standards (70mph) not the American (35mph) standard...look them up, they are worth every penny!) and we were off. I was given the standard Hybrid model. There is only ONE upgrade and it costs $5000. The "Premium" package adds leather heated seats, 17" wheels, a huge moonroof and a bunch more. My initial impression was that the steering was light while in the parking lot and then tightened up while out on the road. Brakes seemed linear and stopped without any drama. The suspension is taut. It does not feel like a boat nor do you feel every bump in the road. I feel that great ride quality comes from Hyundai's SACHS Amplitude Selective Dampening shock absorbers. While handling is definitely not this cars forte, it took the corners nicely and was acceptable considering it had the smaller 16" rims with the low resistance tires. Even while on the highway with construction, it never once pulled and took the changing pavement well even while moving at a good pace. The motor and transmission are a good pair together. I actually never did feel the car shift once. What I did feel, and others have commented on it, is a slight hesitation while both modes of propulsion where in use. When it was in EV mode alone or gas mode alone, there was no hesitation at all and acceleration was smooth.

In conclusion, it sure does work! I enjoyed driving this car and testing it in the real world proved that its more then capable. Hybrids are designed to be fuel efficient and if driven as such you can yield some really good MPG. Around town I was averaging about 42 miles to the gallon (according to the on screen display) but once I was on the highway, the MPG's came down to about an average of 36mpg. Although I must say that the traffic on I95 here in Florida does not move at a hybrid favorable pace. I saw speeds of 75-85mph and that was sitting in the right hand lane holding up traffic. On my way back from Orlando I was able to take a more leisurely pace of about 65-70mph and on a consistent basis the vehicle switched to EV mode and my MPG started to dramatically improve. Picture shows the vehicle in EV mode while cruising on the highway.

In my four days of driving I drove about 250+ miles and still had more then half a tank of fuel left. I was averaging, again according to the display, 36.8 mpg in both highway and city driving. I do have to note some of the annoyances with this car. One of the safety features are active headrests. They have a tendency to stick out too far and can be uncomfortable. I hear that most people flip them around, but doesn't that defeat the purpose? I also think that the seats could be a little more bolstered. Maybe its just me. One more thing to mention is that I could not get mine or my wifes phone to sync with the bluetooth in the car. Both phones would sync then turn off, so I'm not sure if it was a software issue or my phone. I have driven the Veloster and my phone sync'd with out an issue. Small thing with the headlights and the Daytime Running Lights. I LOVE the way the headlights look and the lighted ribbon that goes through them. However, its not bright enough, and the dull light in the corner really ruins the dramatic affect. Eliminate the light and make the LED's brighter! Picture down below is with the vehicle off and what it SHOULD look like during the day.

Is it worth it?

The simple answer is YES, this car will probably make to my garage with in the next year or so. My wife loved driving it and my son actually cried when we had to return it to the dealership. On several occasions I could see him watching the display checking out the cool graphics. He also liked the fact that I could put my MicroSD card (with USB adapter) into the USB port and play his favorite music. His Cd's reside in my wife's car. While this is a great family mover for the environmentally conscious, its just not my cup of tea. Although I must say that it did make me more aware of how my driving style affected my mileage. All in all, this would be for my wife who has always wanted a hybrid, but did not like how the others in the bunch worked or their really short warranties. The Sonata Hybrid fits the bill and I'm sure it will for you too.

Big thanks goes to Coastal Hyundai in Melbourne, FL

Turbo Fox Photography (pictures have logos on them) Thanks Andy!

More reviews to come! Show me some love and leave a comment below.

Its just rubber...How important could it be?

2011-10-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Rubber?

Well, has it turns out it is very important. Coming home from my in-laws last week, we had a really bad rain storm on I95. While I was driving, doing about 50 mph with my hazards on, I watched more then one person go flying by me, only to be to found in the middle guardrail or spun off into the trees to the right of the highway. Why? Rubber or should I say the lack there of. You see what these people failed to do was either maintain their tires or they were driving too fast for the amount of tread left on their tires.

Coming from the dealership I can say for certain that most people have NO FREAKING clue what their tires look like or how to maintain them. Another thing they do not like to do is BUY new tires. For some reason people seem to think your just trying to get their money when you tell them they have bald tires. I have been amazed sometimes that people even made it there in the first place! Even when you show people how bad they are, they up right refused or would say "yeah I have a friend who...." Good for you, but please do something about it! Do not blow it off. Remember this is the single most important maintenance item that is severely overlooked . Its your link between the road and vehicle.

Maintenance of your tires is fairly simple. Maintain the correct air pressure and make sure they are going in a straight line. Seems easy enough right? The tire pressure for each vehicle is different. To find out what the tire pressure is for your car, just simply open up the driverside door look down into the door jam area (can be on the body side or I have seen them on the door itself) for Hyundai they should be on the body side. For example, on my 2003 Elantra GT the correct pressure for the OEM tires is 30psi. Please remember that check your pressures BEFORE the car starts to move (when the tire is cold). Once in motion the friction of the tire on the road makes heat and with heat the gasses with in the tire expand. This in turn will increase pressures with in the tire. So if you had a low tire pressure prior to starting out it will say that your at the correct pressure, when in all actuality it is not. Having proper tire pressure not only insures the life of the tire, but also the correct contact patch with the road. There are cases where you might want less pressure, but these are going to be for situations like sand and maybe snow. So unless your driving on the beach or trying to get out of a snow bank, make sure the pressures are correct. I could also go on about pressures for the sports car enthusiast, but for this particular article lets just stick to the basics, ok? if you have any questions by all means ask away!

Going straight...

You might have guessed it already, but I'm referring to the car's alignment. The alignment is very important and should be checked atleast once a year. Depending on the vehicle, there are multiple things to adjust. Being about Hyundais I will use them as my example. A four wheel alignment is going to be your best bet (I'm not sure they do just two wheel alignments anymore...uh?) this will make sure that your front and rear tires are facing in the proper direction and within the OEM limits. Toe is a term that refers to front of the tires and the direction in which they are pointing on the X-axis. Toe out means just that, the front of the wheel is off center towards the outside of the body. Toe in being the opposite. The tires are facing in toward the middle of the car. Toe will reek havoc on your tires when its off, even just the littlest bit. "Feathering" is when you can run your hands over the tire and feel slight little ridges of the backside of the tread (see picture to the right). Camber is another adjustment. If this is not with in specs can cause some serious damage to your tires as well. Especially if the car is not engineered to have alot of camber. Camber is the position of the top of the tire relative to the Y axis (toe being the X axis...you dont remember X and Y??? haha look it up). Negative camber while good for twisty roads and race cars can kill the inside of the tires if it is excessive. Yeah I'm looking at you Hellaflush crew (dont get me started on that...I could go on for days). This means that the top of the wheel is pushed toward the center of the vehicle. Whole positive camber is just the opposite with the top of the tire moving away from the body. You can see here that I had a little more camber then this tire was designed for (-2 degrees). The tread progressively gets worse as you move toward the inside of the tire. With negative camber you are running on the inner part of the tire most of the time. This is good for cornering because of the McPherson strut suspension on my Elantra will "gain" camber as the wheel is turned. So inputting negative camber helps to keep the contact patch large while going through a corner. On the flat roads of Florida, all it manages to do is eat the tires up.

Caster is the third adjustment but being that its usually fixed in a position and does not vary (atleast for Hyundai vehicles) there is no need to say much about it, except that its the angle at which the strut is in the Y axis. Most cars have a little bit of caster to help absorb bumps and make the wheel comeback to center with little or no help from the driver.

More tire wear...here are some pics of some tires I had laying around.

You can see that on this particular tire, it looks like it has a very bumpy contour and will extend over the entire tread. Its not smooth at all. This is generally what a tire will look like when you have a bad strut. The strut is unable to control the bouncing of the spring, so the tire suffers the consequences by bouncing along on the road. These tires will ROAR like a mofo while on road too. More noticeably the faster you go.

This lovely tire had an internal failure. You can obviously see the tread coming through. this was making my wife's steering wheel wobble. At about 30mph it was very noticeable and the faster you went the worse it got. She decided to tell me about 2 weeks after...whoops! This was a blow out waiting to happen!

Tread...How low an you go!

Well all tires have wear bars built into the tread. All you have to do is look. By law the lowest the tread can go is 2/32. This is the lowest of low and if you start to go lower then that, lets just say that your gonna end up in the woods like my buddies did on I95 that rainy day. If you do not have a tire depth gauge like this one here (sorry for the blurry pic). You can even use a Penny. With Lincoln's head facing down, the tread should cover up his head, if it does not then your looking to get a new set of tires. This last pic is of the wear bars. When you start to see these bars level with the rest of the tread then it is time for new tires. The picture below you can see raised portions in the grooves of the tread, these are the wear bars. Also if you go up to the second picture, you can see the wear bars are flush with the remaining tread.

I almost forgot!!!

Rotating your tires is also very important for tire wear. On Front Wheel Drive (FWD) cars this is very important because the front wheels propel the car and turn the car. These front wheels can and will wear much quicker then the rears. Depending on the tire you have on there will dictate how you can rotate your tires. Hyundai recommends that you cross the front tires to the back (opposite sides of the car from where they came from) and then move the rear tires forward on the same sides. IF you rotate your tires like this every 6k or so (think every other oil change) then every tire will be in ALL positions at some point and tire wear should be even through its life. Please remember though if you have directional tires, you can NOT rotate the tires in this manner. You simply move the front to the back and vise versa (on the same sides of the vehicle). I have seen plenty of "techs" put directional tires on the wrong side of the car. What happens is that water does not channel out from the center of the tread like it was designed to do AND directional tires are designed to go in one direction, if you put them on the wrong side of the car then they have the possibility of unraveling, Not a good scenario.

In the future I'll expand on this to include sizing, tread wear, and speed ratings. For now though, make sure you have your pressures correct! Your tires will thank you. Happy motoring.

Ask and you shall receive!!

2011-10-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

All Things Hyundai and Coastal Hyundai in Melbourne, FL are teaming up to bring you more car reviews!

Coastal Hyundai...

This family run business has been serving Brevard county for 22 years. The Nelson family, with lead from Bruce Nelson Jr. as president and Michelle Nelson as CFO, has made Coastal Hyundai Brevard County's best new car dealership and one of Hyundai's largest dealerships in the nation. Coastal Hyundai also holds the record for most Hyundai's sold in one month, in the southeastern district. With their professional staff ready, willing and able to help you the best they can, there is NO better time to drive a Hyundai!

How it went down...

I spoke with my long time go to sales man John Lyons who directed me to TJ Watson, the internet sales manager. Our conversation was brief but adequate. I'll spare you the boring details of the process, but Coastal Hyundai will be letting me take several of the new model cars out for my own reviews. However, with several different models that are new in the line up at the moment I'm having a hard time deciding on which car to drive first! This is where you guys/gals come in!

I need your suggestions! I'm looking forward to my new partnership with Coastal and bringing you the quality reviews you have come to expect from All Things Hyundai!

Coastal Hyundai's website...please click for more information! www.CoastalHyundai.com

I know a bunch of you read this, if you could please leave a post down below! Thanks and stay tuned for my Hyundai reviews!!!

Derek

Is H.A.R.D. making its return???

2011-09-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

Ok I have seen alot of posts on the forums about an OEM supercharged Genesis coupe. Autoblog itself is claiming that a factory SC kit will be strapped to the 3.8 motor (as seen here...Autoblog's Supercharged Gen couple article) but is it true? With all of my time with Hyundai and watching the trends I really have a hard time believing that the most fuel efficient company will be strapping an Eaton positive displacement SC'er to its new 2013 coupe. Another guess is what motor will be replacing the 210hp 2.0 turbo motor in the base car. Will it be the Sonata motor? Or perhaps an updated version of the Theta II....I'm going to venture a guess of the Sonata motor.

Will it be the return of H.A.R.D.?

This acronym will be familiar with those that have been around Hyundai for any given amount of time. Back in late 2003/early 2004, there was buzz about Hyundai coming out with its line of aftermarket parts that would be fully covered by the warranty (when installed by a factory technician AT the dealership). This never did come to fruition and the tuners of the Hyundai scene were left yet again to fend for themselves. I spoke with several people from HMA while out on my Portland trip (see Portland trip...for a full recap of the 2012 Hyundai Veloster) but one thing that grabbed my attention was the fact that Hyundai officials seemed to be excited about SEMA. SEMA is an aftermarket goody bag of parts, women and modified cars. Why would Hyundai be so excited? Three years ago they had their prototype Gen coupe and Rhys Millen was there with his midmounted v8 gen coupe. Several other companies had Gen coupes there aswell, but RMR is fully backed by HMA.

Prototype from HMA

Motor shot of the mid mounted Tau V8 motor

With the release of the Veloster just a couple of weeks ago, will it be an unveiling of the up and coming Veloster Turbo? Could it be the return H.A.R.D? Could it be both? I'm not sure but what I do know is that the 333hp that Autoblog is quoting comes from Hyundai using Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI), not a supercharger. The genesis sedan is currently running this same exact motor and in the same position (RWD) Why would they change it for their coupe? I could be wrong, but I'm calling BS on this.

I'm looking forward to Hyundai's booth at SEMA (still trying to scheme a way of going to Las Vegas to see things in person, but that is highly unlikely). I'm also looking foward to cars from such great companies like ARK, Fuelculture, and RMR will be out there with Velosters. I'm sure others will be representing the Gen coupe crowd aswell.

However it goes down, this a good thing for ALL OF US!!!

spy shots of the new Veloster Turbo...if you havent seen it yet. New front fascia, rear bumber with round center mounted exhaust tips, and most importantly 208hp/195lbs of torque from the Gamma 1.6 GDI motor.

The dealership and YOU!

2011-09-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

As per request, I will be talking about the dealership experience and what one "should" encounter when you get there with your vehicle. I would like to start off by saying that just like fast food resturants all the dealers are independent of themselves and from Hyundai for that matter. They are merely franchises. So do not expect the same service from EVERY dealership.

Since most of us are aftermarket junkies I do have to let you know that some will be friendlier or more "allowable" of aftermarket modifications. Most dealerships will just "look" at the car and go "nope, your aftermarket parts void the warranty" This is WRONG and ILLEGAL according to The Magnuson-Moss Warranty ACT of 1975. You can find it at Sema.com. The skinny is that the company must prove that your aftermarket part CAUSED the failed part to fail.

Examples of failure could be...

1. You installed a turbo kit onto your N/A motor and you blew a headgasket with the vehicle only having a couple thousand miles on it. While it is true that it could have been a defect the turbo kit accelerated the process and your going to be denied.

2. You installed aftermarket lowering springs and dampeners, over time you notice that the vehicle is getting noiser while going over bumps in the road. You inspect the vehicle and find the control arm bushings are toast. Unfortunately, lowering the vehicle put the OEM specs out and the bushings could not handle it. You'll be denied.

Things that would be ILLEGAL...

1. You came in because your window switch is no longer working, but you have installed new rims, springs/struts, and aftermarket exhaust. They try to void the warranty for those items. There is no way that the aftermarket parts you installed affected the window switch.

These are merely examples and there is no way to cover every case, but if you do modify your car. You do have a leg to stand on when going to the dealership.

Let us also look at the warranty itself. I have worked in several Hyundai dealerships over the years and for the most part have a good handle on what is covered and what is not. Although your owners manual should have a layout of the basic warranty. Hyundai's 10yr/100k warranty is the BEST in the United States (although sister company Kia has the same warranty). The second tier of the warranty is the bumper to bumper portion which is 5yr/60k. This does cover the car with some exceptions. Wear items are only covered 1yr/12k. This would include things like brakes, alignments, clutches and some other random things. The stereo and some of the other elecronics like amplifiers, xm radio module and some others are covered 3yr/36k So while technically they say 5yr/60k there are some exceptions. Although come cools things that ARE covered are things like headlights.The dealership itself will have all of the specifics, I just wanted to let you know that its not "truely" bumper to bumper. Regardless, its still the best warranty out there period. Hyundai also offers an extended plan called Hyundai Protection Plan or HPP. This extends the basic 5yr/60k warranty out to 10yr/100k. I have taken advantage of this and it saved me quite a bit of coin. It has definitely paid for itself with certain repairs being covered. There are "Aftermarket" warranty companies, but I have found them to be a PITA to work with and most of the service writers do not like dealing with them.

Lets go to the 10yr/100k warranty and what exactly that covers. This is your powertrain warranty. This includes internally lubricated parts, bearings, CV joints, the motor and the internals of the transmission. Also covered are gaskets for the motor like the valve cover gaskets, tube seals, axle seals and other seals like the oil pan gasket. So if you ever have a problem with your Hyundai, take it the dealership. Let them say yes or no to a warranty claim. Do not ever assume that they will not cover it. One little tid bit that I would like to throw in there is that warranty costs the dealership money. So in return they to up sell you things like transmission flushes, coolant flushes, air conditioner cleaners, and a whole slew of other services. All I'm going to say is that it is the job of the dealership to make money. There are scheduled maintence schedules that need to be followed in order to maintain your warranty. PLEASE make note of what the change intervals are for your particular vehicle. This should be available in your owners manual.

Anytime you go into the dealership for warranty or even maintenance work, they are going to look up your history. If it looks like your are on schedule with your maintenance you should almost never have an issue with getting a part warrantied. This can be tricky though, if you are a Do It Yourselver (DIY'er) like I am. My advice to you is to have ALL receipts for any maintenance done outside of their shop. One more think I would like to add is that you should always use OEM parts when available. Most importantly the oil filter. Hyundai has multiple Technical Service Bulletins (TSB's) about engine noise and aftermarket oil filters. Believe it or not, Hyundai makes some kick ass oil filters. I used to use K&N oil filters for years, that is until I cut apart an OEM filter and my K&N filter side by side. The OEM filter was larger, had more surface area to clean, and a bypass valve built in. This valve prevents a clogged oil filter from starving the motor of oil. The valve simply opens up and the oil is bypassed. Granted the oil is no longer being filtered, but its better then starving the motor of oil. If you do use aftermarket parts or performance parts, just be aware they can and do fail (although I have yet to any aftermarket part fail and cause another part to fail).

If you are new to the dealership experience this is the flow of how things work. First off, find the proper parking spot for the service department, as a former tech one thing we hate is when a car is not parked in its proper spot, if you are unsure ask somebody. Some dealerships will have people to move the vehicles for you and you simply pull up to the service department. The person you should see first is the Service Writer. This person will ask you what the issue is and they (should) explain the process of which that issue will be handled. Most dealershps have a board of some sort that will explain labor charges and fees for services. The way Hyundai does warranty is that you must sign to an hours worth of diagnosis time. Once the technician finds the issue, it will be checked with the service writer. They will then see if the part is covered under warranty. If the part is covered, then that hour of labor goes away. IF its not covered that hour will go towards the time it takes to install the new part. However, the technician can and they do over estimate the time it takes to install the part. Some dealerships go by "book time" and others are subjective or they have a standard for their dealership. Standard time would be just simply are price for the entire service. Usually the only people that care about the hourly rate for the services are the techs. "Book time" is just that a book that tells you how much time it takes to do a particular job. There are governing bodies out there that publish books with these times in them. I had mentioned that some techs are subjective but what does that mean? This means that some techs are fair and will charge you the amount of time (or the approximate time) it will take. Techs will also include some time just in case something does not go exactly right or they do it for rust. Book time does not take other circumstances into account like rust. Trust me, I have charged extra for a rusty car, I spent an HOUR on just a couple of bolts because of the rust. You also then have to replace the rusted bolts that you just cut off or melted in the attempts to get them off. Other techs, however, will try to soak up every little penny they can get! This is when you need to know what a fair price should be for a given repair. If it sounds outrageous, it usually IS!

I think I took a slight detour. Lets get back on topic. The service writer will (should) communicate with you about the repair and how long sed repair should take. During the repair they might come to you with their up sells, do not let them bully you! Again, you must go into the dealership 1. knowing what your car needs and at what mileage interval its need at 2. what the car actually needs to maintain the warranty. Like I had mentioned earlier, they like to sell you all kinds of flushes and they even conveniently package them together. These are usually big maintenance items like the 30k service, or your 60k service. You can opt out of some of the things in the package if you do things yourselve, but again just be forewarned USE OEM PARTS!

The service writer will also take car of all of the paperwork and should show you to the cashier. Hyundai is great about customer service and they like to send surveys to their customers. These surveys, if the dealer gets a high score, will help the dealership, usually in the form of a bonus of some sort. If you feel that you were treated fairly and customer service was everything that it should have been, by all means give them 10's. There are times where something could have been handled better and sometimes people are people and mistakes are made. What you should NOT do is slam them on those surveys. Please be fair to them, or you will ultimately burn your bridge. Just a word of caution.

I'm sure I did not get to everybody's questions here. So by all means use the post feature to ask further questions. I'll also take suggestions too! Let me know what you think. Good or bad. Feed back is much appreciated!

Driving Sports TV reveiw from youtube.

2011-09-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

Aaron is a cool guy,but not a fan of Hyundai. Coming from the world of performance Subaru's I do not blame him. I think that the turbo version will motivate people a little more. The red and black leather option is by far the nicest option of the interiors.

without further ado....and yes, I do not say much and I'm kinda emotionless. It's kinda hard to have camera's on you for 20 minutes straight and be in complete silence. Aaron would randomly say something, so responding is a little hard.

Road signals!

2011-09-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

ok...lets get this straight, we are supposed to use turn signals when turning? Can somebody please tell the drivers of Florida this. PLEASE!! There is a little stalk that comes out from behind the steering wheel (usually on the left side) you depress it to signal left and push it up to signal right. This is not hard is it? For the people of central Florida it seems to be. On small city streets or on the highways, it does not matter. Do yourself and other people on the road and USE YOUR DAMN TURN SIGNALS!!!!

Other signals of the road that people may not know.
1. Your on the highway traveling at a good speed, but the person infront of you is hogging the left lane. They are not paying any attention to you coming up from behind. One thing you do not do is tailgate them till they move! This is probably the most unsafe way to approach this situation. As long as they can move over, the best way to deal with this is a nice flash of the high beams from a good distance away. Usually in groups of two. This for the most part will get the persons attention and they "should" move over as THEY are breaking the law by NOT moving over. Do not let somebody tell you "go around me!" for this surely cause accidents especially if they are going much slower then the speed of traffic. The best is if you do start to pass on the right, they just move over anyway. NO turn signal but just move. (please see original rant please! haha)

2. Your on a backroad and there is something in the road, or you see the po po sitting somewhere. The flashing of highbeams is a nice way to warn others of the pending danger (or ticket). Only in Florida have I come across where I have actually been given the middle finger for doing this. How weird, I'm trying to HELP YOU!

3. Highway scenario again. A truck is in the left hand lane and wants to move over to the right but you are there. If its day time, flashing your highbeams will let them know that you are clear (when they move over I usually take their spot in the left and pass) If its at night, you will want to turn lights (just the headlights) off and then on again. The Trucker, if polite, will flash his four ways. This is a signal of gratitude. I have been in the truck with my dad on occasions and I can tell you first hand that they BLIND spots...BIG ONES! not only do you help them along, they move out of the left lane.

4. Person behind you and flashing like crazy at YOU, move over and let them pass. I have seen people get ridiculous with this and people start to act like idiots because they thing the person flashing is in the wrong. I have also had people brake check others and fingers are flying out the window. I have seen all kinds of stuff over my years on the road. Sorry if your in the left lane or going 15mph UNDER the speed limit. Its you that is in the wrong. Move your booty over.

5. Its dusk/dawn and somebody flashes their lights ON and then OFF then ON again. This means put YOUR lights on. One hour before sunset and one hour after sunrise you are supposed to have your lights one.

6. And for goodness sakes, put your lights on while its raining! I can not see your white, grey, or black car while its down pouring. Wipers on, Lights on! its real easy! This is one of the reason why car companies are coming out with auto-lights, because people are not paying attention.

Other signals of the road.

1. Somebody pulls up next to you and honks three times, they then take off and flash their 4 ways...you just lost the race. Most of these people are morons, please do not get into with them. They try to race anything with a motor and do not care about the circumstances. I have done my fair share of stupid things? I suppose so, but weaving through traffic on Rt. 80 is much more fun then simply going fast in a straight line. haha J/F...kinda.

if I missed any that you would like to add, but all means post up!! We need to educate the public!

next installment is probably going to be about vehicle safety and what you can do to make it safer. Especially watching people play bumper cars in the rain on the highway this afternoon.

My driving experience with the Veloster! a continuation of my last review.

2011-09-19T11:47:00.001-07:00

A little birdie the night before had told me to purposely wait and that holding out would pay dividends. It did big time! We crossed over in Washington State on "The Bridge of The Gods" we again found ourselves along the Columbia river heading east. Our route then turned north into the mountains. While throwing the car around the corners, I was able to find the limiting factor on this car. Being a tuner myself, I found that the Kuhmos while sufficient for the normal driver these roads really begged for something a little more stickier. You can go hot into the corner lift off the throttle and fell the rear rotate then power out of the corner nicely. Balance seems to be pretty good and the stiffer suspension and integrated rear sway bar worked well and kept the car very flat through all kinds of corners. Transitioning through S-curves quickly did not seem to upset the car at all nor the driver. The seats in the car are very well bolstered and comfortable. With it being Hyundai's car and not mine, I decided to not push to hard on the public road. We really need to get it out onto the track for a full test. Throttle response is decent, but perhaps I'm just not used to an electronic throttles but there was a hint of reservation with the pedal all the way down. The motor does a good job of pulling the light car around especially after 4k when you feel a slight rush of power. My guess is this is around the time that the intake runners switch from the longer runners to the shorter ones. You do however have to keep the car in the higher revs to move. We found passing another vehicle took patience and timing. Hyundai used the catch phrase "Eco-Sport". The sport shows up in this car as having a stiff chassis and its taught suspension. The steering seemed to be spot on as well. Response from the wheel elicits rapid response from the front wheels. The manual feels very nice and tight. Throws are short and precise. The DCT performed very well as well. Better then I had anticipated. I have no love for automatics but his DCT not being a full automatic peaked my interest. It was quick and comfortable. Upshifts and downshifts all respond via the steering wheel mounted paddles. Although not my cup of tea, those auto fans should love it. The Eco portion of the phrase comes from the motor. While not lightning fast it seemed sufficient even if others thought it was underpowered. I guess it just depends on your point of view. I'll take the 40mpg over being able to go a little quicker. Besides, who knows what the future may hold. Perhaps a bit more power? I know I'll be on the look out for it. Over all Hyundai has built a great car that is just right for its target audience. I cant wait to get my hands on one of my own.

I really do like the car...the turbo version will definitely help move the car along quite nicely. Although there were rumors of switching up the rear suspension...i'm not sure if its really needs to. The rear was sufficient and i'm sure if i pushed it through corners the rear tire would have been coming up off the ground. I would like to see the alignment specs...hopefully they zero'd out the rear toe and it should have about -1.5 of camber in the rear. You can easily use camber bolts or if you decide to get coils make sure they come with camber plates (this makes life REAL EASY!!).

any more questions feel free to ask away!! sorry for the delay...but i had an interview! haha

My trip to Portland, OR....

2011-09-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

It started with an email asking me if I wanted to attend the media release of the new 2012 Veloster. Of course I do!! So I replied to the email and that night I received a phone call from the PR people at Hyundai Motor America. I passed their interview process and arrangements were made!

I had a week and half to wait and two board exams to pass in the mean time. UGH! Even though I was studying hard for my exams (which I passed with flying colors), my thoughts were on the new Veloster. I have been following the car since its introduction as a concept vehicle. I joined Veloster.org and began posting there. I have a feeling its become my new forum home.

Tuesday the 13th had come and I was on a plane heading for Portland. It was a long trip, but man Portland is gorgeous! I had not been in this part of the country before and I found it a very nice change from my home state of Florida (not from here...but reside. Dont get it confused! haha). The real trees and mountains were alluring. That night we had a small reception in our hotel, followed by dinner on the roof. I met a lovely young women Kelly. We were easily the youngest there by a good decade. It was our first event and we decided to stick together. While talking over dinner about various things, mostly cars. She told me to drive on the second leg and not the first one. "Trust me...you'll want to be driving for that stretch!" She had gone out that day as part of the second wave ( I was apart of the 3rd wave who would be driving the next day). We parted and I fell into my bad and passed out. I cant stand flying, it always makes me tired and nevermind the time difference.

Wednesday the 14th had finally come and I would be able to see the Veloster in person! This is what I saw when I came out into the hallway.

I sat with the people from Hyundai at breakfast and asked them a bunch of questions. I was really trying to get answers for those of you that want to know about the new Gen coupe, or the Turbo Veloster. But NOPE! They are very tight lipped and rightfully so. They have a ton of up and coming products. Although they did answer my questions about the 6spd manual in the sonata turbo. Not enough interest. I think I have thrown them for a loop when I told them that alot of people that looked at the turbo sonata for its tuning possibilites will not buy the auto..including myself. Back to the Veloster. We had a Q and A with an information packed presentation on the vehicle. They had cool props including a side profile showing off the high strength steel and reinforcements they use throughout the vehicle. This car is light AND strong. Afterwards we headed down to to the street and over to Pioneer Square. here are some pics that I was able to snap off before being paired with Aaron from Driving Sports TV.

I was instantly brought across the square to a black with red leather seats. The red leather is a very nice touch and MY choice hands down of interior colors. Unfortunetly its only available on the Black, Red, and White. Although I must say that White with the red leather is full of win!

one cool feature about the door is the handle. Its NOT connected at the top portion of the door. This comes in handy because there are no OH SH!T handles on the roof or interior A pillar. The seats however are very comfortable and nicely bolstered. (The leather in this car is far superior then older models, say like my Elantra GT.) There really is no need for the handles because your held in place by the seat. After seeing the car and being paired up, I remembered my little birdie and invited my partner to drive first.

We headed out of the city and onto the Columbia Scenic drive. The views were spectacular! I have not seen hills (never mind real mountains!) in quite sometime. Same goes for the trees, it was nice to see something other then palm trees. Believe it not they do grate on your nerves. Especially when you know that palmetto bugs come from certain ones. How gross!! we carved our way down this nice drive where we did come to some nice switchbacks and some beautiful waterfalls!

One of many scenic views along the Columbia river.

YES!!! this is what I'm talking about!! Although with Aaron still driving, I was starting to get a pounding headache. The car does not shift around like any of the cars in this segment. The torsion bar with integrated 23mm roll bar keeps the back in check very nicely and the McPherson front strut setup and 24mm sway bar keep things planted. I wish I could share "how it feels" but I have been asked not to say anything till the 19th. So I'll let you take the data and do the math. 2500lbs plus stiff springs and dampeners plus adequate roll bars plus 18" rims with 215/45 Kuhmos = ? haha It is not rocket science at all!

At the falls we switched drivers. Did I mention how comfortable these seats are? While listening to some vocal trance tracks (one of the tracks was OceanLab "on a good day") we cruised on with the windows down and the huge moon roof open. Now that we were away from the coast alittle bit, the sun had come out and the temps were rising. Following our directions we crossed over into Washington state over "The Bridge of The Gods" and continued east on the "Lewis and Clark Highway" or route 14.

Our path had taken us onto a side trip up the side of the mountain. I could hear the little birdie signing! Boy was she right! The road was filled with switchbacks and nice hill climbs. It also had its sweepers and every other kind of corner you could imagine. I was in heaven and what seemed like the perfect car at the moment. The little 1.6 held its own when pushed. This was our view from atop our little hill climb.

On the way down the brakes were put to the test and passed! Going down was just as good as going up! We ended up at the bottom of the above picture cruising next to the river. What I would have gave to throw a fishing pole in there and catch my own lunch. The road ended about 50 feet from where we had started. We headed back west to cross the bridge back into Oregon and into the sleepy town of Hood River. We were one of the last ones to meet at our rendezvous point. There was still plenty of food to go around though. Smoked salmon, and chicken that was bathed in some heavenly sauce along with some rice and a veggie, I was set for our tip back. We traded in our black 6spd manual for a White DCT (dual clutch transmission). We headed back to the hotel which seemed like a much faster trip. I had a blast. I want to think all of people at the Hyundai Think Tank and to all of the people that met there! It was a first for me, but hopefully not my last! Hyundai keep up the good work. We look forward to future cars and the possibility of more powerful Veloster.

here are some other random pics from the trip!

Added some links!

2011-09-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

I have updated the "More hyundai" with just a couple of the most frequent websites/forums that I frequent on a daily basis.

I will be adding more as soon as I some time.

HI all!

2011-09-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well I have decided to give this a whirl! I'll be posting up about "All Things Hyundai!" I'll be starting off with a recent trip to Portland, OR for the 2012 Hyundai Veloster. I was invited to the media introduction by the Hyundai Think Tank.

The Hyundai Think Tank is a site were people have the opportunity to sound off likes and dislikes straight to the company itself. As a Think Tanker, you have access to people within the company and are free to ask questions about products and even future products. Although, Hyundai is VERY good about not letting any information slip out that is not intended.

Over the next day or so, I will be sharing my experiences in Portland leading up to my official review and drive of the Veloster.

Look forward to pics of my trip and of the new 2012 Veloster!