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!
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.
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