Kia Stinger GT Performance Intercooler Kit, 2018+

Kia has made their big splash in the automotive industry with the Stinger's launch, and we wanted to make sure that we made ours right along with them. We've been looking for the perfect stone to chuck into this transcendental pond and we've finally found it, coincidentally in the shape of a massive intercooler. Since we've already reviewed the physical details of our new design in the last post, let's dive right into the testing.

Dyno-mite

Cooling power is key for the intercooling system, especially once the boost gets turned up. I can only assume you're here to see how this kit performs under pressure, so we strapped our Stinger up to our Dynapack system for a torture test in the name of science. Our testing consisted of two stages in order to get a good look at just how well our intercooler kit performs against the stock unit.

Kia is just the latest manufacturer to add the symphony turbocharging to their line of vehicles with the whirring and hissing duo attached to the Lambda II GDI engine powering the 2018+ Stinger GT. With the addition of these mechanical snails to Kia's repertoire, it's not much of a surprise that enthusiasts want to crank up the boost. And while it's imperative to improve the capacity of the intercooling system when tuning the Stinger, it's just as important to ensure it can handle the extra PSI. Specifically, the recirculation valve system needs to be up to snuff.

Luckily, the engineers here at Mishimoto have already been cooking up the means to adapt a more robust blow-off or recirculation valve of your choosing, but before we dive into that, let's take a quick look at why bypass valves are so important. For a more in-depth look, make sure you head to our technical post on blow-off valves.

Reduce, ReUse, Re-PSSSHT

Unfortunately for us, Bluetooth intercooling hasn't been invented yet. So when it came to updating and rerouting the intercooler's end tanks, we still needed a physical channel for the charged air to pass through. Put simply, it's not just the intercooler getting the overhaul, it's the entire system. This means more work for us, but you get to reap the benefits.

Kia's engineers already equipped the Stinger GT with one of the most robust intercooler piping systems that we've ever seen here in the Mishimoto R&D facility. What that meant for our engineer was that they gave us a sturdy foundation to build from. You already saw a preview of what we had in mind for the piping, but now the real deal

The splash has been made, and those ripples have finally made their way to shore. The proverbial pond that is the auto industry is a big one, but it's now time to see the end result of our big plans for the Stinger GT's intercooler upgrade.

There are a few aspects that the Stinger came up short on when it was released into the wild, and we saw the intercooler being a weak link. Given its design, it wouldn't be able to keep intake air temperatures at an appropriate level after some thrashing and turning up the boost. We last left you with the outline of the new intercooler, but now it's time for the real deal.

Metamorphosized

Just as Kia emerged from its cocoon with the Stinger, our intercooler is also finalizing its metamorphosis as

Like the Stinger's launch, we're also making our own sizable splash and causing some ripples with our intercooler kit. In case you haven't caught up on your Mishimoto Stinger news, our plan for keeping intake air temperatures down in the Stinger GT means a much larger, much more streamlined intercooler design. The intercooler might be playing a significant role, but it still needs the supporting cast.

Enter the new and improved Mishimoto intercooler piping kit. While it's still in the planning phase, these bits of 3D printed plastic are the physical manifestation of the models on our engineer's work station, and the ones we can use for testing the fitment. Let's dive into the specifics of each piece.

It's almost against the laws of nature to see a calm, serene pond and not want to throw rocks in it. I'm sure you get where I'm coming from. In this case, that pond is the proverbial state of the luxury sedan market, and here comes Kia with the biggest rock that it can find. That rock, the Stinger GT.

Where the Stinger made a big splash on its own, we want to make sure the ripples make their way around the pond. Basically, the Stinger rolled off the assembly line with some serious potential, but there's still room to grow, specifically when it comes to the intercooling system.

As we covered in our last post, the Stinger's stock

It might be old news by now, but we're all still getting acquainted with the fact that Kia, in tandem with Hyundai (who's also bringing their posh baby cousin Genesis along for the ride), have established a much more respectable position in the automotive community. The launch of the Stinger GT helped Kia break out of its chrysalis state not as a run of the mill butterfly, but more like a mantis that's snatching those fluttering insects out of the sky.

As we went over in the introduction to our Stinger, the secret to this vehicle's success is the silky-smooth Lambda II 3.3T coupled with the intuitive 8-speed automatic transmission. Even given Kia's advancements worthy of contending with those luxurious German counterparts, the Stinger does have some drawbacks that could hinder