Kia EV6 GT @ AutoX

[Ws6]

I think the steering wheel not being perfectly centered has to do with road camber, the width of the front tires, and the aggressiveness of the steering geometry. I first thought mine was not centered either, but finding a true level surface showed it was a product of those factors.

I think this is possible, but the tires arent that wide, and I notice it even droving with notable camber (meaning Im steering it to the right, even when camber is visibly right bias, and if i center the wheel, it veers gently left.). Regardless, the dealer is verifying it for free. Im waiting now for them to address:

-wheel alignment
-vibration/tire balance
-rear hatch misalignment. I saw one here and its aligned well, so now I know its possible! On my rdx, it was not always
-rattle

My total bill is $80. They couldn't rotate and balance under warranty. So this is starting off well, I'm pretty pleased with that.

 

[Ws6]

You can't compare time in AutoX, every single race you run is different. Even if you run at the same location, the course could be totally different.

I drove a model Y performance...I prefer the Kia...despite the great charging network, and support, I prefer the dynamics and performance of the Kia.

Ive never droven a Y, but all my friends love theirs, and so Im tempted to trade. I'll see if my gt is fixable first though. Id like if it just didnt suck, ya know?

 

[Ws6]

Well, it was misaligned. Now going to grab a bite to eat and then go for a test drive.

 

[DriveHard]

Ive never droven a Y, but all my friends love theirs, and so Im tempted to trade. I'll see if my gt is fixable first though. Id like if it just didnt suck, ya know?

"Tesla Voodoo"

Kidding...well, kind of. It was one of the cheapest cars I have ever driven.

 

[Ws6]

"Tesla Voodoo"

Kidding...well, kind of. It was one of the cheapest cars I have ever driven.

My ev6 gt isnt that bad, but its definitely a step under my 2019 mazda cx5, Acura rdx, 370z, and 2010 Jeep grand cherokee. It slots above my 2015 mazda cx5(for noise, but worse for structure and ride) , volvo c40 (for noise and ride compliance, worse for structure), and 2002 g20 Infiniti (for ride and noise, even for structure). Overall, Id price it at about $25-30k as far as where you should look for comparable refinement/ride. Its hard to imagine the Tesla is worse? How.

They are still looking for that rattle. It drives better after they fixed the alignment, though.

 

[Ws6]

They found the rattle. Its the cabin pressure vents in the left and right bumper area flapping wildly. These are passive, so not a bad actuator etc. I have no idea how this will be resolved, other than that it will and Im glad for it.

 

[DriveHard]

My ev6 gt isnt that bad, but its definitely a step under my 2019 mazda cx5, Acura rdx, 370z, and 2010 Jeep grand cherokee. It slots above my 2015 mazda cx5(for noise, but worse for structure and ride) , volvo c40 (for noise and ride compliance, worse for structure), and 2002 g20 Infiniti (for ride and noise, even for structure). Overall, Id price it at about $25-30k as far as where you should look for comparable refinement/ride. Its hard to imagine the Tesla is worse? How.

They are still looking for that rattle. It drives better after they fixed the alignment, though.

Interesting...maybe you got a Friday afternoon model?

I'm just over 5k miles now, and I would say for sporty ride, with fit and finish it is one of the top cars I have owned. For ride quality WITH sportiness, the tops was the Alfa Stelvio Sport. The BMW X3 M sport was just as sporty, but harsher ride. The ML350 was a marshmallow, but great fit and finish. Really, she is still very tight, and noise free.

With the alignment, how far out was it? Where did you take it?

 

[OVERKILL]

I can’t help but read this post and think it was written by AI.

Was thinking the same reading it.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

I can’t help but read this post and think it was written by AI.

Was thinking the same reading it.

The AI detectors are also powered by ... AI.

 

[Ws6]

Interesting...maybe you got a Friday afternoon model?

I'm just over 5k miles now, and I would say for sporty ride, with fit and finish it is one of the top cars I have owned. For ride quality WITH sportiness, the tops was the Alfa Stelvio Sport. The BMW X3 M sport was just as sporty, but harsher ride. The ML350 was a marshmallow, but great fit and finish. Really, she is still very tight, and noise free.

With the alignment, how far out was it? Where did you take it?

I took it to a Kia dealership that doesn't suck. Columbia Kia in Columbia, MO. I highly recommend them.

I think after this rattly vents issue is fixed I'll like it more, but the chassis isnt as solid as my other cars I mentioned as better, and thats just design/structure. The Stelvio I drove was stiffer structure, but suspension and throttle mapping was trash. Or rather, I prefer flat rigid cars to willowy cars like Miata, Stelvio, etc.

I will get the alignment sheets. Im a very detail oriented person and could tell it was out by driving it. No notable tire wear in a few k miles though, but I could tell, and I can tell now that it's fixed. This is why Im so **** technical about cars. Structural rigidity is huge for me. I wanna know the hZ and torsional rigidity data! I can feel some cars flex and I hate it. This ev6 flexes a little, but not enough to upset me. My cx5s were super rigid, as was my 370z. My c6 z06 felt the flexiest of any car Ive owned, oddly.

 

[Pew]

Would you be willing to increase the front camber, if that's possible?

 

[Ws6]

Would you be willing to increase the front camber, if that's possible?

No. I daily this.

 

[Pew]

No. I daily this.

I've had limited success going up to -2 camber for a mix of street/track driving with no notable uneven wear across the top although a -1.5 would probably be a better bet for longevity with slightly better turn characteristics. Compromises though. I couldn't find the stock alignment specs though, a quick google search brings up other folks reporting the same weird pull you two were describing.

EDIT: I just found the factory alignment specs sheet.

 

[DriveHard]

I've had limited success going up to -2 camber for a mix of street/track driving with no notable uneven wear across the top although a -1.5 would probably be a better bet for longevity with slightly better turn characteristics. Compromises though. I couldn't find the stock alignment specs though, a quick google search brings up other folks reporting the same weird pull you two were describing.

EDIT: I just found the factory alignment specs sheet.

View attachment 158607

Thank you. I'm not sure I would jump to -2 camber...but maybe -1. Like WS6, I DD my car, and will rarely if ever AutoX it again.

 

[RhondaHonda]

You can't compare time in AutoX, every single race you run is different. Even if you run at the same location, the course could be totally different.

I drove a model Y performance...I prefer the Kia...despite the great charging network, and support, I prefer the dynamics and performance of the Kia.

I get that, but presumably the same group of cars is at most AutoX events so I was curious how the Kia times compared against people you competed against in the C5.

 

[DriveHard]

I get that, but presumably the same group of cars is at most AutoX events so I was curious how the Kia times compared against people you competed against in the C5.

The course was very tight with three Chicago Boxes, a slalom, and little chance to take advantage of the acceleration of the Kia. I think the C5 would have done better in that course on that day.

 

[Ws6]

Alright...this deserves some closure. First off, FIND A COMPETENT KIA DEALER! Kia of Columbia in Columbia, MO is my go-to. They solved this in short order:

1) The car was misaligned. They fixed it.
2) They rebalanced my tires, all good now.
3) They confirmed that the hatch could not be realigned (I don't see how it could be), and that it was just going to be a few mm off-center. Whatever, my Acura looked way worse.
4) The rattle I am hearing is from the cabin pressure vent flaps. They are very "floppy" and activate often and create a slapping/clacking sound. This is normal per Kia engineering tech line. If I pursue a fix, I will apply some felt or soft velcro to the impact points of the flaps, but I think I'll just chill with it, now that I know nothing is wrong/out of place/broken/messed up.
5) This is not BS, as the brand new 26mi old EV6 Wind with Tech that they loaned me did the exact same thing. I averaged about 0.1-2kwh/mi more in the Wind on a road trip vs my GT on PSAS4's. Around my daily commute, the Wind managed to pull 0.3-0.5kwh/mi more efficiency. My 80mi commute saw me arriving home with 48-49% battery left from an 80% charge vs. 42-44% in my EV6 GT.

Wind vs GT:

-The Wind was WAY quieter due to the tires. PSAS4's are LOUD.
-The suede really makes the interior for the GT.
-The sound system in the GT just seemed better. Both were Meridian. I messed with the settings on both.
-The handling of the GT vs. the Wind is absolutely worlds apart. While the Wind is well balanced, the GT is well balanced and buttoned down with amazing reflexes for its weight. It's similar to comparing a base C6 Corvette to a C6 Z06, regarding feel and how buttoned down they were in comparison.
-Like I said before, on road trips, that Wind isn't really doing you much favor over a GT. Maybe a hair, but you shouldn't be cutting things that close, anyway. So if you're buying a Wind or Line over the GT because you love road trips and drive 75-80, well, you're either planning on razor thin range margins, or you're letting that EPA range difference get to you. It just wasn't so in my experience in both. Around town? Yes, the Wind will definitely consume less energy. Even in Sport mode.

 

[Ws6]

 

[DriveHard]

View attachment 159999

@Ws6 , maybe this comment/question belongs in the tire section, but after the AutoX event, and raising the pressures on my fronts, the pull on the highway seems to have disappeared. I wonder if the "extreme" forces helped settle the bushings, or did I wear something down on the tires? The tires are still worn very evenly, except the abuse on the outer edge due to the race. Where I was almost certain I needed to take it in before...now it seems fine. Hummmm....

 

[Ws6]

@Ws6 , maybe this comment/question belongs in the tire section, but after the AutoX event, and raising the pressures on my fronts, the pull on the highway seems to have disappeared. I wonder if the "extreme" forces helped settle the bushings, or did I wear something down on the tires? The tires are still worn very evenly, except the abuse on the outer edge due to the race. Where I was almost certain I needed to take it in before...now it seems fine. Hummmm....

Interesting. I got nothin for that, other than my alignment was indeed off. I will say I had a cx5 that I bought new and it always was in the green.