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RaceChip GTS Black Initial Review

Messages
28
Likes
22
State
CA
Country
United States
What I Drive
2018 Stinger GT
#1
Hey everyone!

Recently, I've been testing the RaceChip GTS Black. Full disclosure, I was sent this chip by [MENTION=444]RaceChip[/MENTION] for the purpose of reviewing and testing the product.

Although the box they sent me wasn't "new" condition (they even warned me of this), on account of the fact that it was only meant to hold it so I could test it out, it was still packaged very well! Ample protection for shipping. Definitely more than I was expecting given the warning they gave me :).

Contents include the cable, zip ties, the RaceChip, and ziptie holders that snap into the RaceChip. The setup they show in the manual does not use the zip ties or the zip tie holders, so we can forgo those.

I found the instructions to be quite clear; and although the I'm pretty sure the instruction of leaving the car out of range of the keys after locking it isn't strictly necessary (I found that the car essentially turns off the electronics in the engine bay as soon as you open the door after turning off the engine), it's nice that they added that to make sure there's no chance of *bad stuff* happening to the car.

Unlike the LAP3, the RaceChip connects the boost pressure sensor, the intake pressure sensor as well as the cam position sensor. There's a warning to not connect the cables backwards, but I found that to be near impossible as there's a tab on the connector that prevents that from happening. What is very possible, however, is connecting the cables to the wrong sensors. These cables are all labelled with A, B, or C, and it's labelled in the instructions which letter goes to which sensor, so it should be pretty easy.



This is the boost pressure sensor connection.



Intake Pressure sensor connection.



Cam Position Sensor connection. This is by far the hardest sensor to actually connect to, given that it's nestled between several tubes. Still, installation was relatively easy.

I used several zipties to bundle cables together so they weren't jostling around, but not too tight. I routed the RaceChip connections as shown in the document - inbetween a gap leading to the left side of the engine bay near the passenger. The RaceChip connection seems better than the LAP3 connector - much easier to attach and remove, and watertight, whereas I wasn't sure the connection to the LAP3 was watertight.

To attach the RaceChip to the fusebox, I used some 3M Dual Lock (withstands up to around 200F, so it should be fine... could somebody tell me if that compartment gets above that temperature?). This is so that if I need to remove it, I can easily do so. Unfortunately, the Dual Lock doesn't stick to the fuse box super well - I'm going to be trying to put some VHB on the back of the dual lock to see if I can get it to adhere better. Does anybody have a better way to attach this to the top of the fuse box short of just gluing it on there?





Moving on to the app, it is clear that there is some work to be done here - initial connection is very straightforward and easy, but there seems to be a bug at least with my setup (Galaxy S9) that makes it so every time I fully close the app (as in kill it away in task manager or just exit out of the app for an extended period of time), I have to make sure to unpair the device from the RaceChip before opening the app. The app will then reprompt me to pair, and everything will work. Otherwise, the app seems to just not be able to connect regardless of whether the phone sees the RaceChip or not. I also found the bug that if I go into demo mode, my car's serial and settings are gone after exiting demo mode. This isn't a big issue but it is a bit jarring. I applaud the RaceChip folks for a very nice user interface, but functionality could be improved.

Now on to the actual meat and potatoes: performance!

It would be an understatement to say I'm impressed with the performance unlocked by the chip. I previously owned a LAP3 chip - and although this chip is built nice and seems like it might do something, I was never sure that it was actually increasing performance. My 0-60 times stayed almost the same: 4.85ish seconds stock -> 4.75ish seconds with the LAP3 on 91 setting. As I am in California, I did not attempt to use the 93 setting on 91 octane fuel, keeping it in the 91 setting. I have a video of a 0-60 run with the LAP3 here:

[video=youtube;PiYOnTEgxU0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiYOnTEgxU0&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Timing it from frames, it seems about 4.75ish seconds.

On the RaceChip in Race setting, i could absolutely feel the difference in many different ways. Just pulling from 1st, second, and third gear felt way more powerful than it did stock or on LAP3. I usually couldn't feel too much of the "oomph" that you get at 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in 4th gear, but with the RaceChip it was much more noticeable. In fact, usually when I use launch control I don't hold the brake pedal all the way down, just enough to stop the wheels from spinning. With the RaceChip, I applied the same amount of pressure, and the car started to do a burnout [burnout]. Here's a *not so great* 0-60 run on the RaceChip - counting by frames gives me around 4.25 seconds, but I leave that to your judgement.

[video=youtube;cNvgeOLF7i0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNvgeOLF7i0&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Not only that, but you can even hear it in the video - with the RaceChip on, you can hear a sort of whine from the turbo, sort of like an electric motor. Honestly, that was kind of cool. Then again, it might mean the turbo's being damaged... anybody want to chime in?

I actually just got some 100 Octane as well from my local 76 - feels even faster, and doing a *really* crappy 0-60 seems to give me a 4.17 second 0-60, but I'll be sure to take a better video of a 0-60 run on 100 octane later (hopefully by next week, since it's just started raining again in Norcal).

The RaceChip guys are checking if we can add even more power to the car, so I'll update this post as I think of more information to add/get more information to post. I'll answer any questions as well.

Eli
 
Messages
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#2
Awesome review! I've been waiting for something like this.
 
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#3
Eli, can you post this review on the other forum? There are quite a few people interested in Race Chip that I'm sure would love to see this.
 

Kale808

500 Posts Achieved
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2018 Micro Blue Kia Stinger GT
#4
Thank you for taking the time to write up the review.[like]

Just a couple of questions.

1) Is this app free or an additional charge?
2) You are using the stock plugs?
3) Have you noticed any difference in fuel efficiency?
 
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#5
Very well done sir.

I take that it's A = Boost pressure sensor, B = Intake Pressure sensor, C = Cam Position Sensor? Any idea how much boost the car is making now?
 
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125
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Kia Stinger GT
#6
Does anybody have a better way to attach this to the top of the fuse box short of just gluing it on there?
Using velcro is a perfect idea. Is it small enough to mount on the side like this..just closer to the strut mount?
 
OP
E
Messages
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2018 Stinger GT
Thread Starter #7
Thank you for taking the time to write up the review.[like]

Just a couple of questions.

1) Is this app free or an additional charge?
2) You are using the stock plugs?
3) Have you noticed any difference in fuel efficiency?
1. It's free.
2. Yep.
3. Haven't really checked, but I haven't noticed anything major. Then again, I drive pretty harshly and mostly local roads, so my efficiency rests at around 16-18 miles per gallon anyway.

Very well done sir.

I take that it's A = Boost pressure sensor, B = Intake Pressure sensor, C = Cam Position Sensor? Any idea how much boost the car is making now?
Yes, that's correct according to the manual. I don't have an external boost gauge so I have no idea; perhaps [MENTION=444]RaceChip[/MENTION] can help with that one.
 
Messages
293
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39
State
TX
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What I Drive
2018 Kia Stinger GT2
#9
[MENTION=453]eliwu26[/MENTION]...did you get the GTS with 52hp? I wonder why there are three performance levels.

 
Messages
173
Likes
47
State
CA
Country
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What I Drive
2018 Stinger GT1 + Drive Wise
#10
Hey everyone!

Recently, I've been testing the RaceChip GTS Black. Full disclosure, I was sent this chip by [MENTION=444]RaceChip[/MENTION] for the purpose of reviewing and testing the product.

Although the box they sent me wasn't "new" condition (they even warned me of this), on account of the fact that it was only meant to hold it so I could test it out, it was still packaged very well! Ample protection for shipping. Definitely more than I was expecting given the warning they gave me :).

Contents include the cable, zip ties, the RaceChip, and ziptie holders that snap into the RaceChip. The setup they show in the manual does not use the zip ties or the zip tie holders, so we can forgo those.

I found the instructions to be quite clear; and although the I'm pretty sure the instruction of leaving the car out of range of the keys after locking it isn't strictly necessary (I found that the car essentially turns off the electronics in the engine bay as soon as you open the door after turning off the engine), it's nice that they added that to make sure there's no chance of *bad stuff* happening to the car.

Unlike the LAP3, the RaceChip connects the boost pressure sensor, the intake pressure sensor as well as the cam position sensor. There's a warning to not connect the cables backwards, but I found that to be near impossible as there's a tab on the connector that prevents that from happening. What is very possible, however, is connecting the cables to the wrong sensors. These cables are all labelled with A, B, or C, and it's labelled in the instructions which letter goes to which sensor, so it should be pretty easy.



This is the boost pressure sensor connection.



Intake Pressure sensor connection.



Cam Position Sensor connection. This is by far the hardest sensor to actually connect to, given that it's nestled between several tubes. Still, installation was relatively easy.

I used several zipties to bundle cables together so they weren't jostling around, but not too tight. I routed the RaceChip connections as shown in the document - inbetween a gap leading to the left side of the engine bay near the passenger. The RaceChip connection seems better than the LAP3 connector - much easier to attach and remove, and watertight, whereas I wasn't sure the connection to the LAP3 was watertight.

To attach the RaceChip to the fusebox, I used some 3M Dual Lock (withstands up to around 200F, so it should be fine... could somebody tell me if that compartment gets above that temperature?). This is so that if I need to remove it, I can easily do so. Unfortunately, the Dual Lock doesn't stick to the fuse box super well - I'm going to be trying to put some VHB on the back of the dual lock to see if I can get it to adhere better. Does anybody have a better way to attach this to the top of the fuse box short of just gluing it on there?





Moving on to the app, it is clear that there is some work to be done here - initial connection is very straightforward and easy, but there seems to be a bug at least with my setup (Galaxy S9) that makes it so every time I fully close the app (as in kill it away in task manager or just exit out of the app for an extended period of time), I have to make sure to unpair the device from the RaceChip before opening the app. The app will then reprompt me to pair, and everything will work. Otherwise, the app seems to just not be able to connect regardless of whether the phone sees the RaceChip or not. I also found the bug that if I go into demo mode, my car's serial and settings are gone after exiting demo mode. This isn't a big issue but it is a bit jarring. I applaud the RaceChip folks for a very nice user interface, but functionality could be improved.

Now on to the actual meat and potatoes: performance!

It would be an understatement to say I'm impressed with the performance unlocked by the chip. I previously owned a LAP3 chip - and although this chip is built nice and seems like it might do something, I was never sure that it was actually increasing performance. My 0-60 times stayed almost the same: 4.85ish seconds stock -> 4.75ish seconds with the LAP3 on 91 setting. As I am in California, I did not attempt to use the 93 setting on 91 octane fuel, keeping it in the 91 setting. I have a video of a 0-60 run with the LAP3 here:

[video=youtube;PiYOnTEgxU0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiYOnTEgxU0&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Timing it from frames, it seems about 4.75ish seconds.

On the RaceChip in Race setting, i could absolutely feel the difference in many different ways. Just pulling from 1st, second, and third gear felt way more powerful than it did stock or on LAP3. I usually couldn't feel too much of the "oomph" that you get at 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in 4th gear, but with the RaceChip it was much more noticeable. In fact, usually when I use launch control I don't hold the brake pedal all the way down, just enough to stop the wheels from spinning. With the RaceChip, I applied the same amount of pressure, and the car started to do a burnout [burnout]. Here's a *not so great* 0-60 run on the RaceChip - counting by frames gives me around 4.25 seconds, but I leave that to your judgement.

[video=youtube;cNvgeOLF7i0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNvgeOLF7i0&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Not only that, but you can even hear it in the video - with the RaceChip on, you can hear a sort of whine from the turbo, sort of like an electric motor. Honestly, that was kind of cool. Then again, it might mean the turbo's being damaged... anybody want to chime in?

I actually just got some 100 Octane as well from my local 76 - feels even faster, and doing a *really* crappy 0-60 seems to give me a 4.17 second 0-60, but I'll be sure to take a better video of a 0-60 run on 100 octane later (hopefully by next week, since it's just started raining again in Norcal).

The RaceChip guys are checking if we can add even more power to the car, so I'll update this post as I think of more information to add/get more information to post. I'll answer any questions as well.

Eli
Thanks so much for the thorough review, and comparison. Also I?m in Nor-cal too, in Napa, would love to connect with other owners.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

KiaFan

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#11
[MENTION=453]eliwu26[/MENTION] thanks for taking the time to write this review, definitely appreciate it.

I put your videos side by side so everyone can get a better comparison. It's not 100% accurate, but fairly close and if you stop the video at :10 you can see the RaceChip has a slight lead in acceleration.
[video=youtube;GRez3SRWTns]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRez3SRWTns[/video]


 
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#12
The tune looks like it really wakes up the car, hopefully us base Stinger guys will be seeing more tuning options soon, thanks for sharing.
 
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#13
Ouch $800 for the GTS is pretty steep.

Hopefully [MENTION=444]RaceChip[/MENTION] can provide more details between the $700 and $800 tune.
 

robz32

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#14
Excellent review and great how to.

The turbo noise is nothing to be worried about, the fact that you can hear it now means only one thing, boost level has increased. So no damage is being caused.
Keep us posted with the long term observations.
 
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#15
Great review! Now bring it up here to Sacramento Raceway Park.[^]
 

MurlinatoR

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#16
[MENTION=453]eliwu26[/MENTION] thanks for taking the time to write this review, definitely appreciate it.

I put your videos side by side so everyone can get a better comparison. It's not 100% accurate, but fairly close and if you stop the video at :10 you can see the RaceChip has a slight lead in acceleration.
[video=youtube;GRez3SRWTns]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRez3SRWTns[/video]


Looks like you had an extra 8 gallons of gasoline in it for the lap3. 50 pounds of dead weight...

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk
 
Messages
428
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2018 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD
#17
Looks like you had an extra 8 gallons of gasoline in it for the lap3. 50 pounds of dead weight...

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk
Its .1 second per 100lbs, .05 seconds isn't much lol.
 
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#18
Ouch $800 for the GTS is pretty steep.

Hopefully [MENTION=444]RaceChip[/MENTION] can provide more details between the $700 and $800 tune.
It's actually $100 off right now.

$700 for 50+ hp is hard to beat. Compare that to $1500 for 30 hp from an exhaust or $400 for 5 hp from an intake.
 
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#19
Thumbs up, very well written

Have you pulled the plugs to check for any carbon buildup?
 

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