Koup SXR Build Thread

[Koup SXR]

Hello Everyone,
I’ve wanted to create this thread for some time now but family life has simply taken over any spare time I have.

So let me start by thanking all of the enthusiasts for the positive feedback received on the R package. These comments make my sleepless nights during the design and development months well worth it.
I’d also like to thank those enthusiasts who have placed orders for any of the R package components. Your support is greatly appreciated.

The purpose of this thread is to provide information and support on the products and upgrades that have been installed onto the Koup SXR. I will do my best to help with any questions but if I don’t answer right away, please be patient with me. I’d also like to kindly ask that we keep this thread clean.

I will be providing as many photos as possible during the build of the very first ‘production’ KOUP SX-R. This Koup will have all the production R components that everyone will be able to purchase including those that have been removed from the original list (front upper strut brace and Eibach lowering springs developed for this package).
This is not to be confused with the first KOUP SX-R (the Racing Red auto show car) with all the master prototype parts which many have seen in person already or online in various reviews. I also have a special bond with this car too as it’s the first Koup that received the R treatment for the world to see. My good friend KOUP SX-R is currently enjoying his ride along with the incredible sound system Pioneer has put together.

For those that have been fortunate enough not to have already met me, I am the designer of the R front skirts, R side skirts, R door sill plates, R rear lip spoiler, and the letter ‘R’. So if any of you dislike the styling of any of those components, I’m the one to blame....

My goal was to design components that took the current styling into the next level by enhancing features within its own form. Style, classiness yet smart were key objectives to the statement I wanted to portray. Tom Kearns and his Team at the California Design Studio created an outstanding body which I took immense pleasure working with.

I am proud to be a part of this community and I will offer as much information and support as I can.

Now for the exciting part....

[Koup SXR]

March 17, 2010

The Day has finally come

It was a long wait, but well worth it. It took 1 ½ months for the Pure White Koup to arrive.

[Koup SXR]

March 20, 2010

Front license plate holder

I think we can all agree that provinces and states that require front license plates certainly don’t help the front end styling of any car.
I did not like where the original front license plate attaches on the front of the Koup so I asked the dealership not to install the bracket to the bumper to avoid filling in the holes and getting the part repainted. Luckily Rob caught it on time and saved the day.

So for a month or so, I began searching for a license plate holder that I could modify to reposition the plate lower on the bumper. Yes, I’ll admit that it did cross my mind to go Mitsu. EVO style on the corner of the bumper over the fog lamps, but it wasn’t for me. It would look cool but I wanted something more refined.

Then I recall working on a Cadillac SRX front brush guard program where we took the original front license plate holder and notched it to fit over our part. That fit the bill.
I trimmed along the top and sides to fit the contour of the bumper and lower grille and used long bolts and large diameter washers to mount it. I used some edge guard to protect the bumper from the hard plastic edge I trimmed and it seems to give it a cleaner appearance as well.

If anyone wants help creating one, I can take mine off and try to make a paper template for you to use.






Part details:
2004+ Cadillac SRX front brush guard license plate holder

[Koup SXR]

March 31, 2010

R components – R front skirt, R side skirt, R rear lip style spoiler, R door sill plates and R Badge install

You would not believe the grin I had when I dropped off the parts at the body shop.
I was so excited that I didn’t get much sleep (add in a 5 yr. old boy and 5 month old boy to the mix) and you might image how I must have been functioning.

After I got the call “come pick them up”....oh yeah, off I went with a bigger grin then before. The body shop did a great job on the parts!

Tip: (This will be the most important tip for a successful installation using 3M tape)
The vehicle temperature MUST be between 16°C-30°C (61°F-86°F) for the tape to function properly.
You MUST also ensure that the mating surface on the vehicle is ‘squeaky’ clean. This is crucial. So, if you waxed your car or had it waxed, it needs to be removed in the area(s) where the tape will bond to on the vehicle.


R front skirt
The front skirts use tape along the top edge and mount on the bottom to the bumper and additional two mounting points at the wheel arch return



Front skirt installation complete


R side skirt
Here I was setting up for the side skirts.
I precut some painters tape to help hold on the part to the rocker to define its position.
Tip: use the foam sheet and place it below the car incase the part at the opposite end slips and falls to the ground. It’ll prevent any touch-ups.


The 1” side tape is perfect to defining the position of the front edge


Side skirt installation complete




R rear lip style spoiler
Here’s the spoiler after painting


The black strips on stuck on the deck lid are called drill guides. They have a stem which slips into the 5 mounting positions of the spoiler and help transfer those locations onto the deck lid. The green painters tape was used to provide me with the center position I found when I first placed the spoiler on the deck lid.




I mounted the brake light to the spoiler. NOTE: the R spoilers will include a Hella brake light with a RED lens. I used a Hella light with a clear lens (lights up red) from an old project which I wanted to try out.


These show the connection to the center stop light located below the rear parcel shelf. We also included some foam pads to wrap the wires in a couple of location to avoid any potential damage.





Rear spoiler installation complete





Here’s a side view but I didn’t have the side skirts installed yet.


R door sill plates
I used a couple of strips of tape on either side of the original black door sill plate so I know where to place the new R sill plate.
I removed the original black plastic door sill plate using a plastic clip removal tool.
Tip: along the edge, I placed a rag underneath the tool to avoid scuffing the painted surface.




Door sill installation complete


R Badge
I cut the template and held it up to the fender to understand where I need to prep.
I then proceeded to clean the surface and taped the template in place. The template can then be used on the opposite side of the vehicle by simply flipping the template around.









Part details:
R front skirt - 99997 761MF
R side skirt - 99997 761MS
R rear spoiler – 99997 761MW
R door sill plates – 99997 761MRDS
R badge - 99997 761MR


Contact information:
These parts are available for order at your local Canadian Kia dealerships.
Please refer to the Bulletin No. AY10 007


Contact information for painting:
Bestline Auto Body Ltd.
144 Freshway Dr. Unit #1
Vaughan Ontario L4K 1S5
Canada

Contact person: Vito Scavone (owner)

Tel: (905) 760-7444

Email: bestlineautobody@bellnet.ca

website: www.bestlineautobody.ca

[Koup SXR]

April 7, 2010

Black roof

I was looking for that luxury touch for this Koup. Seeing many high end vehicles with panoramic roofs and some sports cars with composite roofs, I liked the idea of giving the white Koup that same appearance. I knew the contrast would spice it up so I started looking at my options. I liked the vinyl roof idea but seeing as I would be driving long distances to Michigan on a regular basis, I was concerned with possible road debris hitting the roof.
So I thought it would be best to paint the top using the Kia Forte Koup black (color code EB). The body shop removed the side gutter trim pieces, pulled back the glass rubber and removed the antenna.

Here are the results;





Contact information:
Bestline Auto Body Ltd.
144 Freshway Dr. Unit #1
Vaughan Ontario L4K 1S5
Canada

Contact person: Vito Scavone (owner)

Tel: (905) 760-7444

Email: bestlineautobody@bellnet.ca

website: www.bestlineautobody.ca

[Koup SXR]

April 8, 2010

HID install

Having experienced HID lighting in all my cars for over 5 years, it was difficult to go back to regular halogen lighting. I drive a fair amount on the highway from Toronto to many parts of Michigan. Being able to spot any animals along the side of the highway at 4-5am is very important for me.

I chose to use AbsoluteHID due to the positive feedback I received from the local BMW community over the past years and the fact that I have local support is a plus.

I used an H11 AbsoluteHID kit. It uses 55W ballasts with 4300K bulbs. I wanted to achieve a stock appearance without any shade of blue.

It’s also recommended that you upgrade your 10amp headlight fuse with a 15amp fuse which I had no problem with.

Before removing the headlamp assemblies, I added some painters tape to the front bumper and grille below the lights to prevent any potential damage.


Test fitting all the connections and plugged everything in the car.


I used a 1” hole saw and made a hole onto the cover as shown


I ran the wires through and used black caulking on the grommet to help seal the grommet once in-place



I added a few strips of double sided tape and adhered the ballasts to the top of the windshield washer reservoir and the body as shown.





The lighting is incredible. The cut-off is actually quite low for a headlamp assembly that’s not designed for HID lighting output.



Part details:
H11 HID conversion kit
55w 4300K
website: www.absolutehid.ca


Contact person: Alan Saaverda (installer)
Tel: (416) 897-5312

[Koup SXR]

April 9, 2010

Yellow Fog light bulb install

After performing the HID install, the fogs needed something special too so I installed the Nokya yellow bulbs.







Part details:
Nokya Hyper Yellow bulbs
2500K 27W
Bulb 881
part number NOK6621
http://nokyausa.com/hy/hy6621.htm

website: www.nokyausa.com


Contact information:
Purchase from a shop at Pacific Mall on the south end of the main floor...sorry, I didn’t catch the name!

website: www.pacificmalltoronto.com

[Koup SXR]

April 9, 2010

R Strut Brace install

This Koup has great handling right out of the box, but I didn’t want to stop there.
This strut brace is the one that was developed for the Kia Canada R program.
I love taking corners so this was on my ‘to do’ list from the top.





Part details:
R strut bar - 99997 921M02
Fits Koups AND Sedans
Made by Vibrant Performance


Contact information:
These are available through all Kia Canada dealerships.

Scarboro Kia and 401Dixie Kia are two dealerships are very familiar with this strut bar.
I’m sure they will be willing to ship one to you if you’re out of the country.


Scarboro Kia
2594 Eglinton Ave E
Scarborough Ontario M1K2R5
Canada
Contact person: Rob Woodward
email: rwoodward@scarborokia.ca
Tel: (416) 266-0066

website: www.scarborokia.ca

OR

401Dixie Kia
5505 Ambler Drive,
Mississauga, Ontario L4W 2V1
Canada
Contact person: Gino Fusaro
email: gfusaro@401dixiekia.com
Tel: 1-877-244-9781

website: www.401dixiekia.com

[Koup SXR]

April 9, 2010

R Exhaust install

One upgrade I waited patiently for was this exhaust. I first heard it on the auto show car last December and wanted it!
I absolutely love the exhaust note it provides. It’s tame during highway cruising, but when you give it some throttle, it comes alive. My favorite sound is when you let off the throttle. The burble sound is all full of win for me especially when you’re in a tunnel....oh yeah baby!

Here’s the before video;


Here’s the after video;


Here’s a video sitting in the car and then revving it outside;



factory exhaust


no axle back exhaust....but not for much longer :-)


R exhaust (axle back)




installed


the diameter of the tips and the angles are perfect.




Part details:
R axle back exhaust - 99997 921M01
Made by Vibrant Performance


Contact information:
This part is available for order at your local Canadian Kia dealerships.
Please refer to the Bulletin No. AY10 007

[Koup SXR]

April 22, 2010

Tint install

So here I am at the 401Dixie BBQ/Meet on Apr. 10 when they were introducing Pablo Gonzalez (the King of Tints) and I told myself that I need to go talk to him about tinting the Koup. The dealership was raffling all types of really great prizes and one was a tint from Pablo. Low and behold, they called out the first raffle and I almost dropped....my number was called. After looking at the stub a few times to make sure I don’t embarrass myself, I humbly accepted this generous prize. This couldn’t have come at a better time. I love driving this Koup with my family and trying to keep the interior cool for the upcoming summer months was important for me as I have two boys...one is 5yrs. old and the other is 5 months old.

Pablo is a super great guy and he is excellent at what he does. I strongly recommend his services and I know that any future tints on any of my cars will be done by him.

Before



After with 35% tint applied by Pablo





Contact information:
PG Professional Tint

Contact person: Pablo Gonzalez

Tel: (416) 885-2960

Email: pgprotint@hotmail.com

[Koup SXR]

May 5, 2010

R springs install



Before – Front


After – Front



Before – Side


After – Side



Before – Rear


After – Rear










Part details:
R springs
4617.140 Pro-Kit
Made by Eibach


Contact information:
Northern Motorsport
516 Parkdale Avenue North
Hamilton, Ontario L8H 5Y5
Canada

Contact person: Johnny
Mention that you’re a member of ForteForums

Tel: 1-800-263-8621

Email: johns@northernmotorsport.com

website: www.northernmotorsport.com

[Koup SXR]

April 20, 2010

Hella Supertone horn set install

After driving the Koup for a week, I found that it was necessary to this little car a louder bark. There are too many driver’s that obviously forgot or don’t care looking before changing lanes.
Youtube was a great source when it came to being able to listen to a variety of aftermarket horns.
I liked the Hella Supertone’s the best so I was on a quest to find them locally which I did.
I purchased them from a cool place called NextMod ( www.nextmod.com ).
The owner Peter is a great guy.
Just a word of caution, you can get carried away in his shop with all the available goodies....don’t say I didn’t warn you!


Before video: original single horn



After video: Hella Supertone’s behind bumper


Instructions: I used the 2b wiring diagram with the relay. Some say it isn’t necessary to hook up the relay, but I did anyways to be safe. I also used a 20amp fuse.



Here are some installation pictures;

Begin by using some low-tack painters tape around the headlamp assembly to avoid any potential damage due to the headlamp removal.




remove this little puppy!


I found this to be a suitable location which is just inboard of the fog lamps and away from any direct water impact that would potentially reduce the life of the production finish




I drilled a hole that will accept an M6 collapsible riv nut


M6 collapsible Riv nut installed


horn mounted


both horns mounted


I ran the original connector back through the opening and tied it just under the headlamp area



these are some pictures of pre-wiring and checking for proper function before I add in all the connectors and wire loom




here is everything all connected along with all the wires in a wire loom





I used a lot of cable tied in case you haven’t noticed yet. The wires are running along the top of the radiator support for the right side of the car and back down.






Part details:
Hella Supertone Horn Set
2x 66W
500 Hz (high tone)
300 Hz (low tone)
118dB (A)
Relay included
3AG 003 399-801 (12V)


Contact information:
NextMod
290 Yorktech Drive
Markham, Ontario
Canada
L6G 0A7

Tel: (416) 800-9139
Tel: (647) 887-7665

Email: Peter@nextmod.com

[the67beast]

Helluva job and write up!!'

[MFury]

Your right! That exhaust note sounds sick!! Thanks for finally posting it.

[yochino]

dang i want that spoiler!!! Thanks for the write up! I'm sure the quest for the "R" has been awesome haha