Redline reviews stinger drivers#
Redline reviews stinger manual#

Here, I managed to get nicely sideways when I 'accidentally' strayed onto a wet cobblestone segment, but even then it was surprisingly easy to catch and countersteer the Stinger into my desired direction. I ended up handing the reins over to a fresh-faced Kia engineer who was more than happy to smoke the tires for me with a surprisingly deft and smooth drift demonstration.įinally, I was allowed to test the Stinger on a wet handling course - a series of corners that were constantly sprayed with water - to demonstrate how even in the Sport and Sport Plus settings, the D-AWD system can quickly scramble grip out of slip. The Stinger is a big boy and, even in Drift mode, getting it to slide rather than push-understeer or snap-oversteer requires a level of familiarity and agility that proved difficult for me (and many of my fellow jet-lagged journalists) with such a short window in which to play. I also learned it's also not an 'instant drift' button. In most modes, it'll automatically knock up to the next gear when you reach the redline, but Drift mode will just bounce off the rev limiter, holding the high engine speeds needed to keep the rear wheels lit up. The transmission's shift program and shifting behavior also changes depending on the mode. However, the most dynamic settings are always rear-biased: Sport Plus never sends less than 70 percent of the power to the rear axle and Drift mode never drops below 85 percent.Ĭomfort and Sport are accessed with a simple flip of the Drive Mode toggle on the console Sport Plus and Drift mode are accessed by tapping and then double-tapping the ESC OFF button, bringing with them progressively looser stability control. At the time car BSM systems were becoming more and more common and the custom installed radar detectors available like the Escort 9500ci and it's cousin the Beltronics. Comfort mode, for example, can vary between 50:50 and 10:90 at any given moment. In early 2016 I decided to purchase a Stinger VIP with 1 front antenna to replace my Beltronics STiR-Plus.

Of course, the system continues to dynamically shift and allocate torque around these static baselines. Nearly full rear-drive with minimal stability control allows controlled slides, will not upshift even at the rev limiterĪs you move up through the drive modes, the static torque split becomes more rear-biased, culminating in a Drift mode that sends over 90 percent of torque to the back wheels.

Redline reviews stinger drivers#

More rear bias and looser stability control allows experienced drivers easier midcorner rotation Will not revert to automatic shifting, but still upshifts automatically at redline

Redline reviews stinger manual#

Transmission auto upshifts at redline, reverts to automatic shifting after a few moments without manual input In a recent comparison test, for instance, it trailed a few of the high-end Escort models. Find the right car for you View Local Inventory The Redline EX demonstrated somewhat uneven radar performance.