Toecutter
04-20-2006, 01:56 AM
I've been a lurker here for quite some time, but I thought that I wold start posting so that I may be able to help someone as you have all helped me. This post is a bit windy, but please bear with me. I've attached some pics at the end.
I am not new to Hyundai as I previously owned an '01 Elantra GLS in silver. The car was so trouble free that I decided to buy another when the GLS hit 100k miles. You see the GT had not yet been introduced when I puchased the '01 and when they finally rolled out in '02 I was kicking myself.
Anyway, I finally got what I wanted. Sure I could have bought other cars but I really like the Elantra. For example, my wife has the Mazda 3 with the 2.3 liter. Nice performer, but a little too cramped in the cockpit for me. I also conciously bought the '06 GT knowing that it was the last year for the current design. Its a proven design and I like it. The '07 looks a little too much like a Corolla to me. Too early for me to make up my mind on the '07; only time will tell what the GT will look like.
Of course the other selling point is the price ($13,459 with ABS, TCS, & moonroof). This comes out to about a grand more than I payed for the '01, and with a lot more stuff to boot. Again, I'm sure the '07 is going to be a bit more.
Sure my wife's car makes 160HP (crank), but I spent so much less that I can make my car perform nearly as well, be more comfortable, more unique, and still have cash left over. Come to think of it, if properly boosted the car would be about the same price as her Mazda 3 and rip its doors off. But I'm not going to turbocharge it, just make it more fun to drive.
I've got a few bits left over from the GLS that I used, some that I won't. I used the Tibby sway bar, but with new end-links. However, I won't be using the CAI. I had the Accord CAI in the GLS, but I won't do that again due to all the crap that it sucked up over time. I removed the CAI tube before I traded in the GLS and it was full of grit (sand?), and I was pretty good about cleaning the filter. So this time I went with SRI. I'm also tossing the OBX short shifter in favor of the TWM, which is a far superior product.
Current MODS:
Wheels: Rota Track-R 16 x 7
Tires: Kumho Ecsta SPT 205/50-16
TWM Short Shifter with aluminum basket bushings
Kartboy EVO VIII urethane shift link bushings
19.2mm rear sway bar (green dot) with Moog links
80A urethane filled motor mounts (front & rear only)
Road Race front strut tower bar
DIY SRI with AEM Dryflow filter
TB bypass
Clutch slave cylinder MOD
Near-Term MODS:
I currently have the old EVO Fusion Tri-Y headers that I bought for the GLS, but never installed (for whatever reason), but they are going on the new GT. I have already welded a Magnaflow high-flow CAT into the mid-pipe. I have the new EVO Fusion Cat-Back system on order, and it should arrive within a few weeks. Once received it will get a Magnaflow 4" glass pack as a resonator, and an O2 bung welded aft of the CAT.
Future MODS:
Don't know just yet. I'll decide after I finish the exhaust.
Here are a couple of pictures of my new '06 GT in Ebony Black:
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/6370/06gt015et.jpg
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9798/06gt028ex.jpg
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/908/06gt030vu.jpg
I'll post more pics after I get the exhaust complete. Thanks for looking.
I am not new to Hyundai as I previously owned an '01 Elantra GLS in silver. The car was so trouble free that I decided to buy another when the GLS hit 100k miles. You see the GT had not yet been introduced when I puchased the '01 and when they finally rolled out in '02 I was kicking myself.
Anyway, I finally got what I wanted. Sure I could have bought other cars but I really like the Elantra. For example, my wife has the Mazda 3 with the 2.3 liter. Nice performer, but a little too cramped in the cockpit for me. I also conciously bought the '06 GT knowing that it was the last year for the current design. Its a proven design and I like it. The '07 looks a little too much like a Corolla to me. Too early for me to make up my mind on the '07; only time will tell what the GT will look like.
Of course the other selling point is the price ($13,459 with ABS, TCS, & moonroof). This comes out to about a grand more than I payed for the '01, and with a lot more stuff to boot. Again, I'm sure the '07 is going to be a bit more.
Sure my wife's car makes 160HP (crank), but I spent so much less that I can make my car perform nearly as well, be more comfortable, more unique, and still have cash left over. Come to think of it, if properly boosted the car would be about the same price as her Mazda 3 and rip its doors off. But I'm not going to turbocharge it, just make it more fun to drive.
I've got a few bits left over from the GLS that I used, some that I won't. I used the Tibby sway bar, but with new end-links. However, I won't be using the CAI. I had the Accord CAI in the GLS, but I won't do that again due to all the crap that it sucked up over time. I removed the CAI tube before I traded in the GLS and it was full of grit (sand?), and I was pretty good about cleaning the filter. So this time I went with SRI. I'm also tossing the OBX short shifter in favor of the TWM, which is a far superior product.
Current MODS:
Wheels: Rota Track-R 16 x 7
Tires: Kumho Ecsta SPT 205/50-16
TWM Short Shifter with aluminum basket bushings
Kartboy EVO VIII urethane shift link bushings
19.2mm rear sway bar (green dot) with Moog links
80A urethane filled motor mounts (front & rear only)
Road Race front strut tower bar
DIY SRI with AEM Dryflow filter
TB bypass
Clutch slave cylinder MOD
Near-Term MODS:
I currently have the old EVO Fusion Tri-Y headers that I bought for the GLS, but never installed (for whatever reason), but they are going on the new GT. I have already welded a Magnaflow high-flow CAT into the mid-pipe. I have the new EVO Fusion Cat-Back system on order, and it should arrive within a few weeks. Once received it will get a Magnaflow 4" glass pack as a resonator, and an O2 bung welded aft of the CAT.
Future MODS:
Don't know just yet. I'll decide after I finish the exhaust.
Here are a couple of pictures of my new '06 GT in Ebony Black:
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/6370/06gt015et.jpg
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9798/06gt028ex.jpg
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/908/06gt030vu.jpg
I'll post more pics after I get the exhaust complete. Thanks for looking.