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Turning a GLS into a GT

9K views 30 replies 18 participants last post by  Elantra2.001 
#1 ·
I just bought a 2001 Elantra GLS this week. My wife has had her 2002 Elantra GT for about a year now... I notice a HUGE difference in the steering and suspension in her car and as far as I know the only "performance" differences between a GLS & GT are the "sport tuned" steering and suspension.

I have a few questions as I start upgrading...

1.) Are springs the only suspension difference or are there sway bars or anything on the GT? (I want to buy whatever I need to get my GLS handling like her stock GT)

2.) What parts of the steering system are different from GLS to GT??

3.) For the money I would spend on buying stock GT parts from a salvage yard would I be better off just going with something like eibachs or Tiens that might have me in better shape than stock GT parts?

Any help here would be great!!!

Cliff
 
#5 ·
th003g said:
steering is mounted more directly on the GT... dunno if you can change that...
:confused: can you Elaborate...AFAIK there is no difference in the way the steering is mounted.

--NY
 
#8 ·
Well I don't know the difference between the GLS & GT steering... I can feel a difference though and on the hyundai site they advertise "sport tuned" steering... what they mean by that I'm not sure...

In regards to the suspension though...

Would I just need to get springs off a GT or would I need to get more parts to get that firmer ride.

My wifes GT just feels more "solid"... I don't want a race suspension with coilovers or anything... just a "solid" ride like a GT.

I would have gotten a GT but I got a GREAT deal on this car.... It's an 01 w/ 60K miles & I only paid 3200. My wifes GT was an 02 w/ about 45K miles when we bought it and I think we paid about 10K for hers.
 
#10 ·
Definately don't worry about simply upgrading to the stock GT parts. The amount you spend to the gains you get ratio isn't high enough. Go aftermarket for springs, which can be paired with the OEM Tiburon GT struts. Or if you have some money go with the Teins or something comparable.

Welcome to the site.



 
#12 ·
The difference in steering that you feel, I would bet, is a delay in turn-in. That is you turn the wheel in the GT and it responds quicker than the GLS. I have noticed this when I take my car in to the dealership and they give me GLS loaner. There is no mechanical difference in the steering between the GT and GLS - it's the rest of the suspension.

First off, the GT has stiffer springs and struts, rear sway bar, and front swaybar (I think on this one.)

You should start with a 19.2 mm rear sway bar for the Tib. Its $70. You'll need to swap the end links too.
Swapping the Front sway bar is more complicated - I wouldn't worry about it.
I wouldn't worry about getting the GT struts - go straight for the Ultrasport Tib struts.
Finally, the springs on the GT, while better, are still pretty mushy in my opinon. If you want to/don't mind lowering the car - get Eibachs or another aftermarket spring.
If you want to stay at a stock height and just stiffen the car - see my "Ground Control Experiment" thread.
 
#13 ·
The turn-in delay is exactly what I'm talking about, you hit that on the head. It didn't occur to me that that's coming from the suspension difference too.

So Basically what I'm hearing is that I need to

A) find a 19.2mm rear sway bar from a tib (salvaged, OEM from the shop or if anyone is selling one online)

B) Ultrasport tib struts... I'm assuming these are aftermarket & I could find some with a quick google?

C) Get some Eibachs for about 200 bucks (I wouldn't mind the 1 inch drop they give and I definitely want the step up in firmness!!)

Last thing... If i keep my stock struts and get the eibach spring would I be getting the firmer ride I want or would I be dissapointed?

sorry for all the stupid questions... This will be my first time modding suspension...
 
#14 ·
The Ultrasport Tib Struts are OEM parts.

Eibachs with stock struts will be better (and others will tell you that there won't be any damage to the struts, but there will be, it'll shorten their lifespan), but in combo with new struts they seem to offer better results, for daily driving and for autocross.



 
#15 ·
Take the GLS down to your local hyundai dealership and tell them you want a GT.
Either that or take the GT away from the wife and give her the GLS.

;)
 
#17 ·
Well there's this dealer in Indianapolis, where I live, who is always selling cheap Hyundais that are just before or just after 60K miles (when the warranty won't transfer) The Hyundai lots won't sell them because they get no warranty after 60K... This guy buys them in bulk and sells them cheap. He does alot of volume.

Alot of them aren't in the best shape... my paint job is far from perfect, little dings here and there but all very minor really... The interior is perfect and with an orbital buffer, some elbow grease, a little touch up paint and a few hours I think I can get the exterior in pretty good shape.

mechanicaly it's solid, took it to firestone and they looked it over for the better part of an hour and said that asside from needing brakes and tires ine the seudo-near future that it was rock solid.

I just sold my 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder and I'm still grieving the loss... :( but I needed a practical car.... I just happened to get a good little practical car that is actually nice enough to be worth modding a little bit!!

PS, I've entertained the Idea of taking my wifes car... but hers is an automatic... I need my 5spd...

I did tell her that I'm going to take her seats and wheels while shes sleeping though... :) (and replace them with mine of course)
 
#18 ·
Actually.. I think evan938 has a set of leather seats for a 4-door for sale... he had them on ebay and it doesn't look like they sold.... You might check with him...

Just a hunch... but I'm guessing buying a set would be better for your mariage...lol
 
#19 ·
Yeah, buying leather seats from someone on the forum will be on my wishlist but I need to do my suspension first, then move on to the interior.

I think my first money spent will be tinting windows... springs/struts/swaybar then leather seats.... then wheels.... or maybe wheels before the seats... so many options...

I never thought I'd get a car for 3K that I'd actually want to put money into!!
 
#22 ·
the steering rack is mounted differently on the GT versus the GLS. i think it's mounted directly to the subframe as opposed to rubber isolators on the GLS. supposedly to increase the amount of road feel through the steering wheel. i don't know if the rack part #'s are the same or if it's just the mounts that are different.

the GT also has the rear disc brakes, but that's not a big contribution, performance-wise.
 
#23 ·
I hated to let the MR2 go!! it was a 2001, midnight blue... everyone saying, "hey, is that your Porsche?" But... I still owed 13,000 & had a 260 monthly payment... I'm going back to school in the fall and with the Elantra I paid 3K out of pocket and have no more car payment... so, it was for the best but I'm absolutely buying a 3rd generation spyder again when I'm back out of school. It was a phenononal car for the money.

I'm not to worried about the "road feel" with the steering. I think I'll be OK w/o changing the way it's mounted. The turn-in delay that was brough up earlier is what I wanted to fix. I'm hoping once I tweak my springs/struts/swaybar setup that the steering won't feel sloppy any more.
 
#24 · (Edited)
For best feel on a budget (my setup):

1) OEM 19.2mm Tiburon swaybar, metal endlinks, and replacement bushings, and replacement nuts ($128.96 including tax from my local dealer).

2) RRM front strut tower brace.

http://www.roadracemotorsports.com/ ($89 + S&H)

People will argue that #2 has little or no benefit. I however did this mod first rather than the above mentioned "1st mod you do" aka "best bang for the buck" mod aka see this thread:

http://www.elantraxd.com/forums/showthread.php?t=288

I was not expecting much from the strut bar, but was surprised how it improved the steering response - which I believe is your main concern aka turn in delay. I believe SWortham can back me up here. Its true that the tibby sway bar makes so much difference that it makes the strut bar seem almost unnoticeable if you did not do it first. Together, both of these make the car feel way more solid, and is really fun to drive. If you are getting new rubber too, get some kuhmo, falken, or another quality brand (everyone here can give you their own personal preference) to finish things off for the time being. You can even gain some more grip by going to a 205/55 15 tire (stock 195/60 15) and retaining the stock wheels for now like some people here have done.

That is the best "baseline" improvement you can do IMO. Sure, there are springs and shocks etc you can do later, but that is another step price wise too. I have had the current setup for about five months and still love the feel. Oh yes, rims, tires, springs and shocks are in my future too, but for now, I am content.
 
#25 ·
If the turn in is your biggest complaint, I'm gonna have to agree w/ Doc. I, personally, think that the rear sway bar is a more useful Mod overall, the front strut bar is going to help the steering response.

However, I would say that, if you had the money for tires and One of the above mods. I would get tires and the sway bar.
 
#26 ·
I'll look into that Tower brace, thanks doc...

Oh, and by the way... Do you have any pictures of your car doc? I see from your sig that you have the chrome handles on a black GLS. I am planning to buy the chrome handles and would love to see them on a black GLS

also need wheels... and tires... and a euro antenna... and shocks... and struts.... and tinting my windows.... and leather GT seats... and a chrome grill... and new badges... and tib pedals... and tib swaybar... and tower brace... and smoked/tinted taillight lenses... and OEM floormats... and a short throw shifter... and a CAI... and exhaust... and header...

Oh god... I thought this car was supposed to save me money...

lol... :eek: :confused:

actually doc, if it saves you any trouble I just did a search and saw your chrome handles on the interior... I was actually looking to see a black GLS w/ chrome exterior handles... :( But yours do look very nice!
 
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