Kia Soul Tuning

The Kia Soul is a compact crossover SUV that has gained popularity for its distinctive design, practicality, and value-oriented features.

As a versatile and compact vehicle, the Kia Soul has captured the attention of a diverse range of drivers, from urban commuters to small families.

Let's investigate your options for tuning the Kia Soul and outline the best Soul performance parts in this introductory guide to tuning and modifying them.

When considering aftermarket modifications for your Kia Soul, it's important to evaluate your goals and budget.

Engine tuning, fast road cams, intake and exhaust enhancements, upgrades to turbochargers or superchargers, and head work are all viable options to enhance performance but these are not suitable for all drivers and all engine types.

It is my aim to help you understand what to expect from each of these mods, and please pass on any specific tips or recommended parts so that I can update this article to be more useful to others.

We examine at Soul tuning and report on the choicest modifications. Kia Souls make awesome project cars and with the optimum modified upgrades you can assuredly increase your driving enjoyment.

The only thing holding you back in your Soul project is time, money and your imagination Sit down first and research Soul tuning to save yourself making the usual common errors we get told about.

Handling modifications are often a priority for the Soul. We suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 30-35mm. Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with motorsport suspension.

Our aim in Soul engine tuning should be to increase peak power and Torque at the top end.

Smaller engines do not provide much of a return in terms of power so start with a bigger engine. Engine swaps are a good option if you have a small engine size.

Kia Soul Model History.

Let's delve into the details of the Kia Soul, including its model years, characteristics, engines, and notable features.

Model Years and Generations: The Kia Soul has undergone several generational changes since its introduction, with each generation bringing updates to design, technology, and performance. The main generations of the Kia Soul include:

1. First Generation (2009-2013): The original Kia Soul introduced a boxy and quirky design, which set it apart from traditional compact cars. It offered practicality, a spacious interior, and a range of customization options.
2. Second Generation (2014-2019): The second-generation Soul retained its unique shape while receiving design refinements and interior improvements. This generation introduced advanced infotainment features, safety technologies, and more efficient engine options.
3. Third Generation (2020-Present): The current-generation Kia Soul continues to showcase its iconic design, with modern updates and technological advancements. It offers a choice of gasoline, hybrid, and electric powertrains, providing options for various types of drivers.

Engine Tuning.

These are the motorsport upgrades are usually installed by our members, decide how far you wish to go in your tuning project before you get going.

Getting the best performance mods for your planned usage of the car is a time and money saver. Stage 3 (competition) mods just don't work well on the road and will make the car undriveable.

Please watch our video which covers the 5 principles of tuning your car. Be sure to keep up with our latest YouTube content and subscribe.

Best Engine Mods for your car

When it comes to enhancing the performance of your Kia Soul, there are several aftermarket modifications that can be considered. These modifications range from engine tuning to mechanical changes, all aimed at boosting power and improving overall driving experience.

1. Engine Tuning: Engine tuning and remapping are among the most advantageous modifications in terms of cost savings and power gains. Aftermarket Engine Control Units (ECUs) or piggyback ECUs are popular alternatives to improve engine performance. These modifications involve recalibrating the engine's parameters, such as fuel delivery and ignition timing, to optimize power output. Engine tuning can result in noticeable power gains, improved throttle response, and enhanced drivability.

2. Fast Road Cams: A mod best suited to non Variable Valve timing engines, or motorsport use. Fast road cams are a significant mechanical modification that can have a substantial impact on engine performance. These high-performance camshafts are designed to provide increased valve lift and duration, improving air intake and exhaust flow. However, installing fast road cams requires expertise, as precise tuning and adjustments are crucial for optimal results. While sourcing fast road cams can be challenging, local firms may offer regrinding services for stock camshafts, providing a cost-effective alternative.

3. Intake and Exhaust: Modifications to the intake and exhaust systems can help enhance power after other performance upgrades. Upgrading to a less restrictive air intake system allows for better airflow, which can lead to improved engine efficiency and power gains. Similarly, installing a high-flow exhaust system can reduce backpressure and enhance exhaust gas flow, contributing to increased horsepower and a more aggressive exhaust note. It's important to note that intake and exhaust modifications may not significantly increase power on their own but can complement other upgrades.

4. Turbochargers and Superchargers: Forced induction, such as turbochargers and superchargers, represents one of the most efficient ways to increase air supply to the engine. While it is one of the costliest modifications, it provides substantial power gains. Turbochargers use exhaust gases to drive a turbine, which compresses incoming air, while superchargers are belt-driven and provide instant power. These upgrades significantly boost horsepower and torque, resulting in exhilarating acceleration and improved overall performance.

5. Head Work: Improving the airflow into and out of the engine is essential for maximizing performance. Head work involves modifications to the cylinder head, such as porting and polishing, to optimize air intake and exhaust flow. The goal is to eliminate flow restrictions and turbulence, allowing more air to enter the combustion chamber. Enhanced airflow can lead to improved power output, throttle response, and overall engine efficiency.

Typical stage 1 mods often include:
Remap,Suspension upgrade (drop 30-40mm),Sports exhaust,Lighter flywheel,Panel air filter,Alloy wheels.

Typical stage 2 mods often include:
Ported and polished head,Power clutch,Fast road cam,Fuel injector & fuel pump upgrades,.

Typical stage 3 mods often include:
Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves),Sports gearbox,Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger),Engine balancing,Competition cam.

You should keep as much low end torque as possible and aim for a wide power band rather than a narrow top end power spike.

In this article we shall give a brief overview to the best mods for your car, but we'd encourage you to spend some time on the site looking into the details of each type of performance upgrade.A fast road camshaft will be one of the best NASP power mods you can do from a single upgrade to your engine.

The intake and exhaust flow play a large part in your cars power band, but be careful here, getting this wrong can upset the idle and make the car hard to drive in traffic. You'd need to follow a camshaft upgrade with other mods and finish with a tune/remap to fully realise your gains.You will need to ensure that the engine is not starved of fuel so will need to uprate the fuelling.

Using higher octane petrol is another option if you find you are suffering from detonation or premature ignition on your Kia project after fitting other uprated modifications.

Uprated injectors will enable you to supply sufficient fuel to the engine. A fuel pump will only deliver a finite amount of fuel, so you may need to uprate this if your injectors are demanding more fuel.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Now we move on to the intake and exhaust and ensure proper flow through the engine.

Contrary to popular belief there is often very little if any power gain to be had by fitting an induction kit, they only become beneficial and are recommended after you increase the engines power to the point where the standard air intake box cannot cope!

Derestricting the airflow into the engine is a primary goal of car tuners so get a better flowing air filter if you find that the car is running lean.

Induction kits can sound great but due to the warm air in the engine bay they will not add noticeable power and actually rob you of power on most cars.

Sports exhausts equal out the flow of air through the engine. But if the exhaust is too large, ie: over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a lot of the exhaust flow rate and end up lacking power and torque.

Getting the head polished and ported will allow you to get more air into each cylinder.

This is definitely a job for a pro with a flow bench. Your clutch can seriously let you down if it starts to fail and the standard clutches are only ever good for power gains of up to 40%. Fit an upgraded clutch to avoid power leak through the transmission.

NA (naturally aspirated) engines do not achieve big power gains if you tune/remap them, unless you have done extensive modifications. With turbocharged engines this is another story. A tuned/remapped turbo will give impressive power gains and fully release the potential power of the engine.

We've also seen some tuners playing with twincharged conversions and making some impressively high power hikes.

Adding forced induction will see massive power gains but this is usually too expensive to be cost effective. It is generally simpler to bolt on a supercharger than it is to install a turbo. It is harder to map a turbo as the boost comes on exponentially with revs.

It is simpler to map a supercharger because the boost is correlating to engine speed on a linear curve. Adding forced induction will often require a lower compression ratio or water injection.

Alloy wheel upgrades.

Because alloy wheels are lighter they improve performance and they will help to cool the brake disks. Large Soul alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio.

Although some people have gone larger than this without problems we would restrict ourselves to a 17 inch rim size as the maximum.

If you would like to know more, or just get some friendly advice on Tuning your car please join us in our car forums where you can discuss Soul options in more detail with our Soul owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Kia tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Kia. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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