Kia Rio 2005 custom short ram

abso211 · 10-03-2008, 01:59 PM

hey guys i just finished up a custom job on a short ram let me know what you think and possibilities you can think of for inside the engine bay. I was thinking of installing a sway bar. is it possible? and where is place i can buy one that will fit here. so far i've learned everything i can from examples and problems here on this forum/you tube.

i live in canada, ontario

thanks in advance.

2004riotuner · 10-03-2008, 06:41 PM

Well here is a quick shot of my engine bay. It's still a work in progress. lol it's taken a little while but should be finished soon. Might help give you some ideas.

abso211 · 10-03-2008, 08:29 PM

hey i wanna know is it possible to get cold air from the hood cover straight onto my short ram intake. also instead of a hood scoop can i not cut open the hood where i want an opening and push it down than add a mesh grill. i dont know if that makes sense but i want a subtle appearance not a scoop up ontop. something that goes in. but a very small gap. i think it would look awesome.

2004riotuner · 10-03-2008, 09:58 PM

Yeah but it would look really bad..

abso211 · 10-03-2008, 11:01 PM

alright thanks for the advice. any ideas on the sway bar croossing the engine bay? looking for best ways to clean the engine/bay and are chips worth the money. cheap ones? expensive ones? i've done a lot of research on the speedo but what is the best option for trimming the speedo with crome. on the bevels that exist.

thanks for you're thoughts

2004riotuner · 10-04-2008, 09:28 AM

Are you talking about a sway bar or a strut bar? KFX has strut bars for the Rio that look ok. Any thing labeled as a performance chip I would not even touch it is not going to be worth the money no matter what they say. And here is a picture of what I have done to my gauge cluster. It's not chrome but probably the same idea you were thinking. I just trimmed it out in some silver acrylic paint and then clear coated it.

abso211 · 10-04-2008, 11:32 AM

very very nice that is exactly what i want to do. so how hard is it to get that cluster out to paint it. and how did you paint, did you mask it off with tape or did you just freehand. and ya strut bar the one that crosses the engine bay topside. is kfx dependable. I'm planning next weekend to change the muffler to a magnaflow. and shave the bumper where my tip will come out. any suggestions.

-i want to change the colour of the needle to a dark green or blue
-hid conversion kits? are they worth the look/damaging?
-spoilers i like the style of the mazda3's g5's and cobalt's, ever seen these put on?
(need to find something where i can see how it looks before it's done)
-other than turbo (your car looks amazing) any mods i should try?

im trying to dig for performance.

2004riotuner · 10-05-2008, 08:25 AM

Some one makes a kit for changing the colour of the needles but I don't remember who. I personally wouldn't do an HID conversion in the Rio. HIDs are ment to be dirrected light beams and any vehicle that has come from the factory without HIDs will just cast light everywhere. Blinding other drivers, getting tickets from police, etc etc. I'm not sure about spoilers. I havn't seen very many on Rio's to begin with, so to try one of those spoilers you'll be the first.

Performance wise, you could go with cams, header, port the head, lighten crank pulley, KFX has alot for the Rio and they are fairly dependable. I have never had a major problem with them. The only problem they have is shipping is a little bit slow sometimes.

abso211 · 10-05-2008, 04:01 PM

okay thank you very much again!

I'm really trying to keep a subtle appearance and blow away people's minds when they hear how throaty it's gonna sound. this coming weekend a friend and I are going to jack the rio up and im gonna go buy a magnaflow or is it flowmaster... hmm i beleive the 40's series is deeper tone.

Anyways im just gonna chop the muffler off and replace it right now due to funds, but eventually i'll get the resonator and run it straight to the engine. This is my girlfriends car and im gonna buy it from her when we are done making payments. but she hasn't complained yet on the things i've done to it. I just can't get technical with her or she looses me lol.

learning as much as i can. any recommendations on the muffler install for stock sizes and what i should be looking for. also is there a way to lower the muffler i'd rather not and just shave the bumper around the new exhaust tip. What is the best way to go for what i am going to do?

Sorry for the paragraph's but.... i really appreciate feedback from the pros!

thanks again

2004riotuner · 10-05-2008, 04:30 PM

I would go for the magnaflow. It will sound nicer then the flowmaster. Also the magnaflow is stainless steel and will out last the flowmasters aluminized steel. You have you buy a muffler that is offset x center. When you start looking at mufflers you'll see what I mean. You won't be able to lower the muffler without access to as MIG wleder or without going to the muffler shop. I would just cut the bumper to fit your tip it would actually look nicer then sticking it under the bumper.