Hyundai Elantra 5-door

desg

I cannot fathom why people complain about the size of the tyres i.e, being too small. 195/60x15 is actually a very generous size tyre for the size of vehicle, it wasn't that long ago that larger 6 cylinder vehicles had smaller tyres (and wheels) than this.

Going to a larger size wheel, assuming you also go lower profile and wider tyres to keep the same rolling diameter (so as to not affect gearing etc)doesn't change how much is under the guard, it's just that you have a bigger wheel and a smaller sidewall, with less ride comfort as well.

Des

blackandblue

Traded my michelins in for Goodyear Eagles. As the Goodyears were cheaper they included lifetime road hazard and lifetime balance/rotate. Had less than 500 miles when traded.

jimbeaumi

Do the Goodyear Eagles have a wider footprint or lower profile than the Michelins? I like what I have, but a wider footprint would look and handle better.

th003g

would make the car handle better...wider footprint and same profile will not... for pics of my car go here http://www.gwebworks.com/elantra_gt/index.shtml
and look under garage page... they actually fill out the wheel well....tell me that does not look better than 15's.... will look better once I get my lowering springs

desg: no offense but I live in the here and now... anything with more than a 50 series profile i would consider being high profile... nice if your gonna be drving a lincoln town car but not so nice if you want to do some spirited driving... put it this way truck tires start out with a 65 series profile that is the sidewall is 65% the size of the tread width... and with 60 series rubber on a 195.. that equals too much flex on the sidewall for safe spirited driving... now my tires are 205/45/ZR17... I can take bends, corners, and even U-turns at 10-20mph faster than what I am able to in my GLS with regular 60 series tires or my GT before I got the tires switched...MXV4s were made for comfort cruising, low noise and long treadlife... this means little emphasis on the stuff like grip, sidewall strength.

kfornal

I have been casually checking out the Elantra GT during the past few weeks visiting 2 different Hyundai dealers in my area and on the few GT's they had on their lots, they both had a smaller dealer added sticker with some sort of "market price adjustment of $1995! This brought the sticker in both cases over $18,000! Is this common? I did this checking when the dealerships were closed so I could browse the lots without salesmen breathing down my neck. Should I expect to pay this much for the car?

ziglifler

alot of dealers do that . and some people fall for that added dealer markup . or they make you think that by taking that off they are giving you a deal . don't fall for it . just have a price in your head before u go into the dealer for the car you want and stick to it . if they want your biz they will come down to you . walking out does wonders . but stick to your guns if you want the car .

desg

No offence taken, but I don't know about living in the here and now.

Sounds like you like to customise you car, many people don't however and for them this size tyre compares very favourable to what is on other vehicles. My last vehicle was what you would know as a Diamante it's tyres were 205/65x15, the Elantra compares very favourably to that given it is a much smaller lighter car.

Certainly 45 series tyres here are only seen on customised cars and on some exotic sports cars, there is no argument from me that the car would handle better, but there is a handling/ride trade off on all but the smoothest of roads. 45 series on many of the roads here would not be a nice experience

bnorby1

Hi - have been lurking in this board for the last few weeks now. Picked up my E-GT one week ago, pewter, auto, no sunroof, abs or traction control. great deal. had a good experience at Michigan City Motors in Michigan City, IN. Like the car very much, no gripes, but a couple of little things I wanted to ask. First, I have a rattle, matallic sounding, only when going over more severe bumps, seemingly coming from the rear of the car, perhaps in the spare tire area. Also, when the engine is on at idle and I am looking at it (I really like to look at it to - my wife may have to compete with the car for attention), there seems to be a high-pitched hissing from the left front of the engine - to the left of the engine and above the transmission, like between the engine and battery. There are a bunch of vacuum hoses there and I checked them - nothing loose that I can see. The performance of the car remains great - I am still in the break-in stage - but the car is still running well as when I picked it up. Has anyone ever experienced similar problems or concerns? Am I being over concerned?

Thanks for your replys.

wmoses

bnorby1 said --

"I have a rattle, matallic sounding, only when going over more severe bumps, seemingly coming from the rear of the car, perhaps in the spare tire area."

Check the spare tire. On my car, the rubberized foam blocks that support the spare tire wheel as it is held in place by the long bolt/knob assembly are not optimally placed. This means that when the knob is seated in the centtre hole of the wheel, in one location there could be some rocking of the wheel causing a bit of a clunk with the bottom of the spare wheel well. The fix would be to (a) reposition the wheel and re-tighten, and/or (b) get some additional rubberized foam.

If someone knows where this can be had, please let me know.

As for the hissing in the left front of the engine -- I am stumped given that you checked the vacuum lines. Have you checked the air intake system as well? It runs forward from the plenum on the rear of the engine to in front of the battery, eventually getting its air from the left fron wheel well (built-in cold air). Maybe connections in the hose along the way may be loose.

Lestrade1

i took out the extended 10 year warranty and the dealer charged me $710. i would try negotiating at least one more time good luck

dimsom30

bnorby1,

about your sound in the engine, at my house, we have a 2000 dodge grand caravan, and the engine makes the same sound, we went to the dearlership, and i basically listened to the other similar eengines, and they all made the same sound. So i'm guessing it's a normal sound. I say maybe to go and listen to other engines, it might just be normal. Oh, and CONGRATS on ur new GT!!!

wmoses...

just wanted to comment you on what a nice webpage you have. And about your rubberized foam question, I agree that would fix the problem. However i don't know where to get some...but an alternative that worked for the cars at home here is to just use some rags or old clothes to be thrown away, and stick them there, and that should work to help get rid of the sound in the trunk. Let me know if it works

dimsom30

Hey everyone, i was just wondering if anyone knows when the 2003 GT might come out? And if so, are there any planned modifications to it? I can't seem to find much info on this topic Thanks for your replys...

wmoses

Thanks for the compliment dimsom30.

As for the trunk noise -- when I had it I repositioned my spare wheel slightly and the noise went away. Howevere the problem is not cured. If one does not put the spare wheel "just so" before tightening up the knob, then it could clunk. I thought about the old rags solution but dismissed that because I wanted a better / neater fix. I could slice off the existing misplaced bumpers, and use contact cement to glue them back on in the correct locations. Just lazy that's all.

backy

In a recent interview of Finnbar O'Neill, President of Hyundai USA, he gave the rundown on enhancements over the next few years and noted that there would be a freshening of the Elantra in 2003 (likely fall, for the 2004 model year). That would be on Hyundai's typical schedule for doing freshenings in Year 4. No specific mentions of GT enhancements. Other recent "freshenings" like the '99 Elantra and '02 Sonata have included nose jobs and even (for the Sonata) tail jobs and interior tweaks.

jimbeaumi

... once again is for a 6-speed option in the GT, just to give it a bit more distinction from the GLS (and to quiet that 85 mph roar!). Then I KNOW I'll get the GT next time and sooner than planned.

dant5

Last I heard the 2003s would be hitting dealers around late August / September. Also heard that a spoiler would be an official option on the gt. This was from a hyundai rep at the Atlanta Int. Auto Show. I was also told by jim ellis hyundai in atlanta that sept was when they expected the 03s. If all goes as planned, I'll be driving in my new GT next week. heh

blackandblue

The Goodyear Eagles I traded for were HP's . They are the same as the michelins and handle very well. They are cheaper. My nieighbor payed $125 for a new michelin when she cut down the sidewall.

gt_fan

My GT just turned 7,500 miles and continues to impress. The engine has really loosened up and on the increasingly rare occasions when I drive like Mario Andretti (getting old I guess) it winds out much more smoothly and easily than it did when it was just out of break-in. It's been completely trouble-free, with the exception of the intermittent operation of the TCS, not that it makes any difference this time of year. (Although the local weather man is calling for up to 8" of snow at our altitude tonight!?!) I'm still averaging 34 mpg in mixed driving using my decidedly non-Mario driving techniques.

Here's the latest on my Boss's kid's new Accent that blew it's engine and clutch at 500 miles. As you might have expected, there was a little more to it than that. When the clutch started to go out, he had difficulty getting it into first gear, eventually forcing it so hard that it damaged the 1-2 syncro in the transmission and locking it in first gear. Being a 16 year old, he decided not to use his free roadside assistance and instead drove it many miles back home in first gear. At near redline. With an engine not yet broken in. As you might imagine, the engine didn't appreciate this and parts of the valve gear were damaged. So as it stands, the car's getting a new clutch, a whole new transmission and a new head and valve assembly for the engine. The local dealer's not even quibbling about covering the whole thing under warranty.

wmoses

gt_fan said --

"So as it stands, the car's getting a new clutch, a whole new transmission and a new head and valve assembly for the engine. The local dealer's not even quibbling about covering the whole thing under warranty."

That must be some nice dealer. Most would probably be pretty ticked that they have to deal with a customer like that, because you know that once this is fixed the car will continue to "have problems". The problems are nothing to do with the car either.

I just hope that they don't see fit to blame the car (and all Hyundais) for their abuse ofthe car. It happens.

Lestrade1

maybe i'm being picky, but if hyundai decided to use indiglo for the guages, why not for the clock, turn signals and a somewhat matching radio display? is there an aftermarket fix for this?

egocentric

That is a pet peeve of mine as well. My girlfriend boasts that her new Jetta has a similarly cool looking instrument panel, but she has the radio and other dashboard accessories to match.

I'm homebrewing a replacement for the clock that will do more than just tell time... I bought a $5 LCD, a $12 digital compass, a $2 real-time clock, and a $2 microcontroller and I'm going to turn it into a compass/clock with blue blacklight.. The most expensive part: I spent $20 on blue LEDs. Man, blue LEDs are expensive! When I get it installed, I'll post my results up on the web in case anyone else wanted to try it. BTW, doing projects like this is sort of what I do for a living, so from the first day I saw that horribly looking clock, I started collecting materials.. I'm still waiting for my digital compass to arrive.

As for the CD, I'm planning on upgrading the CD player soon and I'll just pick a CD player that has a programmable color setting (a lot of Sony's have this feature), or I'll find one in a nice matching blue.

If anyone has any tips for how to 'fix' the rest of the 'green' problems with the dash, I'd love to hear them. I've still got a couple of blue leds left over!

wmoses

egocentric says --

"I'm homebrewing a replacement for the clock that will do more than just tell time... When I get it installed, I'll post my results up on the web in case anyone else wanted to try it."

Scott, I am looking forward to hearing about this and to maybe posting your project on my website on the garage page. If interested please email me at wmoses@houston.rr.com.

bnorby1

Have had my gt now for nine days - having a great time!! This is a good site too!

My only gripe with the car...that I have to share with my wife...

My question is, regarding the shift flare between 2nd and 3rd on the auto trans, there was a technical service bulliten on this I learned from earlier postings on this board - does anyone know where I can look at those TSB's? I remember seeing them before somewhere - but can't remember where. Aren't they on the Hyundai website?

Thanks.

indyslim

Right on brother. The pale green is definitely a clash with the cool indigo. Egocentric, I'm waiting to see how your blue LED project goes, especially the digital compass part.

As a really cheap alternative for the rest of the non-blue lights: how about using an adhesive transparent blue strip over the pale green glow. It might not look bad if the job is professionally done. Another alternative, even more cheap, is to use a blue sharpie or felt pen to color the lights blue. Do you think it might work?

And for those who say that the odometer is hard to read, how about pasting an adhesive magnifying lens tape over the LCD of the odometer.

1150 miles on my GT and loving it.

indy

uz2bphast

I agree the clock should have matched. I will wait for a report by indyslim on his mod.

The idea of magnify tape over the lcd odometer is a good one i will try it.

I just need to find out where one can get an adhesive magnitying tape???

th003g

hmm... in the econosport test they decided to test the Lancer OZ rally, Protege MP3, and Neon.... but where in god's name is the GT? at the track it may not beat the Spec-v or 1.8T in speed tests or the MP3 in handling sharpness but sure as hell would beat them all in feature for feature and size for size tests not to mention it would whoop the Lancer and Neon hands down...and it would be less expensive than all but the Neon. i'd even let them borrow my car with its rims being only mod and it would hold its own against any one of the contestants... Come ON EDMUNDS, step up to the plate and be the first to hit one outta here by comparing or even testing the GT against ANY of its competition!?

npaladin2000

The key word wasn't econosport...it was econosport SEDAN. That means they would have had to try the regular Elantra, which wouldn't have fared as well, now would it?

That being said, I'm surprised they didn't have the GT in the sport hatchbacks comparison they did a while ago, but they didn't have the GTI in there either...that article really should have waited, now that the MINI S version is out, and Nissan has a Z coming (Is that a hatch? I forget)...

lngtonge18

You could change the color of the lights by simply wrapping blue colored plastic around the bulbs (the LCD lights are probably too difficult to do this to, but it would work with the HVAC control bulbs). I learned that they make dash lights different colors on newer cars by using a little plastic "condom" over top the bulbs. My 91 Stanza's HVAC controls were lit in a pale green and were hard to see even under full brightness. A couple of the bulbs were out so I took it apart. Imagine my amazement to discover green condoms on the bulbs. The only replacement bulbs I could buy were plain white ones that were used on the Altima up until 01 or blue ones. Since the dealer only had one blue bulb and I figured the white ones would be brighter, I bought the plain ones. The HVAC controls were now lit in a white hue with a slight bluish tinge and were also brighter and easier to see. Anyway, that's one way you can change instrument lighting. I wouldn't think the sharpie pen idea would work too well as it may block too much of the bulb's light.

desg

I'm afraid Edmunds are rapidly losing creditability we me, still no post on the Elantra, and looking at some of their earlier "reports" they seem to have gone off the track or had difficulty in finding anything to say.

Seems to me it turned out to be a competant, trouble free car that just worked, if so that is one of he highest praises a car can have.

9000km in an Elantra Hatch here and it has me sold, an excellent value for money car

revka

For those interested, you can share thoughts with Edmunds' Editorial staff via this Feedback Form or Send a Letter to the Editor via this page.

Also, for those interested, Edmunds has an Hyundai Elantra GLS in their Long Term Road Tests. They've been giving it very high marks there. Hope this is helpful. ;-)

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards

backy

Do you happen to know if the Elantra GT is included in the upcoming Edmunds.com hatchbacks comparo? A note on a recent PT Cruiser long-term test report hinted that it was not. Now THAT would be a gross oversight on Edmunds.com's part.

bartbikerw

How high did you guys go on the speedometer on you elantras. I also wonder what is the maximum speed on that car. I read that it is 119 mph in some review but it seems for me that since the accent can go at least 115 (from accent forum), Elantra should do at least a little over 120. Thanks

centarfor

I read at the letters to editors at Edmunds that they are going to be doing a comaro on the four door hatches. Here it is http://www.edmunds.com/news/column/letters/59650/article.html

mpgman

I think you made a good choice with the GT. I looked long and hard at the Pro-5. Both are fine cars. Mazda resale is not a heck of a lot better than Hyundai anyway. IMHO, GT has better seating, more legroom, more cargo space, and certainly more amenities. Pro-5 has the low slung tires, which will probably wear out faster. Hyundai has the better warranty. On the other hand, if the GT isn't you...... To me, cars are more important on the inside than the outside. I drive them from inside, and once inside, can't even see what it looks like on the outside. Might be simplistic, but it works for me.

th003g

the GT gets screwed either way.... its not a sedan even if it might look like one.... its not a true wagon/hatchback as is the case with Matrix, Pro5, PT/GT Cruiser, IS300 SC, Impreza wagon...

My GT gets mistaken for a IS300 SC every day, mostly by car buffs, and I myself think it looks like an IS more than the Pro5 does (I really think people who think Pro5 and IS SC look similar are blind)

And btw the Saab that the GT was modeled after has decided to abandon the hatchback design for a year or two with the new redesign... even though their upcoming 9-3 sedan looks even more like a GT

apparently new designs are going toward a shorter rear overhang and thus smaller trunk opening... I regularly help customers load stuff into their cars and am surpised at how small these cars' trunk openings are getting.. ever seen the back of a new Volvo s60? dang how are you supposed to get anything through that tiny gap? you can barely fit a case of beer through that opening... I keep thinking to myself... hahah I can fit that in my car and it cost less than half of what yours did. LOL I get the short rear overhang and the big trunk opening....I wish hyundai made an optional rear hatch Cap that would turn my car into a pickup / wagon back... kinda like the old Pulsar NX sportbak... if you know what I mean...
wow... long post... sorry...

th003g

but I find that I get to be speedy gonzales.... top speed so far 109mph with more to go(non highway suburban 4 lane road) regularly 85 apparently not many people go as fast... ppl I ride with never realize how fast i'm going until I tell em or they happen to glance over...one of my girlie friends has given me the nickname speedy after riding with me a few times, (and she's the one that got pulled over for doing 83 in a 55), I do find it easier to go fast off the highway than on... i guess it could be the thought that cops could be hiding on the highway and not on SR or CRs the sense of speed is insulated almost as well as in 'my' xjr... thats a compliment...

mpgman

Take a look at the trunk opening on the Echo. Kind of shoebox sized. Many cars like it should be hatchbacks. Hyundai should make the 4 door Accent a hatch too. Bring utility back! How about a Sonata GT?

jillymarie

I apologize if this has been previously discussed, I searched but didn't see anything about it...When in neutral, there's a dot in the middle and the upper right corner of the "N" missing from the display. The dealership ordered a new panel and when they plugged it in it lit up the same way. At 9000 miles, this is the second instrument panel I've had now, as the first one was "warped" and the speedometer needle snagged and stuck at 40 mph. Anyway, after having my car for 2 days (and forcing me to drive this sad little Sunfire as a loaner , they said Hyundai support said that's the way it supposed to look. True or false? Also, has anyone else noticed how quickly the fog bulbs burn out? I don't have them on execessively, only in rain etc... when need be, but they both burned out in the last two weeks and I've had my GT since October. Seems rather quick in comparision to all my other cars. Thanks! Jill

username2k

I am too short to use a roof rack, and I have been told by several bicycle shops that I should not try to use a "trunk" rack, because the glass on the hatch could break.

The bicycle shops suggested that I get a hitch installed, and then a bicycle rack can be attached to a hitch.

Trailer City in NYC said that it can get a hatch that is made for the GT 2002.

My question: Am I in danger of voiding the warranty by having a hatch installed.

Second question: Does anyone have any other ideas for attaching a bicycle rack?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

therhino

I just purchased a class I hitch from Etrailer.com, with 2.5 inch drop/rise bar, ball, cover, and shipping for $133.00. It should be here in another day or two. I thought that was a good price compared to other stores. Of course you would have to add the bike rack accessory to it, but I think it would probably be your best and safest option for towing bikes. Also, it could be used to pull a small trailer or jet ski, as long as the total weight was under 1,000 pounds.

dimsom30

at home we use our grand caravan to carry our bike around, just cuz it's larger and seems more reasonable than with a car. We have a hitch with the bike rack on it. It is a LIFESAVER. From my experience with those "truck" racks, now they may have been improved, but it's really messy. You have to mess with the straps and while driving, you worry quite a bit, at least we did, that the strap(s) may come loose. Once it did, on a freeway, and we almost lost a bike. But it's just a big hassle and isn't anywher near as secure feeling as a hitch, it's a lot stronger. I would personally recommend using the hitch. from my experience.

Now about voiding the warranty, i really doubt it, however you might want to just check at ur dealer, to be 100% sure. Hope this helped

~Vic

bri70

Funny you mentioning a missing dot on the "N" Just yesterday I noticed that on my car. The exact same spot you mentioned. Maybe that is normal.

jackyl100

My boyfriend and I just completed a trip from Seattle to LA in my 02 GT. We took 3 days to get to LA (stopping to see family along the way). We did all 5 parks in 5 days. Then took 2 days to return to Seattle. The GT performed beautifully - cruising comfortably at 80 mph and averaging 33 mpg (with A/C on).

My boyfriend is 5'11" and 180 lbs. and he commented several times on how comfortable the car is. The passenger is able to lay completely stretched out and nearly flat. With a pillow, we napped like babes.

I was most pleased with general riding comfort. We spent 12 hours in the car one day and my butt never fell asleep and my back never hurt. Truly remarkable, if you knew my back.

Just passed 8300 miles, 2 oil changes, and not a complaint in the world. This is the best value on the market. I don't give a darn about resale value. I won't be selling for a long time but even if I was, my loss was already recouped with low initial cost and tons of driving pleasure.

I'm also looking forward to seeing the results of the green dash light fix. That would really make the car complete.

Driving is believing,

Jacky

PS - LA drivers are NUTS!

dimsom30

Hahaha, i know they are. And they really don't know how to drive in the rain, it's sooo sad

th003g

The addition of a hitch to any car will not void any type of warranty, dealers could care less what you do to your car as long as it does not affect mechanical functioning of the car. there are a few types of racks you could get... the strap type you were talking about: will harm the hatch ( i had one on my old SUV, it actually bent the metal at the top part of the door when it was on snug, also will put unwanted pressure on glass if installed certain ways), there are racks out there that mount to the roof that can lower your bike from the roof to a lower height at the side of the vehicle, they are very expensive though. best bet would be to get a hitchrack and bike attachment.

as for the N in the display... if i remember correctly, it is exactly how you described it... electronic items aren't always designed to reproduce the alphabet as perfectly as you would see it above your elementary school chalkboard. Hell, hows your penmanship, is it the way your teacher taught you in 3rd grade? (not a personal attack, just illustrating my point)I never even bothered to look and notice that. my analogy would be the electronic signs on the highways, there are only a certain number of bulbs you can fit in a certain space and still be efficient, so what they do is put that number of bulbs in that is the minimum to make sure it can display all characters of the alphabet and numbers also. Then they try their best to find combinations of lights to construct the letters, leaving a bit of the obvious for the reader to fill in. Get my drift? j/k

meanwhile i'm thinking i'm being nitpicky by noticing rattles when my car is full of stuff going over bumps... turns out i have loose items...hehe... this car costs half as much as other cars i've driven yet exceeds their quality standard exponentially...

bartbikerw

I didn't get too many responses last time. Does anyone know the top speed for Elantra?

dant5

I drove home in my new rally red GT today ! Question : What is the best thing to use to get the goo off of the car from removing the pinstriping and dealer sticker logos ?

After months of preparation and research, i finally get to break my baby in. hehehe.

dimsom30

Hey good to hear. I bet you'll have tons of fun breaking it in. Hehe, it all goes as planned, i will be doing the same this year. Can't wait!!!

CONGRATS once again

gt_fan

Bartbikerw - I've done a top-speed test on about every car I've owned (Just once per car. I don't have a death wish and I like having a drivers license!). My '78 Rabbit Auto (78mph) was worst, my '95 Audi 90 (130mph) was best. On a slightly downhill stretch of empty interstate with no wind, but at 6500' of altitude, I saw 115 on the speedo of my 5spd GT. No sign of the reputed 115mph speed limiter.

Don't try this at home!!! IMHO, the GT gets a bit flaky at that speed. Mine was moving around side to side and just didn't feel terribly stable. (The pedestrians on the sidewalk were having a heck of a time getting out of the way too, hehe!) My Audi felt very solid at top speed, but the Hyundai just isn't designed for that kind of thing. Best to leave the GT to what it does best - practical, yet sporty, transportation at sub-triple digit speeds.

ps. With my hot new Celica spoiler on the back, I'd bet my GT could probably go 140mph now! :-)

wmoses

dant5 asks --

"What is the best thing to use to get the goo off of the car from removing the pinstriping and dealer sticker logos ?"

Pre-wax cleaner (1st stage in any good cleaning-polishing-waxing process) such as Mother's Pre-wax claner is best.

It will gently dissolve most things including adhesive remnants.

An alternative would be to use a little cooking oil on a soft cotton rag. Wash afterwards, of course.