Why not? Better they do it than you. Especially the rear emblem, damn hard to take out yo... Nearly scratched my boot lol...

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Added on October 10, 2011, 10:30 amIn July they were No. 11 in the non-national vehicle category. Without the Toyota Hilux and Mitsu Triton, then Forte is No. 9. If you take away the non-sedan/hatchback like Grand Livina and Avanza, Forte will be No. 7!

Similarly, in August they were No. 12 in the non-national overall. Without the Hilux, Triton and D-Max then Forte is No. 9. If it is just sedan/hatchback cars alone, they are at No. 7

Somebody at the Hyundai forum laughed at the volume of around 450-480 Fortes sold per month and says it isn't a threat to the Vios/City. Time will tell


This post has been edited by gregy: Oct 10 2011, 10:30 AM

Here you go:

http://paultan.org/topics/special/maa-vehicle-sales-data/

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Added on October 12, 2011, 1:03 amSorry, I didn't make myself clear. I don't think he was a Korean car lover. He jumped in when I started talking about how the bread and butter Jap cars are slowly being pulled away to the Korean side of things. I guess he was a City or Vios owner lol...

This post has been edited by gregy: Oct 12 2011, 01:03 AM

As someone mentioned, the assembly plant's capacity for the Forte is around 500 cars a month. The plant in Gurun also needs to assemble so many other cars including Peugeot and other Naza models too. IMO the Forte is every alternative car brand's wet dream come true but also their biggest nightmare lol... Make 500 sell 500. Want to sell more also kenot cos factory cannot cope.

However, recently I read that they are in the midst of upgrading the Gurun facility to cater to more assembly lines. If this is true then in future you will see the Forte sales climbing even higher.

I don't think you can easily retrofit ESP into your car. As an example, things like ESP, ABS, EBD etc cannot be bought from accessory shops. The only way is probably to get it done by the SC. If they agree, it's possibly going to cost you more than the 7k.

Trust me, once you use the keyless entry, push start, reverse camera, retractable wing mirrors, steering wheel volume control etc it will be hard to live without them


Also, bear in mind that 7k is very little money when you factor it into the loan, so why not get the SX?

Why do we need GB with that kind of pricing?

Normally, a tank of RON95 of about 40-43 litres will get me around 360-450km depending on traffic conditions and my right foot

I'm driving a 2.0SX.

Based on what I've been reading so far, most 1.6 owners are getting around 400-480km for the same amount of petrol.

Roughly, if you get the 2.0SX prepare to pay between RM50-100 extra per month for petrol. Road tax is also higher, RM90 vs RM380. Installment no need to say, also higher between RM100-300 depending on loan amount and tenure etc.

You just need to ask yourself if the 6 airbags, cruise control, leather seats, electric power steering, paddle shift in D mode and 154bhp are worth the extra or not la.

a) A bit. Especially when ferrying ppl. My bro drives a 1.6SX

b) One is a sedate cruiser, the other has a cili padi up its butt

c) 1.6 = 7-11l/100km. 2.0 = 9-11.5l/100km.

d) RM85,800, RM97,800 OTR

e) First gear a bit too short. Can't stand the ding-ding sound after shutting off the engine and opening the door.

f) NA.

The difference is around 25% based on hp and torque figures. Kia originally intended the 2.0 to be the base model of the Forte, with a more potent 2.4 being the exciting model. Since Naza didn't bring in the 2.4, the best we can get is the 2.0. The 1.6 engine is meant for countries where the tax structure makes it less attractive for higher cc cars to enter (like our country). It's a compromise meant to keep prices realistic but everybody knows that a 1.6 for a heavy C-segment car like the Forte is really the bare minimum. If you drive alone most of the time it's ok, but when you carry ppl or luggage you will feel the need for a bigger engine.

As a reviewer on paultan.org found out, the 1.6 Gamma engine is quite lively after 4,000 rpm. If you can live with that then the 1.6 will serve you well. If you really do get the 1.6, I suggest downgrading the wheels to 16" to gain back some performance. 1kg of unsprung weight equals at least 2kg of sprung weight. IOW, every 1kg of weight you take out of the wheels equals 2kg of weight from the rest of the car in terms of performance gain. Like me, I shaved off 3kg from each wheel going from the ori 17" to lightweight 17" OZ wheels. That is equivalent to 24kg less load on the engine. It may not seem like much, so the next thing I'll do is change the spare wheel to a space saver wheel. That will cut out another roughly 10kg. Last thing is to go to the gym and lose 10kg lol...

Or, you could get the 1.6 and use the extra savings to get a turbo kit. Someone in SG had a boosted 1.6 running 0.6 bar and he claims to have around 185hp. That's around 50% more powerful than stock. Dang

Absolutely. It's an electronic switch with no mechanical linkage, i.e., if you try something silly the car won't let you do it

Hi bro, I've also been mulling the idea of 16" wheels. One of my favs is the Enkei RPF-1. Some may not like it due to its short spokes but it has the looks of a serious performance wheel, plus it weighs very little, one of the most lightweight wheels you can find today. Costs a bomb though lol... There's also another 16" that I quite like, but very rare. The original 16" on the first batch of Honda Civic 2.0S. They are much nicer than the ones on the Civic 1.8. Very hard to find second hand in tyre shops.

If you like to change rims often you might want to consider Advanti also as they are quite light and affordable, but I dunno if they can last. However, if you go for 205-55-16 there should be more than enough rubber to cushion the impact and protect your wheels.

Actually, I've been trying to get some info on the "tyre to rim ratio" performance issue. Tyre weight makes up more than half the total weight of the wheel. A 215-45-17 tyre weighs around 10kg thereabouts while a 205-50-16 might be slightly more at 10.5kg or so. I was initially worried that the added weight of the higher profile 16" tyre would actually hurt performance as most of the tyre's weight is concentrated at the outermost part of the wheel's rotational axis.

Then that got me thinking, the closer you can bring rotational mass towards the axis (hub) the easier the wheel can turn. By switching over to 16s, you will in effect bring the rim closer to the centre (the heaviest part of the rim is the rim barrel itself and not the spokes/hub part) thus freeing up more horsies. Not to mention that 16" are generally about 1-2kg lighter than 17" (the same model of rim). Another small factor influencing pickup is tyre patch as a 205 tyre would have a smaller contact patch than a 215.

However, by reducing rim size (and reducing contact patch size) you are also increasing sidewall height which will compromise cornering ability. To this end, it would be advisable to select a tyre with a strong sidewall so as to minimize flexing during cornering.

I'm not so good with tyres so better for you to consult a tyre sifu

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Added on October 18, 2011, 11:03 amActually I'm not the best example of average FC on a 2.0SX. There are some who can get much better results than me. Fuel costs is the least of your worries as that can be controlled by your right foot. What you can't control is road tax and monthly installments. If you think it's going to be a stretch then better stick to a 1.6. However, don't la after getting the car then after a while you feel it underpowered, go and spend money to mod this mod that. You will end up spending quite a bit and still not go very fast lol...

And if you're getting a 1.6 please do yourself a favor and go for the SX. You may not realize it now, but 5 yrs from now when all the extra features of the SX (TCS, EBD, push start, reverse cam, paddle shift etc) start appearing on most new cars as standard equipment, you will find that the EX version will be less in demand and seem very outdated.

I learned this from modding PCs last time hehe. Always pay for the best technology you can afford so your PC will have a longer service life.

This post has been edited by gregy: Oct 18 2011, 11:03 AM

Ouch bro, so sorry to see that.

Anyway you can call Mun maxis-902 6012. He's quite good in repairing this sort of thing and he's a forumer here but I forgot his nick.

Normally, if you want a 2012 car you will need to wait until after Jan 2012 unless the car is so hot selling until no more stocks. Even then, since it is close to CNY there will be many ppl rushing to get their cars and those who booked earlier in 2011 will get their cars first.

Not to worry about the resale value la. Just push the SA for extra freebies, tell him you want to book and get the car from another SA, but if he can give you a better deal then you take from him loh. I'm sure he also wants more comm before CNY ma.

If you visit mudah.my regularly you will notice that there are cars with the tag "2010/2011". These cars will usually fetch a better price than a Jan 2010 model.

I just had a look and the 2010 Forte EX is around 61-65k. This is the older 4-sp version which is RM75,800 at launch. It also comes with only 2 yrs / 50,000km warranty. If you deduct the insurance from the OTR selling price:

RM75,800 - RM2,100 (based on RM74k sum insured) = RM73,700

RM73,700 - RM63,000 (average of 61k-65k) = RM10,700


WOW! Manyak untung leh! So little depreciation only! If you treat a 2010 car as one year old, the depreciation is only RM10,700. If you consider that 2011 is coming to an end soon, that is only RM5,350 depreciation per year. Isn't that something to shout about?

So who said that Korean cars depreciate like hell?

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Added on October 19, 2011, 2:30 pmMemang, semua Forte kat mudah yang diorang jual dari 61-65k semuanya EX. Tengok rim dah tahu dah...

This post has been edited by gregy: Oct 19 2011, 02:30 PM

In a normal scenario, it takes at least a month or two from the manufacturing date to delivery of car to customer. It will be hard to expect a Jan 2012 car in Jan 2012. So for those who plan to get a car before CNY 2012 (end of Jan), you will most probably get a 2011 car. The safest would be to book in Feb/Mar 2012 if you want to make sure that you get a same year car. Unless you feel really lucky and wouldn't mind trying what boboi did. Not everyone can be so lucky

So if you get your 2011 car in Jan 2012, next time upon selling you will list the car as 2011/2012 which most ppl will understand what it means, and it will fetch a slightly better price than say, a March-registered 2011 car.

Year of make is important only if you plan to sell your car at the "threshold points" of automotive loans, i.e., 5, 7 or 10 yrs (just an example). Cars 5 yrs and below will be able to secure a higher loan, lower interest and longer repayment so these will have a better value than a 6yr old car.

So let's say you buy a Dec 2011 car now. If you plan to sell your car in 5 years, you need to start advertising in Oct 2015 to play it safe. If you pass Dec 2015 then your car will drop to the next rung. Remember, at the end of the day how much you can sell your car will depend on how much loan the banks are willing to offer to your potential buyer. Don't think about those rich ppl who can buy outright or who can put half the amount as downpayment. If you're lucky and you find such a buyer then good for you. If not, you must consider the bottomline as in a new buyer just starting out, instead of buying a brand new Myvi/Persona he can also consider your 5-year old Forte. This is a common sense method employed by used car dealers when asked to do an appraisal of your car.

Normally, year end cars will get more discounts or lower interest rates compared to a next year car. A lot of these interest rates are actually partly subsidised by the manufacturer themselves, in order for them to push off the remaining stocks of last year's cars. So if you got a great year end deal, you can't really complain of future selling price, right?

Also, most ppl when they sell their car they forget to deduct the insurance and other misc costs from the original selling price when calculating their "losses". For example, if you buy a car at RM50k OTR, around RM2k is the insurance portion, whereas for used cars, the asking price does not include insurance, road tax, registration fees, runner fees etc. So let's say after 5 yrs the RM50k car is now worth RM35k, the actual depreciation is RM13k and not RM15k.

If you want to enjoy a higher selling price, you should try to sell your car privately. I sold my old car personally, as well as helped my relatives sell theirs and in the process saved between RM4-8k compared to trading in to a used car dealer.

Let's see. The spare is around 20kg. Lighter rims, if let's say 3kg per rim, multiply by two for each wheel (unsprung weight or rotational mass), so in total will be:

20 + 4(3x2) = 44kg

It's like taking a 5'3" slim girl out of your car lol...


If you want to see how many percent improvement you might get (just a rough calculation):

Original weight of car / hp:

1.6SX = 1,300 / 124
= 10.48kg / hp

2.0SX = 1,330 / 154
= 8.64kg / hp


Remove 44kg:

1.6SX = 1256 / 124
= 10.13kg / hp
= [(10.48 - 10.13) / 10.13] x 100
= 3.46% better power to weight ratio

2.0SX = 1286 / 154
= 8.35kg / hp
= [(8.64 - 8.35) / 8.35] x 100
= 3.47% better power to weight ratio

From the above theoretical (and possibly not very accurate cos my Maths sucks lol) figures, you can see that a simple reduction of static and moving mass of 44kg in total translates to around the same advantage of an aftermarket drop-in filter. Of course if you also change the filter you will gain more overall la.

Not to mention, having less weight in the boot means tighter cornering. Less weight on the wheels means better rebound rate of absorbers, i.e., the absorbers will recover faster after a bump. Simple things all add up.

At the end of the day you need to ask yourself, do you want a car that performs better than stock, or you want to play dress up? A car with nice looking but heavy rims and outrageous BK like those DAMD type (weight and wind drag) will end up slower than stock. IMO our cars don't reach the type of speeds that will benefit from further downforce lol...

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Added on October 21, 2011, 2:31 amhttp://kiaceratoforte.blogspot.com

This post has been edited by gregy: Oct 21 2011, 02:31 AM

Just buy a mini air compressor and keep in the boot Today's tubeless tyres don't go flat immediately. It will slowly deflate, so if you notice it happening then quickly send it to a tyre shop or if not possible then go to the nearest petrol station to fill air first.

The only fear is a complete blowout, which is rare, but if it does happen and you don't have a spare then a bit troublesome la.

Why not like this, for normal town driving you can keep the spare at home cos chances of a blowout are super slim and in case of puncture you can easily find a petrol station or buy a mini air pump. When going outstation then put the spare back in.

The Advanti brand has a range of very lightweight rims. Just dunno how strong they are la, but as long as you're careful I guess nothing wrong kua.

If you trade in your OEM rims and get a new set of Advanti and use back the same tyres prepare to pay around RM1.2-1.4k depending on where you look. Klang will be cheaper.

Lightweight for 17" is around 7-8kg. 10-12kg is considered normal/heavy. Bring a weighing scale when you shop lol. That's what I normally do when rim shopping.

Sorry, haven't been rim shopping for a while. Are you sure those are Taiwan rims? Apparently most rims are now made in China, some in Malaysia (like Advanti, Enkei, Sparco and BE by Breyton). Maybe that's why the prices are cheaper these days? Nonetheless, it's always better to stick with established brands. Lenso from TomYum land is good too.

Hi bro, just a quick question. This offer is for year end only? If my friend buys next year (looking for 2012 make), can still get the same freebies or not?

I dunno about you but I like having visors on my car. Sometimes when I have to park under the sun, I open the windows a bit to let the hot air out. Without visors, dirt and rain might fall in. Also helps keep the sun's rays out, better than any tint (the part that is covered by the visor)

This post has been edited by gregy: Oct 25 2011, 06:24 PM