Improvement Kia Mojave – independent tuning from “A” to “Z”

By Lukas Müller On May 15, 2022

In order to upgrade the Kia Mojave, the owner of a Korean SUV needs to stock up not only with new parts and equipment, but also with patience. It's not that the machine is difficult to self-finish, but still it has several elements that are unlikely to be replaced and adjusted in 1-2 hours. Let's reveal together all the subtleties of tuning a popular SUV and find out what pitfalls we will have to face during work.

1 Chip tuning – what you need to know when flashing an ECU?

If you do not have enough regular 274 liters. s., “driven” into a diesel by a Korean manufacturer, then you should not immediately rush to various tuning studios in order to install an additional turbine or squander a 3-liter car engine. Firstly, the power unit of the “Korean” is already equipped with a turbine, and installing an additional one will only interfere with the stable “cooperation” of the motor and the cooling system. Secondly, you can do smarter and improve the engine, and at the same time other elements of Mojave, by replacing the factory software on the engine control unit.

Chip tuning is several times cheaper than turbocharging, it can be done at home. Plus, you won't have to wait weeks for tuning center employees to finish “conjuring” your Kia. If these arguments are enough for you, and you are ready to start independent chip tuning, then consider the features of the upcoming work. The first thing to take care of is the new firmware. To date, there are several software options for flashing Kia. Some of them are suitable exclusively for chip tuning a gasoline engine, the rest can be used while working on a diesel engine. In no case should you forget about this, because if you mix it up, you will throw out about 6 thousand conditional units to the wind – this is how much a licensed firmware for Mohave costs on average.

How do you know if this or that firmware is suitable for your car? First of all, pay attention to the name of the utility. For diesel, programs with the marking “IIBM ++” indicated at the end of the program name are suitable. For gasoline engines, you need to buy software marked “IIMV”.

Kia Mojave with ECU flashing

After downloading the utility, you will also need to download the Chiploader program, which will help you understand chip tuning. In addition to programs, you need to buy or borrow an original K-Line adapter and 2 USB adapters for it. Do not forget that chip tuning can only be done on a PC with Windows XP installed, other versions are not suitable for this event.

Once you have collected all the equipment and programs, you can get to work. To the left of the steering wheel in the Kia cabin is the ECU, which must be turned off and pulled out of the regular “pocket”. In order not to confuse the wires when reconnecting, before removing the unit, it is worth taking a few photos of the Mojave ECU. After that, we connect the block to the computer. In order to avoid unexpected errors during the chip tuning process, you need to connect one end of the K-Line adapter to the ECU exclusively through the OBD II connector. To do this, we “put” a USB adapter on the adapter and make a connection. We reboot the control unit and wait for the folder with the data on the unit to light up on the PC monitor. Next, go to the folder and find the standard Kia firmware with the pdf extension. Open the archive with the new software and specify the final folder with the old firmware.

At the next stage of chip tuning, you need to adjust the operation of those Mohave systems that you do not like. As a rule, this is the engine and transmission. To adjust these elements, you need to move their sliders as far as possible to the right. You will also need to improve the operation of Kia's cooling and exhaust systems – move the sliders to the maximum position to the right. Calibration of other elements occurs in a similar way. Next, we agree with the warnings from Chiploader and wait for the loading line to turn green. After that, we reboot the ECU and install the unit in place in the Kia cabin. The result of chip tuning was an increase in the power of the Mojave engine by 30%, torque – by 35-40%. Fuel consumption will be reduced by a mere 0.3 l/100 km.

2 Subframe for the “Korean” motor – how to install?

After replacing the stock firmware, the Kia engine will literally “explode” and accelerate the car even faster. Naturally, he will need additional support, which will not allow the Mohave motor to move in different directions. As such a support, it is worth using a subframe, which can be purchased both from Kia representatives and in specialized tuning studios.

When choosing a part, pay attention to its type. On sale you can find subframes for the suspension, which only slightly support the motor. In addition to them, there are special spare parts designed for engines. This is exactly the kind of element Mohave needs. As for the manufacturer, if you have not found an original Kia subframe, then we advise you to pay attention to spare parts from Createch. These parts are quite reliable and durable, in addition, they are very easy to install on the Mohave with your own hands. In addition to the spare part itself, to improve Kia we need:

jack;
a set of screwdrivers and wrenches;
rags and water;
pliers.

Do-it-yourself installation of a subframe on a car

First you need to raise the SUV so that both of its front wheels hang in the air. Next, remove the lower part of the regular protection of the Mojave motor. We dismantle the factory cross member and thoroughly clean its seat. Don't forget to clean the cross member mounting points and remove any rust. After that, we put a new subframe. Tighten the top fasteners first, then tighten the bottom fasteners. To check the reliability of the fastening, you need to slightly pull the installed spare part, but do not overdo it, otherwise the Kia will fall off the jack. After installation, we put the motor protection and perform a wheel alignment.

The result of the work was a more stable position of the motor even during extreme driving, vibrations and knocks disappeared. In addition, the rigidity of the body and the places of its attachment to the suspension slightly increased. In the event of slippage, Mohave will stop jumping, and when driving off-road, bumps will no longer be transmitted to the steering wheel of the car.

3 Replacing the upholstery in the Kia cabin – add shine

A large number of Mohave owners eventually complain about poor-quality upholstery of the car. Quite thin plastic, from which most parts of the dashboard are made, cracks already six months after the purchase of Kia.

To give the interior of the car a certain shine, you can install self-adhesive Alcantara in the Kia cabin. This material is very similar to suede, but it is more pleasant to the touch, does not require special care, does not fade or deteriorate in the sun. Also, for work, you need to prepare scissors, superglue, degreaser, soap solution and a roller. To dismantle the Kia interior parts, you need a screwdriver and wrenches. First you need to remove all those parts that can be dismantled and take them out of the car. After that, you can proceed with the installation of self-adhesive Alcantara on surfaces with a large area: ceiling and doors.

Self-adhesive Alcantara in Kia Mohave

Before installation, you must completely remove the old Mojave upholstery and clean the inside of the body. After that, we apply a sheet of Alcantara to the surface and cut off the material with a margin of 2 cm. Remove the protective backing of the product and apply Alcantara to the surface. In this case, you need to regularly carry out a roller on the matter so that it sticks. In those places where the product did not stick to the surface, we use superglue. At the end, the excess parts of Alcantara can be cut off.

After gluing large areas, we proceed to applying the material to small parts of the Mohave interior. The algorithm of work is almost the same, however, when pasting small elements, you should be more careful with the folds that often form on round parts. Alcantara can stretch, therefore, in order to avoid wrinkles, you must first remove the protective lining, then gently pull the product with two fingers and immediately apply it to the spare part. After pasting, the part must be left for a couple of hours so that the material finally sets to the surface. After that, parts can be installed in the Mojave cabin.