Kia Rio and what we know.

[anomoly40]

Sorry, I was looking at the 2003 1.6 numbers.

[lanemeyer14]

This guy's rio from the streetkiaz site is awesome! Looks like an Impreza...

http://www.streetkiaz.com/streetkiazx/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=13895&forum=56

[GenevaDirt]

the kia engines although similar are different, i matched headgaskets at work to a BP and although they share a design ancestry they differ enough to not have interchange.

I am however curious as to the half-shafts. the Rio much like the escort is a wider vehicle and utilizes a 1.8L like the escort. We cant use escort halfshafts because they are too long.

Logic would lead to the Rio also being too long? Perhaps the 1.6L Rio is an option for the shaft? Has someone tried it successfully?

It just seems to easy a solution considering how common and available those things are.

I believe it has been done....just can't find the post at the moment.

[91_festy_Gl]

The 1.5 setup is the cure. That is what shadetree used to cure his half shaft problem. He is currently running that setup in hulkstiva.

[91_festy_Gl]

Just to let everyone know once again. IF you use the 00-02 drivers side axle from the RIO you DO NOT NEED A HALF SHAFT TO RUN A G-SERIES TRANNY!!!!!! The axle is a 2 piece design which means there is no HALF SHAFT neeeded!!!! Shadetree is running this setup in hulk and he isnt using a HALFSHAFT.

[crazyrog17]

Wouldn't it be the passenger's side axle? That's the one with the half shaft that bolts to the engine, correct?

[91_festy_Gl]

Yes sorry. I didn't catch that. I was thinking about replacing the axle on my car when I typed that.

[crazyrog17]

NBD, just wanted to clarify - especially if this thread gets stickied in the articles section

[91_festy_Gl]

I doubt it will get stickied because it isn't a compiled thread of information. Basically just trying to get the word out that the half shaft ordeal for the g-series isnt the only option anymore. Thanks for the clarification!

[crazyrog17]

We'll leave it up to you to compile it into stickifiable information then

[David88]

......... Im reading on some of the rio forums right now and they use our BP for engine swaps. crazy huh?

http://www.streetkiaz.com/streetkiaz...topic_id=13881

This is getting interesting!

[91_festy_Gl]

This is getting interesting!

It is for their part. It seems to me that since they use our engine setups for engine swaps, the RIO engines wouldn't be any benefit for us unless the have something more powerful then the B6T and the BPT that can be adapted for our cars. Their suspension and drivetrain though have already proven their weight in gold. So far the rear trailing arm cant be used unless someone wants to do some fab work, but shadetree is looking into seeing weather or not the rear spindles can be used on the aspire setup. The only way that would be a benefit is if the brakes are bigger. Im going to try and get up to the junkyard for some comparison photos for this thread. There is a few secret things I want to look into aswell.

[zoom zoom]

I was at the junk yard today, and snagged a hood latch off a kia sportage for my mazda 626..it had a 2.0L engine, just like the mazda 626, I don't know if it would fit the mazda tranny, but it seems Kia bought out all the old Mazda designs and put their name on it. The rear Kia Rio suspension is not interchangeable with aspires at all without some major custom work tho, it's a whole different setup.

[Safety Guy]

Regarding Rio rear brakes and suspension:

I think I once checked out the brake backing plates of Rios to compare with Aspires and the bolt pattern/measurements did not match. Since the brake drums themselves looked very similar, I had hoped that we could take newer rear drum assemblies off Rios. Although I may not have done this properly, I doubt they will work, unless someone can come up with a good mod. Remember, this is in reference to the spindle bolt pattern. I don't think they match.

Rio rear springs? If someone has used them, then okay. I'll try to grab a pair when I can to compare with Aspire/Festiva rear springs.

As for Rio front ends and possibly other parts, the first (and easiest) thing to do would be to go to Rockauto.com and begin part number matching. Rockauto also has the cutoff date for Rio front strut mounts and brake parts (IIRC it's 7/'02 when the front end changes were made).

This begs the question:

Since I used early Rio brake calipers on my Festiva (calipers, pads and rotors are same as auto Aspire), how much of the front end was changed in late '02? Will the newer brake calipers bolt onto Aspire knuckles? Someone needs to try that. It is possible the Rio went to a knuckle redesign though, so it may not work. I do know from looking at control arms, the Rio went from CAs that looked similar to Aspire (but not the same) to arms that had two body mounting points (IIRC) instead of one. The dual front stabilizer bar setup has always been different, too. I doubt any Rio control arms are usable without extensive fabrication.

Early Rio front hubs may be a different story. I believe Jim has found that they appeared to be the same but had slightly different tie rod mounting measurements. This may not be a problem if we can find tie rods and tie rod ends to use for adjusting to Festiva/Aspire spec.

The big thing about Rios is not just "bigger, better" parts, but also "newer" and "more common" parts. Compare the newest Aspire stuff (1997) at about 14 years old to the earliest Rio stuff (2001) at only nine years old and you see what I mean.

Now we also see that engines, halfshafts and transaxles may open up some new swaps or mods. The engines are one key to this, but in an unexpected way: the Rio 1.5 and 1.6 DOHC design is an interference one; that is, when the timing belt fails the pistons eat the valves and that's why there are plenty of non-running Rios sitting around driveways and in junkyards. Apparently, good used Rio engines have gotten expensive and folks simply can't afford the several thousand dollars it would take to have a mechanic install a used, running Rio engine. As a result, we benefit!

Methinks there is a lot more we can do with Rio parts, and possibly, some other early Kia models as well. The exploration has begun...

Karl

[91_festy_Gl]

Very nice safety guy. My exploration has begun but I haven't had time to actually get into it hardcore because of the build of my festiva at the moment. I have a few different things I want to look into but time is permitting between building my car and trying to start a new job at autozone. If anyone has anything they found out about Rio parts and such please post it here. I believe the whole forum could benefit from this information!