2023 Elantra N

I just purchased a 2023 Elantra N. It seems when cold out, steering makes clunking noise when cutting the wheel all the way backing out of parking spot. Once car/tires warms up it doesn’t do it. Is this normal?

 

Hey Kimberley,

Not sure what the clunking is about since I keep mine in a garage that doesn't drop below 40 in southern winters. Wondering if the power steering o rings behave differently in cold temps like some Hondas do.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires are not recommended to be driven below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and definitely not below 20 degrees. You can shred these summer tires below 20 degrees Fahrenheit! Michelln Pilot Sport 4 All Season tires are what you want if you are driving below 40 degrees or have snow.

Keep your factory rims. I can't find rims that go as fast (169 mph) without vibration as these stock wheels. Finally, if you don't enjoy modifying your vehicle then the only modification I would consider for this vehicle would be to replace the lower engine mount with one that doesn't feel like you just dropped the engine when you floor it. Any modifications to this vehicle will void Hyundai's excellent 100,000 mile warranty!!! I still take advantage of the free oil changes every 3,000 miles (aggressive driving) until Hyundai says "no".

Replacing the lower engine mount was well worth it to me. This will increase vibration in the overall vehicle (rearview mirror) and will feel more like a race car instead of an everyday commuter; however, people who buy this vehicle are looking for race track responses, not smooth passive stop and go luxury driving. For those who trash talk the DCT transmission, it is not supposed to behave like a traditional transmission with a torque converter. It was built to haul ass not for smooth slow take off and it can easily be shifted to manual shifting with the paddles or the stick by pulling the stick towards you while in drive. A simple back or forward rock of the stick shifts it faster than a human with a clutch could do. That is the beauty of a DCT transmission over a traditional transmission. The next higher and lower gears are already locked and loaded to prevent shifting lag.

In short, I would definitely make this one upgrade out of all upgrades I have done thus far: https://sxthelement.com/products/em3-lower-engine-mount

Final note: My favorite driving mode for daily commutes is custom 1 with a quiet exhaust, level 1 engine and level 1 transmission. You will be surprised how it still dances through traffic and smokes many mustangs and challengers without the engine being beefed up to level 3 engine. Again, if I could only choose one modification on this vehicle I would have to choose to get rid of that hideous clunking lower engine mount that was designed to reduce engine vibration over wheel hop which contradicts the very nature of why someone would want to own the most economical, mass produced race car. I can't find another vehicle this fast and nimble with this price tag.

I am still amazed how much more power this little 2.0L turbo engine can produce above factor specs with after market tuning, etc. 276 WHP is just the beginning. Next, you will be searching for street tires that have more grip than the Michelin Sport 4s summer tire. Good Luck and Enjoy the Drive!

Cheers Kimberly!