[KevinB]

The mods in my Santa Fe Hybrid Limited is planned so that it gets closer to a Calligraphy in terms of features and closer to an XRT in terms of looks.
My Limited Vs Calligraphy Features

1. Perforated Leather Steering - Mine is now a thicker leather with perforation and red stitching.
2. Dark Chrome Grill Finish - Mine is a Mat Black finish now in place of shiny chrome.
3. Ambient Lighting - Added a one with better footwell lighting and a ton of App controlled features.
4. 20 inch Wheels - I am looking planning to upsize the tires and possibly the rims as well.
5. Eco-Suede Headliner - Mélange one is better for me with my kids.
6. Quilted Napa Leather Seats - I'm happy with Leather seating on Limited
7. Premium Door Trim - I don't need them and good with the Limited trim
8. Rear Windows Auto Up/Down - I don't need. But a key fob control for the front would have been nice.
9. Head-up Display - I liked it, but nothing can be done.

2023 Santa Fe Specifications & Features with all trims attached for reference.

What impact will upsizing tires and rims have on your warranty?

 

[D2s]

What impact will upsizing tires and rims have on your warranty?

Usually they don't make any big issues for a normal customer. Especially to a known service advisor. But it depends on how much are you changing from the factory spec.

Calligraphy already comes with 255/45/R20, so I guess till there, no issues. Anything more you are into the grey area.

Add a lift, spacer, much bigger tires, etc and service center has the right to deny any suspension related repairs under warranty. Every other warranty should be still in place.

If you are really decreasing the overall weight with a very expensive upgrade (Eg: forged wheels) you will not have any issues and they will perform much better than factory.

 

[KevinB]

Oh, I understand the benefits of less unsprung weight. I would be concerned about more than the warranty on the suspension components. How about extra wear on the drivetrain?

And I assume you can reprogram the speedometer and odometer for larger diameter wheels?

 

[D2s]

Oh, I understand the benefits of less unsprung weight. I would be concerned about more than the warranty on the suspension components. How about extra wear on the drivetrain?

And I assume you can reprogram the speedometer and odometer for larger diameter wheels?

Drivetrain should be fine. Can expect some mpg reduction though.

I don't see an option anywhere to do the Speedo correction in a Hyundai. I could do it with ForScan software obd programming in a the Ford.

 

[KevinB]

Drivetrain should be fine. Can expect some mpg reduction though.

I don't see an option anywhere to do the Speedo correction in a Hyundai. I could do it with ForScan software obd programming in a the Ford.

Yes, I think the drivetrain would be fine as long as modifications were minimal, but would Hyundai use this as an excuse to not honor the warranty?

I use Forscan too. I use it for my Mazda MX-5, with lots of Ford internals. I guess there’s no Hyundai equivalent?

 

[D2s]

I guess there’s no Hyundai equivalent?

I haven't come across anything so far. Heard about an engineering mode (developer mode) for the Hyundai/Kia. But I don't think it's as elaborate as ForScan. And there is only limited information available to explore.

 

[D2s]

Accessory: Ambient lighting
Cost I paid : 14$

I just wanted some lighting in the carpet area and I went with cheap one with a good rating on Amazon.

View attachment 3073
View attachment 3074
View attachment 3075

Fitting it required some DIY thinking and took few hours, because I wanted to have a particular type of illumination. (Neat look after installation, not distracting night driving and no dangling wires). So I fitted all the four LED strips on to the fixed portions of front seats. Had to be careful routing the wires, so that nothing gets pinched when the seats move.

But the end result and the mobile app really surprised me. What you get for that price is amazing. Tons of adjustable settings and there is music mode which was a big hit with my kid's. (It's really distracting while driving though). Good part is you can completely switch it off. Need to see how long it lasts.

This picture shows Max and Min brightness.
View attachment 3076

Here is one with white light on maximum brightness. It looks like blue after reflecting on black mats.

Too bright for me and I keep it switched off most of the time.
When I want the foot well to be lit, I keep a warm yellow color at 20% brightness.
After a months usage, I am really happy for what you get for 15$.

 

[D2s]

I have not checked the tire pressure after buying the vehicle 3 months back. The tires were holding the air/nitrogen pretty well. TPMS was showing 37 psi running most of the time.

When I saw a uniform 33 psi yesterday, I tried to top up every tire to 36 psi using my bike's portable compressor. But the reading after top up, left me little confused. The front ones shows 34 and rear ones showing 33 itself.

I would like to believe my little portable compressor has some calibration issue (~2 psi). But the variation between front and back is what I'm not able to understand.

Anyway, I'll take it to a proper place to top up to 36 or 37 psi and drive around for sometime and then recheck the values. I usually go 2 to 5 psi higher, as I carry around good amount of weight (people, car seats, bike rack, other accessories, etc) almost all the time.

 

[KevinB]

I wouldn't put too much trust in a little compressor like that. I have a big, Craftsman Professional 25 gal, 175 psi compressor in my garage but I use a digital gauge to check everything.

https://www.caranddriver.com/car-accessories/g60166094/best-tire-pressure-gauge/#product-cd9726b1-9007-4849-a602-0829f66f7c75

How come you are only getting 24.9 mpg?

 

[D2s]

How come you are only getting 24.9 mpg?

My average is 25 over last three months and 2200 miles. Many reasons contribute to that.

1. Additional weight/things I carry around.
2. Roof rail, Hitch, bike rack, etc.
3. Car still not fully run in ?
4. Short distance (less than 1 mile) daily use
5. Occasional 80 mph drives on highways
6. Most importantly, my heavy right foot.

But I really like the 25 I'm getting now, compared to 15 I was getting in the last one.

 

[KevinB]

My average is 25 over last three months and 2200 miles. Many reasons contribute to that.

1. Additional weight/things I carry around.
2. Roof rail, Hitch, bike rack, etc.
3. Car still not fully run in ?
4. Short distance (less than 1 mile) daily use
5. Occasional 80 mph drives on highways
6. Most importantly, my heavy right foot.

But I really like the 25 I'm getting now, compared to 15 I was getting in the last one.

I've had mine just short of 6 months and it now has 5,800 miles on it.

I have been consistently getting a little over 34 mpg although since I put the Thule feet and bars, and the Hullavator load bars, on it that has dropped, but only a little to about 33.8 mpg. Those two items have also added to the wind noise, but not a great deal especially with the Power Sunshade closed.

I'm driving in ECO mode, mostly about 5 miles or so each day with an occasional 80mph highway run, usually for 100 miles or more.

From your list above I'd say from #2, your bike rack is probably the biggest culprit. And of course #6.

 

[D2s]

Anyway, I'll take it to a proper place to top up to 36 or 37 psi and drive around for sometime and then recheck the values.

I did a top up today at Costco tire shop with nitrogen and now the everything looks normal.
The vehicle gauge cluster and the tire shop pump, both showed same value, 37 psi.

I also bought a set of frameless wiper blades from there. The Micheline ones were on sale. Not yet decided when to change them. The current ones are functional, it's just that I don't like the way they look.

 

[D2s]

Accessory : Michelin Wiper Blades
Cost : 8$ each for 26" (Driver)and 16" (Passenger) blades

One need to follow the wiper service position procedure to do the replacement

Hidden Wiper Design explained the official video here

PS: I did not replace it yet, as I am waiting for a proper car wash and some wax/polish they use can damage the wiper blades.
Also It might be better to replace them after summer to get more life out of the new one.

 

[D2s]

I am going wait to see if some manufacturer comes out with one.

Not exactly what we wanted, but the TuxMat Super Trunk is available now.

I think they are talking about 5th generation.

I was wrong. Glad that they didn't forget the 4th gen and I ordered one.
I'll put my current set of carpeted floormats and rear cargo mat for sale, as soon as I receive the new one.

 

[D2s]

Blackout : Lamin-X Headlamp Tint
Cost: 55$ (excluding shipping, tax, installation)

I choose the lightest tint for the headlamps, but not a clear film. Apart from the visual effect, they are also supposed to be protecting the lamps against chipping and sun light dimming.

I opted for professional installation, as the last results were not that good, when I did it by myself. Also I ran into some problems with the rear ones.

Bottom right is with the film and left is without.
I will share better pictures later.

 

[D2s]

Blackout : Lamin-X Lower Reflector Tint
Cost: 28$ (excluding shipping, tax, installation)

I went with a smoked tint. One shade darker than the headlight ones.
The set I received had a slightly shorter middle film. They suggested to stretch a bit while installing. That's the main reason why I went with professional installation.
Came out ok. Upon close inspection, you still can see the red reflector at the edges.

Top to bottom
1. Before
2. After
3. Turn signals On - day
4. Turn signals On - night

Will share better pictures to show the overall effect.

 

[KevinB]

Blackout : Lamin-X Lowe Reflector Tint
Cost: 28$ (excluding shipping, tax, installation)

I went with a smoked tint. One shade darker than the headlight ones.
The set I received had a slightly shorter middle film. They suggested to stretch a bit while installing. That's the main reason why I went with professional installation.
Came out ok. Upon close inspection, you still can see the red reflector at the edges.

View attachment 3233
Top to bottom
1. Before
2. After
3. Turn signals On - day
4. Turn signals On - night

Will share better pictures to show the overall effect.

Here in Beaufort County, South Carolina we have very limited street lighting, and even illuminated commercial signage is limited in height and set back from roadways. We also have an abundance of white-tailed deer, and even wild hogs feeding at night on grass verges. I guess the good news is that this all keeps light pollution down as well as our property taxes. But because of this I would would be very reluctant to add anything to my car that would diminish its lighting.

It looks good on your car though!

 

[D2s]

Here in Beaufort County, South Carolina we have very limited street lighting, and even illuminated commercial signage is limited in height and set back from roadways. We also have an abundance of white-tailed deer, and even wild hogs feeding at night on grass verges. I guess the good news is that this all keeps light pollution down as well as our property taxes. But because of this I would would be very reluctant to add anything to my car that would diminish its lighting.

It looks good on your car though!

I'm with you.
I'm not proud of these two mods either.

Front has a minimum 15% reduction in the light output. Plus side is 'Others don't hate my headlamps' anymore. 🙂
Lucky that I don't have any regular night drives. Also I do have plans to add Fogs in the future, for such occasions I need extra lighting.

For the rear, I suspect some cars behind can miss my turn signals on a sunny day. At night it still looks like Christmas tree.
Also they are expensive and could not do it by myself.

But all is forgiven when I look at my vehicle now.
It looks awesome.

PS: you are lucky to be in a place with less light pollution. Last time I wanted to watch a meteor shower, I had to drive few hours to Joshua Tree National Park. It's hard to find a decent location, without all the light pollution.

 

[KevinB]

I'm with you.
I'm not proud of these two mods either.

Front has a minimum 15% reduction in the light output. Plus side is 'Others don't hate my headlamps' anymore. 🙂
Lucky that I don't have any regular night drives. Also I do have plans to add Fogs in the future, for such occasions I need extra lighting.

For the rear, I suspect some cars behind can miss my turn signals on a sunny day. At night it still looks like Christmas tree.
Also they are expensive and could not do it by myself.

But all is forgiven when I look at my vehicle now.
It looks awesome.

PS: you are lucky to be in a place with less light pollution. Last time I wanted to watch a meteor shower, I had to drive few hours to Joshua Tree National Park. It's hard to find a decent location, without all the light pollution.

Our lack of light pollution is offset by typically high humidity and my house being surrounded by 50' pine trees. We've lived here for 5 years and I think I've taken my Newtonian scope out 3 times.

 

[D2s]

Blackout : Front Windows Ceramic Tint
Cost: 150$

Got 20% film to match with the rear ones. It appears lighter as the front windshield lets in more light compared to tinted rear windshield.

Top: Day 1, 10 miles, Night photo, Shiny
Bottom: Day 100, 2500 miles, Day photo, Not so shiny.

Funny thing is, the more I darken things out, new shiny things catches my eyes. May be it will go all dark by another few months.