I bought a used 2023 Wolf Gray Telly SX-Pro 25k miles, and I am a fan of the Kia technology. Very nice car. I tend to keep cars a long time so i want to customize them how I like, but on a budget if possible. I thought i would share as this forum has helped me in my research.
First thing was a stereo, I was very dissatisfied with the bass roll-off and sound clarity so i did a ton of research. Music is a very personal thing so this is my opinion. I like loud hard rock - ACDC, Metallica, etc. First thing was the Audison Prima APBX 10 AS2 spliced using rear sub signal, I found it to be a bit punchier facing up vs down. Then JL Audio C2.650 in all 4 doors/pillars, and JL C2 3.5' in center dash. These are high efficiency speakers which I think was key. I needed to drive the car at this point so these were hooked up to the HK amp. And frankly, it sounded pretty darn good. The HK amp is something like 630watts (2 ohm?). I had planned on Rockford DSR1 DSP with the Audio Control LC-6 1200 amp, but I decided to save the money. I am sure it would be cleaner and better equalized with the DSP/Audio Control vs the HK, but I was happy enough with the punch and distortion at high volume. And obviously all beeps and functions and phone work the same.
I also wanted to reduce the sound intrusion into the cabin. This can be a rathole. It is like trying to waterprood a net, either you turn the net into a bowl, or a lot of water is still coming through. All 4 doors done with Soundskin Pro with speaker install. I also did the spare tire wheel well and a very little bit in the inside rear wheel well panels with Siless 80 mil deadener. Slight improvement, still alot of wheel noise, but it would be a pain including some disassembly to remove the carpet or wheel wells. Instead I got Telly specific all weather mats from Amazon (there are several that all look about the same, probably all fit like my Yitamotor which was pretty good but not like a second skin). I bought 2 sets, covered one set completely with 25.8 sq ft (with none left over) Noikil 315mil sound deadening foam (except for over sub in rear compartment, and I cut off the third row seat back), and nested the second set on top. All of this helped some, maybe 20%, maybe a couple notches lower stereo volume before road noise is apparent.
Another thing I noticed was the Telly ride was not quite as planted as my 2004 Acura MDX was. I installed Aleks racing A pillar brace. easy peasy. Shark racing is another source for Telly specific braces. I though it made a difference, car was not so loose on rough streets, so then I got the under frame brace set from Shark. Not as big a difference in my perception but probably should help tighten up the frame in turns. The front front brace needed a bit of plastic trimming and decreased ground clearance by about an inch. The back front brace needed a very little metal trimming. The rear brace touches the spare tire but seems ok. The Shark underframe set would need a bit more metal trimming, but I don't think it would decrease ground clearance.
Where to put the phone? The Reokily magsafe phone holder from Amazon fits nicely between the tach circle and the info screen, and the phone seems stable. I twisted it on once several weeks ago and it is still solid.
How to keep stuff from rolling around in the back? The M Karmater 36" trunk organizer seems ok. It fits against the middle row with about 10" left over. Does not seem to slide around, the frame on one side kinda tucks next to the all weather mats, may add some velcro if it becomes a problem. Folds up when not in use, but the plastic bottom not so easy to manipulate as it is one piece that slides under the compartment dividers and folds up an outside edge to reduce to two or one compartment.
I bought seat bottom cushion covers for the middle row for the dogs. Avoid the wear of dirty feet and nails on them every week. I thought the Giant Panda GP1023-1T-CA front seat covers from Amazon were a good match, no white stitching but a close diamond pattern. Easy to install and a pretty good fit if tucked in behind the seat belt latch.
OEM hitch is nice and includes a bumper cut out and sits a bit higher (also acts as another frame brace). A bit pricey but a clean looking install and some implied Kia warranty, though it would be easy to self-install. 4 pin adaptors with ribs will not fit into the 7pin hole though, it needs a smooth wall.
Roof cross bars need to be sized for the Telly X rails, they slope together so the size is different front and back, Amazon has several. Tuyoung brand seems fine, installed easily and has a hook eyelet, and I don't notice any wind noise.
Everything I have heard is that the 7500 mile oil change interval is too long. I plan on doing 5000 miles.
Thats it, hopefully this helps someone. If you have a cool gadget or easy mod for the Telly, let me know. Eric
First thing was a stereo, I was very dissatisfied with the bass roll-off and sound clarity so i did a ton of research. Music is a very personal thing so this is my opinion. I like loud hard rock - ACDC, Metallica, etc. First thing was the Audison Prima APBX 10 AS2 spliced using rear sub signal, I found it to be a bit punchier facing up vs down. Then JL Audio C2.650 in all 4 doors/pillars, and JL C2 3.5' in center dash. These are high efficiency speakers which I think was key. I needed to drive the car at this point so these were hooked up to the HK amp. And frankly, it sounded pretty darn good. The HK amp is something like 630watts (2 ohm?). I had planned on Rockford DSR1 DSP with the Audio Control LC-6 1200 amp, but I decided to save the money. I am sure it would be cleaner and better equalized with the DSP/Audio Control vs the HK, but I was happy enough with the punch and distortion at high volume. And obviously all beeps and functions and phone work the same.
I also wanted to reduce the sound intrusion into the cabin. This can be a rathole. It is like trying to waterprood a net, either you turn the net into a bowl, or a lot of water is still coming through. All 4 doors done with Soundskin Pro with speaker install. I also did the spare tire wheel well and a very little bit in the inside rear wheel well panels with Siless 80 mil deadener. Slight improvement, still alot of wheel noise, but it would be a pain including some disassembly to remove the carpet or wheel wells. Instead I got Telly specific all weather mats from Amazon (there are several that all look about the same, probably all fit like my Yitamotor which was pretty good but not like a second skin). I bought 2 sets, covered one set completely with 25.8 sq ft (with none left over) Noikil 315mil sound deadening foam (except for over sub in rear compartment, and I cut off the third row seat back), and nested the second set on top. All of this helped some, maybe 20%, maybe a couple notches lower stereo volume before road noise is apparent.
Another thing I noticed was the Telly ride was not quite as planted as my 2004 Acura MDX was. I installed Aleks racing A pillar brace. easy peasy. Shark racing is another source for Telly specific braces. I though it made a difference, car was not so loose on rough streets, so then I got the under frame brace set from Shark. Not as big a difference in my perception but probably should help tighten up the frame in turns. The front front brace needed a bit of plastic trimming and decreased ground clearance by about an inch. The back front brace needed a very little metal trimming. The rear brace touches the spare tire but seems ok. The Shark underframe set would need a bit more metal trimming, but I don't think it would decrease ground clearance.
Where to put the phone? The Reokily magsafe phone holder from Amazon fits nicely between the tach circle and the info screen, and the phone seems stable. I twisted it on once several weeks ago and it is still solid.
How to keep stuff from rolling around in the back? The M Karmater 36" trunk organizer seems ok. It fits against the middle row with about 10" left over. Does not seem to slide around, the frame on one side kinda tucks next to the all weather mats, may add some velcro if it becomes a problem. Folds up when not in use, but the plastic bottom not so easy to manipulate as it is one piece that slides under the compartment dividers and folds up an outside edge to reduce to two or one compartment.
I bought seat bottom cushion covers for the middle row for the dogs. Avoid the wear of dirty feet and nails on them every week. I thought the Giant Panda GP1023-1T-CA front seat covers from Amazon were a good match, no white stitching but a close diamond pattern. Easy to install and a pretty good fit if tucked in behind the seat belt latch.
OEM hitch is nice and includes a bumper cut out and sits a bit higher (also acts as another frame brace). A bit pricey but a clean looking install and some implied Kia warranty, though it would be easy to self-install. 4 pin adaptors with ribs will not fit into the 7pin hole though, it needs a smooth wall.
Roof cross bars need to be sized for the Telly X rails, they slope together so the size is different front and back, Amazon has several. Tuyoung brand seems fine, installed easily and has a hook eyelet, and I don't notice any wind noise.
Everything I have heard is that the 7500 mile oil change interval is too long. I plan on doing 5000 miles.
Thats it, hopefully this helps someone. If you have a cool gadget or easy mod for the Telly, let me know. Eric
