Looking to find anyone who has successfully reached and/or surpassed the 300HP mark in a AWD 1.6T Kona with the 7 Speed DCT, the term successful meaning that it is reliable and not going to melt the Transmission. I have heard rumors of the DCT can not handle 300HP and above, is this true? If you have made the jump to 300, please tell me your build I am shooting for the same in power. I enjoy the Kona a lot, but wish it had a lot more power and didn't fall on its face at WOT higher than 60MPH. The current mods to my 2021 Hyundai Kona 1.6T AWD Ultimate are the following, K&N drop in filter, axel back exhaust from AFE power, Race chip GTX piggyback chip, and intake res delete.
any successful 300+hp 7 speed DCT builds?
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Having seen a 7DCT (D7UF1 from my 2017 Tucson). While at 210 000km the clutches were absolutely fine I would highly advise not running 300hp on stock transmission. An increase of 100hp is not kind to any stock transmission in the long run.
At 300hp you have to:
use a custom upgraded dual clutch pack;
check if the gear splines will hold the torque;
transfer case, cv joins, differentials are all det up for economy and are likely to fail at some point with such a tune.
I also find my 1.6T to be very agile combined with the 7DCT. My Tucson is heavier than the Kona and rated at 177hp but I just love its power.
Heres some info about the 7DCT tho:
At 300hp you have to:
use a custom upgraded dual clutch pack;
check if the gear splines will hold the torque;
transfer case, cv joins, differentials are all det up for economy and are likely to fail at some point with such a tune.
I also find my 1.6T to be very agile combined with the 7DCT. My Tucson is heavier than the Kona and rated at 177hp but I just love its power.
Heres some info about the 7DCT tho:
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I know of one person running a Kona hybrid turbo with 300 hp, I assume 320-330 ish torque and he is drag racing it at the track in his youtube video. There are a couple of Canadian guys running 300 plus ft lbs torque in 7 speed Velosters with a stock turbo "supposedly". Who knows how long those will last. I have seen pictures of 2WD and 4WD front diffs and the AWD diff is about 20% larger/robust. There is another poster here that has higher HP with some axle issues but I will leave it up to him if he wants to comment. From my research clutches are good to about 280 hp, with a est life of 25,00- 40,000. The rear diff on a Kona can handle 1,000 ft lbs of torque as per the manufacture's website, seems a bit high . Lets say 700 ft lbs to be safe. No where near most will go. (not Hyundai's). Stock DSG's on other manufactures cars hold up fine with higher hp/tq. Golf Rs routinely handle 500hp very reliably with their non manual shifting trans and stock drivetrain.
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The thing is the 7DCT is a dry clutch unit. Its a more efficient, light and direct transmission.
Hyundai's 8DCT and some VW DSGs are using wet clutches, they handle more power but they weigh more and slip more.
Remember the Kona is a sporty crossover, not a hot hatch.
Hyundai's 8DCT and some VW DSGs are using wet clutches, they handle more power but they weigh more and slip more.
Remember the Kona is a sporty crossover, not a hot hatch.
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Well, mine is a hot hatch. I know all of what you posted. You underestimate the 7 speed robustness. Also you need to add cooling port openings to flow cool air through the dry clutch cavity IF you want to put 300 hp through it. Hit my signature and link to my showcase, it shows what mods are on my car. The Kona AWD is basically a SLOW poorman's Golf R with soft springs and tall subframes. It has almost the same suspension pickup points, and almost the same rear suspension, as it was designed by an Audi engineer and they copied almost everything with a couple mm difference so they wouldn't get sued. The Kona has a rear diff 3.5 inches lower then the Golf R does. So when the Kona is lowered it helps on rear roll center weight. I have not seen the Golf R 8 to see if they lowered that version.
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Actually, a bit off topic here, but I have slightly larger all terrain tires on my Tucson. Ive been through some horrible obstacles and hill with it and the 7DCT has been more than solid.
1st gear is really low (3.9) and final drive ratio is also low (4.8) so the clutch is not abused that much. The more I think about it the more I realise how underestimated this transmission is.
Cooling ports are a good idea and to be honest , you could get away with 280-300hp.
The dual clutch pack is easy to replace and you can order it from the dealership.
Remember, every new idea is risky, but thats how great things are invented!
1st gear is really low (3.9) and final drive ratio is also low (4.8) so the clutch is not abused that much. The more I think about it the more I realise how underestimated this transmission is.
Cooling ports are a good idea and to be honest , you could get away with 280-300hp.
The dual clutch pack is easy to replace and you can order it from the dealership.
Remember, every new idea is risky, but thats how great things are invented!
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I am not risking myself to put in a new clutch on this car. I will let the guy at the dealer install it as he has done 10 of these. I have done none. There are multi KEY points you need tolerances correct and the Hyundai jig for the shift solenoid/shift arm adjustment does not get an accurate adjustment on it I have been told. I want a seasoned guy to adjust it so it is right. It hurts to have him do it in the pocket book , but I won't have to revisit it on my 59 year old back bench pressing the trans. 
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HA HA HA, Boy don't you speak the truth. That's been my pet peeve since 2018 on my car too. Hopefully this year I will get a DCT tune for mine and let you know if it fixes the flakiness of the HORRID OEM DCT tune Hyundai gives everyone with a 7 speed DCT.
Mine isnt really jerky, it acts as if the clutch is slipping on a foot to the floor. It still is bad and schizophrenic even if you roll it on. It acts like it could be doing some form of torque reduction, because sometimes it works great, more then 60% of the time it doesn't. The DCT tune has to be 100 times better in the Euro i20 N (yes i20 N ) with the 7 speed DCT I bet. It would have to be. We need to get that "coding/tune " where they spent time coding high performance driving into this DCT computer module.
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I have a 2022, supposedly the trans tune was revised...wouldn't want to know how bad the prior years are shudders
Someone said "I always know what the DCT is doing" and I agree, but most times I'd rather be oblivious and have it doing its thing quietly and without drama.
I'll be adding a race tune this summer, not worried about trans taking the extra bump in power, but I'm always worried about the programming of the thing because it still isn't 'complete' IMHO.
Someone said "I always know what the DCT is doing" and I agree, but most times I'd rather be oblivious and have it doing its thing quietly and without drama.
I'll be adding a race tune this summer, not worried about trans taking the extra bump in power, but I'm always worried about the programming of the thing because it still isn't 'complete' IMHO.
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The 7DCT in my Tucson has been great I dont know if its rough at low speeds or its just me who is used to clutches but I find it perfectly fine to drive. I have offroaded a lot with it and the final drive ratio being so low allows me to climb some steep hills. Its a different kind of transmission, its essentially the modern manual. But I love it!
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Once you get into full blow high performance Sport driving the "coding" in the 7 speed DCT falls on it's face and has blazing short comings. They did not speed time on "coding" the 7 speed for performance driving. I assume the European i20 N's 7 speed DCT has been somewhat massaged to allow sport driving, as thats what it was designed for.
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Again, this is a sporty crossover, not a performance car. The transmission is mainly tuned for efficiency not high performance lol.
I mean no offense but you bought a Hyundai Kona and now expect it to have a Porsche PDK transmission in it and handle 300hp on stock components...? This is a budget sporty subcompact SUV, not an Elantra N. It hasnt been designed with 300hp in mind. Just get a Kona N at this point. And even the Kona N doesnt have 300hp.
You are either in the wrong car or asking too much from it.
Thats my opinion. The 7DCT is a good transmission for what its purpose is. I have opened it and I know. Its designed well for daily purpose with a bit of fun. Its not a racing box.
I mean no offense but you bought a Hyundai Kona and now expect it to have a Porsche PDK transmission in it and handle 300hp on stock components...? This is a budget sporty subcompact SUV, not an Elantra N. It hasnt been designed with 300hp in mind. Just get a Kona N at this point. And even the Kona N doesnt have 300hp.
You are either in the wrong car or asking too much from it.
Thats my opinion. The 7DCT is a good transmission for what its purpose is. I have opened it and I know. Its designed well for daily purpose with a bit of fun. Its not a racing box.
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DCTs are for sports cars, the whole purpose is laser fast shifting between gears, which the Hyundai unit doesn't manage very well...it has been noticed in a few professional reviews, the trans just doesn't shift fast at any speed or setting...just an hour ago in a 25mph zone I turned onto the street and some ice in the parking lot caused a 4 wheel spin and the trans responded by smashing into the rev limiter long after I had gripped and made the turn...she isn't terrible, but she ain't that great, either.
The DCT fad is receding, they are not suitable for passenger cars when the alternatives work so much better for 90% of drivers, and the litany of complaints about them dwarfs slush boxes and even lame CVTs.
In a Tuscon, the feel and tuning are different, a Tuscon weighs more, the AWDs are HTRACs, I'd be curious to compare and bet the same trans does different things depending on the platform.
The DCT fad is receding, they are not suitable for passenger cars when the alternatives work so much better for 90% of drivers, and the litany of complaints about them dwarfs slush boxes and even lame CVTs.
In a Tuscon, the feel and tuning are different, a Tuscon weighs more, the AWDs are HTRACs, I'd be curious to compare and bet the same trans does different things depending on the platform.
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When I hear people say this or that car is not meant to be it is a common commuter car, you can't do that to it and expect a Kona N level track car. BS and utter nonsense. What do you think the X Hyundai N division does? Stiffer springs, more robust dampening, alter swaybars, maybe some more glue and a couple more welds ( the stock Kona is a very stiff car as it is), stiffer bushings, better steering ratio/ steer motor placement, better seats. summer tires, (something I don't want as I don't want to buy tires every year/and I put my after market rims on after 2nd snow fall, and put them back on for a couple of snow falls in spring). And of course lower it. ( NOT the Kona N, they left it crippled for no good reason) Play with roll center front and rear. ( Hyundai wrecked the roll center on the Kona N for no good reason) and of course a higher HP/TQ motor. So, anyone can make their car a quality street racer or track car. No need to have the manufacture do it. Yes, it will cost more money, but at the time, I made the Kona AWD N-Line before Hyundai did, or even the a sudo Kona N AWD.
I did have money down at the dealer to grab their first Kona N AWD when it was announced in what 1.25 years ago. I was the one who asked the Asian YouTubers to look for AWD in Hyundai's test mules and post their findings and we found out they were all 2WD. So I pulled my money after that. Even with the eLSD it still is a 2WD and AWD has such an advantage as a street racer, a boat towwer, and multi weather corner dancer, I have no interest in owning one "at this time". AWD anywhere has too much of an advantage to me. I have raced FWD cars and had FWD race cars as my daily, I have no need for them when AWD can be had, even FWD bias AWD as it pushes you through corners where FWD just plows and yes eLSD just plows. Many youtube testers have called out this in all the 2WD N cars in low speed corners.
The 7 speed DCT would be a good high performance transmission if Hytundai would of spent another month "coding" full throttle runs. A tuner I know has been in a reprogramed Veloster 7 speed that got a special tune after it got a warranty clutch fix and it ran very close to the personality to the new 8 speed. Also he was told from Hyundai you need to add a cooling port to cross flow air to the dry clutch to solve the over heating issue as it is enclosed. Once you do that heat is not as much an issue. Throwing out a sweeping generality that it can't handle HP or torque because it was not meant to be a race car is plain nonsense. I have been in the realm of modifying cars my whole life, minus raising my kids where I had to put money to the family. We have example after example of cars that were not meant to be in "tuner land" that are putting a high amount of HP out in the stock transmission, and living. There are 7 speed 2WD Velosters that have 300+ HP and living. Then the AWD front diff is 20 to 25% more robust then the 2WD diff. AWD divides power to 4 wheels and has zero axle tramp. Axle tramp that absolutely trashes your driveshafts and transmission gears. OH a 2WD problem that happens all the time to all 2WD N cars. Not on an AWD car at least below 500hp. You can tune in easy roll out as Hyundai does on all their cars.
I know a tuner that just "found" where Hyundai hid that part of their easy roll out to reduce strain on the transmission. Now, the Kia Stingers can do AWD full blown burnouts. Not something I would want, why bother when after the about the second tire rotation you get full power to save the stress load.
Heck my Kona AWD I bet out handles a Kona N right now, I am just a bit short on HP to it though. You do know the Kona AWD 1.6T is a poorman slow Golf R as the Kona suspension pick up point , suspension design, including the Hyundai rear Multi-Link is basically an almost exact copy of the the Audi/VW Multi-Link. The Kona was designed by an Audi/BMW engineering. And there is nothing special about any of the N series cars that you can't do with any of the other Hyundai platforms. My Kona is lowered 2.25 inchs where the "crippled" Kona N is still lifted for absolutely no good reason, but to "play crossover" for what reason"? It is 2WD and so you feel taller when you drive? So taller subframes are the HUGE determent here. Plus the Kona N I bet like all high perf German cars is over dampened. We do know this, as we see it in every N review. It is only good and "wanted " in only the smoothest of European tracks. As a street racer and USA track car you don't want that much dampening.
No amount of “ coding” will make this transmission into a Porsche PDK. This is essentially a budget DCT designed for a small medium powered SUV. For those who want to use this DCT for handling power inputs far beyond its design parameters, sooner or later the transmission will fail.
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Exactly!
The 7DCT from Hyundai is supposed to be inexpensive, efficient and somewhat sporty, its not engineered to be a performance transmission. It does its job well as a daily transmission.
I dont care how much experience he has in modifying cars but I choose to trust the South-Korean engineers.
300hp will prematurely wear all components, not only the transmission. The Kona isnt a Supra. Its a fun little crossover. Reality has to be accepted.
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