AWD belta

[supmet]

So after seeing an AWD belta in this thread (http://yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15384), I decided, I really want an AWD yaris. I've searched all around the forum and the internet, and not knowing japanese is kind of limiting my ability to research...

The only AWD yarii that I have seen, have been RHD, and come with a 1.3 liter engine putting out a measly 80-90 hp. Is the AWD sold anywhere that is LHD? Do you think the drivetrain can handle more? Like a 2zz or a 4age? Also, does the AWD assembly take up more room in the engine bay, making swaps even harder? Would it be easier/cheaper to just custom make the yaris into an AWD rather than worry about importing everything and hope it fits?

If all of those questions are stupid, point me in the easiest direction of making an AWD 'wrx killer' yaris :laugh:

[Lafiro]

Why would anyone want an AWD yaris with a 106HP engine? Buy a different car honestly.

[mrbond]

I think an AWD yaris would be a great sleeper, actually. Think, if you had the 1.5l still in the yaris and swapped in the AWD drivetrain (with modification, I would believe), and gave it a good supercharger or turbo setup, build the motor internals a bit, and you WOULD have a WRX killer. 2300lb curb weight vs >2900lb curb weight with not a whole lot of power difference. Good concept, but it will cost a good bit of money.

[supmet]

Why would anyone want an AWD yaris with a 106HP engine? Buy a different car honestly.

I don't want 106 HP(that's why I want to know if the AWD drivetrain can handle a swap) and I don't want another car. As for why? MrBond hit it on the head - ultimate sleeper.

If I could get a used AWD for 5-6 grand, and a 2ZZ for 4 grand, for around 15 grand you'd have a car that could theoretically compete with a WRX, for 20 grand you could spank STIs all day. Ya that's probably guessing cheap all around, but I've seen super cheap salvage yarii and GTS celicas - the AWD drivetrain will probably be the hardest part.

[mrbond]

Yeah, see, doing these sorts of things isn't about the supposed "worth" of a car. Laszlow, who has that Blitz-sponsored Yaris, had all that awesome stuff done to his car, probably worth upwards of $30,000. But he gets more props at car shows because he doesn't drive like a WRX or an RX7 bc those cars are overused.
Check around with members from Japan. The AWD systems from Yarii/Beltas are bound to be parted out of some cars by now, and they're probably somewhere around 3 grand shipped to the US, but this is speculation.
I say go for it!!

[Autoprue]

For the time money and effort to make a Yaris AWD your better off buying a car that already has that capability. Cool project but really not worth it. Your better off looking into forced induction of some sorts and corresponding mods to boot if you want to attempt "spanking STi's all day long."

[Thirty-Nine]

For the time money and effort to make a Yaris AWD your better off buying a car that already has that capability. Cool project but really not worth it. Your better off looking into forced induction of some sorts and corresponding mods to boot if you want to attempt "spanking STi's all day long."

x2. It would cost you thousands and thousands of dollars to make an AWD Yaris. It's not just as easy as slapping some parts together.

[Autoprue]

^exactly my point

[turboecho2005]

not feasible without spending far too much money. i have already looked into doing this... importing the COMPLETE awd system would cost upwards of 6-7k

I would of done it instead of a twin engine setup if it was cost effective.

[supmet]

importing the COMPLETE awd system would cost upwards of 6-7k

Is that new? Southern California has tons of little japanese engine shops that sell pretty much every japanese engine and tranmission used for 400-3000 dollars. I put an engine in my corolla for 1100 installed. I can understand if the AWD belta is pretty rare, but that seems a little high. Anyways, I'd probably try to find a belta with AWD used/salavaged, and work up from there - rather than trying to work engine x and transmission/drivetrain y into chassis z :P

Hypothetically though, if I could find one cheap, would it be able to take 180-240 HP? Would a 2ZZ or 4AGE fit with the AWD set up?

STIs are thousands and thousands of dollars(35 thousands base) - and I can't drive 10 miles without passing 2.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Just like the AWD bB's. Only came as automatics tho.

[RHDVIPbB]

Just like the AWD bB's. Only came as automatics tho.

Yep. Most expensive part/system I ever bought. Still have it too. Anyone got an xB for sale?

[mrbond]

Those of you who say it would cost thousands of dollars, you're missing the point. So what if the Yaris only costs like 13 grand new? It doesn't really matter. If you have the money and you want something DIFFERENT, then this sort of thing makes perfect sense. For some people, the Yaris isn't worth spending more than like 5 grand on. For others, like me, it's worth spending up to 20 grand. It's all in your perception of your car. If I had a Yaris sedan I'd totally be planning to do this.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Yep. Most expensive part/system I ever bought. Still have it too. Anyone got an xB for sale?

You have that AWD bB!?

[turboecho2005]

Is that new? Southern California has tons of little japanese engine shops that sell pretty much every japanese engine and tranmission used for 400-3000 dollars. I put an engine in my corolla for 1100 installed. I can understand if the AWD belta is pretty rare, but that seems a little high. Anyways, I'd probably try to find a belta with AWD used/salavaged, and work up from there - rather than trying to work engine x and transmission/drivetrain y into chassis z :P

Hypothetically though, if I could find one cheap, would it be able to take 180-240 HP? Would a 2ZZ or 4AGE fit with the AWD set up?

STIs are thousands and thousands of dollars(35 thousands base) - and I can't drive 10 miles without passing 2.

New and used... it depends on how you want the finished product to look. If you want it just like factory you need more then just the rear subframe driveshaft and transmission. you'll need the complete floor, gas tank, most likely suspension, wheel hubs. If you just want to slap it into a car and lay down a sheet metal floor and take away from a factory finished look then yes you can do it for cheaper. And what about trying to find replacement parts like when you blow your rear diff? Plus what about all the electronics?

You'd be better off using an AWD system that was available in north america like using the matrix awd system.

I would love to see an awd yaris done!

[ddongbap]

I think an AWD yaris would be a great sleeper, actually. Think, if you had the 1.5l still in the yaris and swapped in the AWD drivetrain (with modification, I would believe), and gave it a good supercharger or turbo setup, build the motor internals a bit, and you WOULD have a WRX killer. 2300lb curb weight vs >2900lb curb weight with not a whole lot of power difference. Good concept, but it will cost a good bit of money.

The WRX will forever have a superior chassis. Potential threshold will be higher on the WRX because of it.

[supmet]

You'd be better off using an AWD system that was available in north america like using the matrix awd system.

I would love to see an awd yaris done!

I'm thinking that's gonna be the direction I eventually take. I don't think the belta drivetrain can handle the kind of power I want, and like you said, when I break something, I don't want to have to import anything else :P

From a little reading the matrix only comes with an auto in AWD, just like the belta - but it should be able to handle a lot more power.

Right now I'm thinking scrap the belta AWD system, and try to find a salvage evo, eclipse gsx, or celica gt4

[ddongbap]

Yeah, see, doing these sorts of things isn't about the supposed "worth" of a car. Laszlow, who has that Blitz-sponsored Yaris, had all that awesome stuff done to his car, probably worth upwards of $30,000. But he gets more props at car shows because he doesn't drive like a WRX or an RX7 bc those cars are overused.
Check around with members from Japan. The AWD systems from Yarii/Beltas are bound to be parted out of some cars by now, and they're probably somewhere around 3 grand shipped to the US, but this is speculation.
I say go for it!!

I don't think he gets any MORE or any LESS props than anyone else out there.

[mrbond]

http://www.microimageonline.com/csArticles/articles/000000/000028.htm
He gets more props with this car than his WRX. I didn't say he gets the most.

[Phaeton]

I'd like an awd yaris just for the traction in snow and ice.

[ddongbap]

http://www.microimageonline.com/csArticles/articles/000000/000028.htm
He gets more props with this car than his WRX. I didn't say he gets the most.

But he gets more props at car shows because he doesn't drive like a WRX or an RX7 bc those cars are overused.

I didn't say most.

[mrbond]

Dude, chill out. I know you didn't say "the most." I was merely pointing out that his car was unique. Yes, the WRX is a more capable platform, but that's because it was designed to be a sports car; the Yaris was designed to be an economy car. No contest. But I think an AWD Yaris would be more unique than what any WRX could be, seeing as how he would likely be the only one with that car at a show.
I don't know what your deal is. The guy just wants to turn his Yaris into an AWD car. I personally think it's a good idea, and I don't really think it's right to tell someone that what they'd like to do isn't a good idea. If I thought this was a stupid idea, I simply wouldn't say anything. Again: chill out. I'm not attacking you.

[RHDVIPbB]

You have that AWD bB!?

Just the motor, drivetrain, ecu and a few frame supports/hardware to do the swap. I was gonna do it, but I sold the car before I got around to it. I will probably never sell it since I plan on getting another xB next year. I did however work on a way to make the 1.5 work with the swap, but I am gonna need custom driveshafts and axles. Not sure how the ECU will read it though.

[RomGrr]

I think importing a Renault Clio would be helluva cheaper than trying to mod the Yaris into an AWD muscle car. I mean, yeah, if you work in Monster Garage, go ahead and try modding the Yaris. Still, the Clio would be a much wiser choice all around.

This thread reminds me of the post Thirty-Nine made the other day on his blog about the Ford Festiva SHOgun. That car is absolutely insane but it proves that something like this CAN be done. It will just cost more than it's worth and you still might not have a competitive car. I'd go for a RWD Yaris conversion over an AWD conversion any day of the week.

EDIT: Just found this link: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/top-10-mid-engined-hatchbacks/ Hope that might spark some ideas!

[supmet]

I think importing a Renault Clio would be helluva cheaper than trying to mod the Yaris into an AWD muscle car.

That would be great and all, but:

1) the clio isn't AWD
2) the clio is ugly
3) the clio is french
4) importing a euro tuner doesn't really count as a "sleeper"
5) even if 1-4 were false, it still isn't an impressive car
6) I'd still be running into the problem of waiting a month and paying 1000s of dollars for every minor problem, and every small modification I want to do.
7) I <3 my yaris, and this is a yarisworld forum.


Sigh... My question was if the AWD belta drivetrain could handle more power than the standard 1.3 puts out - not "Everyone, I need you to become my financial advisor and tell me what to spend my money on" Obviously, if its gonna cost 50 grand to do, I probably won't end up doing it. But if I can find a good drivetrain for cheap off a salvage, and a shop to put it in for not too much, then you can be damn sure I'll try...

Anyways, I guess I'll just take it down to some shops for advice from now on. Hopefully they'll have something more worthwhile than "buy a clio"

[mrbond]

Dude, like I already said - do it. What fun is having a modifiable car if someone doesn't do something outrageously creative like this?

btw: some clios are awd, but they're uber expensive.

[RHDVIPbB]

The Clio is hot. Mid-engine and some of them AWD. I almost had me an older Renault 5 Turbo a few years ago.