ULTRA RACING braces

[botchilah]

Haven't posted in a while here so I thought I'd share my experience after putting in Ultra Racing (plus some Megan Racing) braces in my Yaris. After spending about 600 bucks to install the following:

1.) front strut-bar
2.) front lower 4-pt brace
3.) side lower brace
4.) room bar
5.) rear lower 2-pt (Megan)
6.) middle lower 2-pt (Megan)
7.) rear combination suspension brace and sway bar (Megan)

I have to say the car now feels so very very tight! Handling has improved significantly in that steering response is better, it's so much more easier to get the tail out with the yank of the e-brake (much harder before) and at high speed the car feels a edgier compared to before.

It stiffened up the car so much that the ride has changed drastically. Of course NVH is up but I knew that coming into this so I'm not complaining. It really feels like I put a 'cage in the car, omparingg it to my two other cars that I installed roll-cages in (Evo and Supra).

I know some 'experts' will argue I wasted money on some/all of these braces but hell I swear by all these braces put together in theYris, not exactly what you'd call a 'stiff' chassis out of the box. Even with new 17' 57 Motorsports wheels and 205/45 tires, the suspension is just really transformed thanks to the really stiff chassis. :bow:

I'm just waiting for the fender brace. I didn't install the rear strut brace anymore as I won't be able to fit my golf bag and spare wheels and tires for myself and my buddies when we hit the track. I'm amazed the Yaris, with the rear seats down, will swallo 17' and probably even 18' wheels and tires! Fantastic! :headbang:

FYI the UR stuff is made out of chromoly-steel alloy. Not as light as some of the CF / titanium / aluminum Cusco but the overall weight added to the car was a measly 20 kilos (we weighed them in all before installing).

Hope others who ave UR braces or similar can chime in. :)

My issue now is how to go about upgrading the suspension. Coil-overs, shocks n springs or just springs? Oh well, gotta try a Yaris with coil-overs first hehehe

[awdblazer]

post pics!!!

[BLAZINBLUEVITZ]

:coolpics:

[botchilah]

You know I'd love to but I just plain suck at these things (still somewhat living in the stone age hehehe). I can email pics to someone who can post them up for me hehehehe

[mikenacarato]

pikturs!

[33OH]

Email me and I'll post them. ryankerch@gmail.com

[botchilah]

ryank thanks for the offer! Gimme a few more days to get the fender bars installed (will take almost an entire day to install since the front fenders, front bumper, headlights and some other stuff will have to be removed) and get pics of the car underneath to show off the braces there, which is quite a lot!

[botchilah]

BUMP!

I am sending some pics to ryank now. Sorry for the quality of the pics, I forgot to bring my camera and had to use my phone camera with shaky hands.

There was a HUGE difference when I finally installed the fender braces. NVH increased tremendously, and tire noise from the tires was noticeably louder.

The good part? There's a very nasty expansion joint I have to go through on EDSA, our main intra-city highway. WHenever I'd pass through these expansion joints before in any car, the entire front end would really shake hard with a loud bang and sometimes the steering wheel would kickback violently. Yeah I know I should slow down for this. The Yaris was no exception. But when I intentionally passed it earlier, there was simply a mild thump but the Yaris kept going straight and there was none of that loud, crashing sound followed by really harsh vibration and sudden steering wheel kickback. The entire front end feels solid, I'm impressed!

[botchilah]

UPDATE: the fender braces, which bolt up to the front door hinges have slightly misaligned my front doors. I'll have to align them again this weekend, hopefully aftrwards it should close better. Still waiting for ryank to post pics online of the pictures of the braces I took.

[33OH]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/Meganmid-lowerbrace2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/Meganmid-lowerbrace.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/Meganrearbraceandsway-barcombo.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/Meganreartankbrace.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/URfenderbrace.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/URfrontlower4ptbrace.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/poisonherlungs/URfrontstrutbar.jpg

[cali yaris]

very nice! -- when you say "misaligned", can we see what that looks like?

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

where's the room bar and underside braces?

[botchilah]

Re underside braces, it's the white A-shaped bars on the 2nd picture that's sandwiching the red Megan bar. I could not get good clear pictures because the lighting sucked big time. RE room bar, damn I knew I forgot something! Will take more pictures and have ryank post them for me again soon.

[botchilah]

very nice! -- when you say "misaligned", can we see what that looks like?

cali, you can't really see it. It's just that the door doesn't close as smoothly, like the hinges forced the door to move upward/downward a bit by maybe no more than a millimeter so the edges of the door catch the door frame / jamb before it closes.

[cali yaris]

where's the room bar and underside braces?

on my website, and in stock :wink:

[battleversiontc]

wow since when did they have the ones for the inside fenders

[cali yaris]

Since I started selling them... just kidding, actually longer than that, but they are in stock:

http://shop.microimageonline.com/product.sc?categoryId=4&productId=136

side underbraces too!

http://shop.microimageonline.com/product.sc?categoryId=4&productId=135

[AlainMikli]

Since I started selling them... just kidding, actually longer than that, but they are in stock:

http://shop.microimageonline.com/product.sc?categoryId=4&productId=136

side underbraces too!

http://shop.microimageonline.com/product.sc?categoryId=4&productId=135

:thumbup::w00t:

I just realized you got those in stock today, I have to think about the fender Brace then:tongue:

[battleversiontc]

does that fit the sedan and hatch

[AlainMikli]

does that fit the sedan and hatch

I think there are 2 different one, see the product code is different

Toyota Yaris Fender Bars / Fender Brace Code : UR-FD3-680
http://www.ultraracing.com.my/Bars.asp?ID=3297

Toyota Vios Fender Bars / Fender Brace Code : UR-FD3-117
http://www.ultraracing.com.my/Bars.asp?ID=2544

As the product code, Garm is sell the one for LB, but I think he can get the sedan one too, right?:tongue:

[botchilah]

Cali Yaris sells 'em at a pretty good price. According to the local supplier here in the Phils. ULTRA RACING supposedly has a global price policy so the prices anywhere are pretty much the same.

RE room bar, I'll take pictures once I get all my trash out of the Yaris. I've been driving her hard all my files, paperwork and some spares and tools are all over the rear lol :)

I forgot to order the rear underbrace and am still debating on whether to get the rear trunk bar but according to some of the gurus here, the rear bar isn't worth it. After that, it's springs (Tanabe NF210's), a proper wheel alignment and some track time hehehehe

[cali yaris]

I am importing quite a bit of Ultra Racing product at this time (I have a guy selling to the Corolla/Camry market, and Hondas). As far as I know, there are only two USA distributors. I haven't heard of any pricing policy.

Anyways, the Sedan/VIOS fender brace is different. I'm happy to get a set for anyone who wants to pre-order it and have it included in a subsequent shipment, but I'm not sure I am going to stock them.

[kngrsll]

I am importing quite a bit of Ultra Racing product at this time (I have a guy selling to the Corolla/Camry market, and Hondas). As far as I know, there are only two USA distributors. I haven't heard of any pricing policy.

Anyways, the Sedan/VIOS fender brace is different. I'm happy to get a set for anyone who wants to pre-order it and have it included in a subsequent shipment, but I'm not sure I am going to stock them.

the 23mm rear sway bar was awesome... we didnt even really crank in more rear dampening bc the car was so balanced. :bowdown:

[cali yaris]

^ NICE, great to hear!

[botchilah]

Cali, your prices are pretty much the same here in the Phils and in Malaysia so I assumed you knew of it as I thought your pricing was a result of the policy. Eitherway, your prices are pretty good.

[botchilah]

Just an update.

I installed Tanabe NF210 springs on my Yaris and wow, it looks great! Will try posting up pics soon once it stops raining hard here. Anyway, the Ultra Racing side-lower braces keep gouging itself on speed bumps! :( I guess I have to drive slower over them. And weirdly enough, the passenger-side rear tire rubs somewhere on the wheel well, whereas the driver's side rear has yet to rub on anything yet. Will be checking that one out over the weekend and see what I can do.

FYI I run RAYS 57 Motorsports 57WTCC wheels in championship blue 17X7, ET43 with 205/45R17 tires.

The good news is (for me at least) ride and NVH for the most part has remained the same since I went 17's and put in all the UR braces i have on the Yaris. For sure the car rolls far less but the ride quality, smoothness and progressive weight transfer has only gotten much better. I'll soon upgrade the seats (another of my Yaris' quirks) to RECAROs since I'm practically falling off the seats even during mildly aggressive cornering, thanks to all the grip.

NST pulley set, exhaust, RS bodykit, TRD shocks, SS lines and upgraded pads and I'm calling it a day!