Tanabe is looking for a yaris!!

[yarr_is]

Hey guys this is something I found... Looks like Tanabe USA is looking for 2009 yaris 5 Door Wagon. I would DEFINITELY jump on this considering I am local to them. But too bad I don't own a 5 door. Looks like they'll be putting exhaust/suspension stuff on your car.

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/rnd.asp

I think this will be a good opportunity for you 5 door owners out there... I heard it's pretty rare. I rarely see one... But then again good luck!!

[ruimond]

Wonder why it says 'Wagon' Haha. Thought it was a typo at first, but it says that on the site.

[tk-421]

I think that by "wagon" they mean "sedan"... Otherwise, the difference between a 3-door and 5-door LB is minimal, so I don't see why they couldn't use a 3-door for testing exhaust/suspension parts... :iono:

[CTScott]

They mean liftback. The term wagon referes to "station wagons"

"A station wagon is a passenger automobile with a body style similar to a sedan but with the roofline following the full, sometimes extended rear cargo area and sometimes an extra row of sometimes rear-facing seats, ending with a more vertical door than on a hatchback."

http://rwethereyetrwethereyet.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/11/family_truckster.jpg

[minired5stby]

Hey its a Yaris National Lampoons style :laughabove:

[katchkillah]

dang even like my other car the offer came up but being in hawaii i had to pass. =(

[yarr_is]

hmm... that sucks

[yarr_is]

what about 5 door hatchback?

[ddongbap]

what about 5 door hatchback?

They meant the 5 door hatchback.

[IsLNdbOi]

So I'm going to be taking my '09 Polar White, 5-door LB to Tanabe's office (in Torrance) this coming Tuesday for this R&D session. I'm coming from Vegas so I have to leave around 3AM so I can make it there around 8:30AM. I've never driven in LA before. I hope the traffic isn't as crazy as some people say it is.

[ddongbap]

Torrance shouldn't be an issue. Just don't venture towards downtown LA, and you'll be bueno. You should visit Garm too. Hes 20ish minutes away.

[toad]

tell them we need a rear anti-sway bar and some coilovers(i mean c'mon....they make them for the nissan cube!). i got my springs and strut tower bar for a STEAL directly from their torrance office(i think they were displays or used in test fittings). have fun and take some pictures(if they'll let you)!

[IsLNdbOi]

Just got back from Tanabe's R&D session at their LA office. I ended up getting these (installed too) for free:

Medalion Touring full muffler / exhaust
Set of NF210 springs
Sustec Front Tower Bar


I didn't think the NF210s would look very low / dropped much, but when they drove the car out I actually thought that the DF210s were installed since it looked so low. I really like how it looks now w/ the NF210s.

The Medalion Touring looks nice as well. It's louder inside the car than I thought it would be.

They told me that they tested all the parts I was given, the DF210s and some new coilovers for the Yaris. The parts they asked if I preferred were tested last so they could leave them on when they were done testing. I didn't take the coilovers because I don't want to mess w/ changing their heights and having to take the car in to have it corner-weighted and aligned after changing heights. Also, I keep seeing people say that they're much stiffer and don't give as comfortable a ride as just springs w/ shocks.

I didn't get to take pics. of the work, but they did. I'm still waiting on them to put the pics. up on their R&D site.

The guys at Tanabe were pretty cool. They dropped me off at my hotel and even treated me to lunch today while I was waiting. :w00t:

[toad]

sounds like a good time! interesting to hear about the coilovers......

[yarr_is]

Awesome man... Of course coils would be stiffer. But those are pretty neat free stuff. You have pics of the new parts and how low the NFs are?

[Vang]

great to know you had a good experience from them

[thebarber]

lol, why don't they just look at anyone from canada on this site running tanabe parts? could save themselves some time/money/effort

[IsLNdbOi]

Hey guys, Tanabe just uploaded pics. of testing on my LB:

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/rnd/category/Toyota-Yaris-5-Door.aspx

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/rnd/post/Toyota-Yaris-5-Door-Front-Tower-Bar-Install.aspx

[thebarber]

so what free swag are you going to send up with?

[yarr_is]

I think they were able to keep the stuff they tested... Here's what i found about the RD

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/rnd/category/Toyota-Yaris-5-Door.aspx

[IsLNdbOi]

I posted that link right above you in post #18.

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/rnd/category/Toyota-Yaris-5-Door.aspx

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/rnd/post/Toyota-Yaris-5-Door-Front-Tower-Bar-Install.aspx

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/rnd/post/Toyota-Yaris-5-Door-Concept-G-Exhaust-Test.aspx

Yeah, they asked me which parts I preferred and said they would test those last so they could leave them on my car if they all fit properly. I told them I liked the NF210s, the Medalion Touring and the Strut Tower Bar so they tested those last and they did fit properly w/o any modification to the parts or car. So I got to keep the NF210s, the Medalion Touring and the Strut Tower Bar.

This is what they tested:

Suspension: Sustec Coilovers, DF210, NF210
Chassis: Sustec Strut Tower Bar
Exhaust: Medalion Concept G, Medalion Touring

[thebarber]

should have kept the coilovers...

[IsLNdbOi]

I couldn't. They send the part back to Japan for further tuning and adjusting for a car if it doesn't fit properly or they think it's not polished enough.

If you look at the links I posted, when the coilovers were adjusted to their maximum height, the front of the Yaris was higher than the rear.

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

so thats your car i seen in the email i got from them this morning reguarding new products. GOOD STUFF.....

[yarr_is]

lol sorry... I didn't read from first post. How's the parts now? The medalion looks kind a weird depending how you look at it

[IsLNdbOi]

I like them. Sure the Strut Tower Bar doesn't really do anything for our cars, but it looks cool. I like the drop the NF210s give. Not too low, but still noticeably lower than the stock springs. Ride comfort hasn't suffered either.

The Medalion Touring IMO looks much nicer than the stock, toothpick-sized exhaust that comes with our cars. It is a little louder than I thought it would be, but nothing unbearable. I wasn't a fan of the large, open can look of the Concept G (good thing they needed to make adjustments to it for our car).

Do these exhaust / muffler "upgrades" actually do anything for the car other than make it look and sound a little different? Do they add or lower HP? Do they affect fuel economy?

[yarr_is]

They should give or add about certain HP ... maybe 3hp or more. I was reading the 350z exhaust and it gave about 9hp. It gives more airflow and less restrictive from the stock. As for saving gas... well that all depends on you and how you drive. I'm pretty sure the front tower bars are a big help. It keeps the suspension leveled and keeps it from going un-even on turns and what not.

But for sure the exhaust will not take off HP ... that would be silly and would be useless for them to make. It'll give more HP. Did they dyno the car? Also I read that the NF gives good drop and keeps the stock feeling... I believe it gives 5% stiffer than stock. Which it isn't that noticeable

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

unless your changing the piping on the WHOLE exhaust system just a muffler won't be doing too much....

[yarr_is]

Was it just axle back or the catback system ?

[thebarber]

Was it just axle back or the catback system ?

axleback, you can see the mini-me stock piping after the axle

no one makes a "cat-back" system for our cars

i had to go custom to get the section from my resonator to my axleback replaced

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

this link says different on the cat back system:
http://www.2kracing.com/Vehicle_Specific_Manufacturer/subcategory2/DC_Sports/Toyota/Yaris/Cat-Back_Exhaust.html