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View Full Version : WINTER DRIVING W/ LOWERED YARIS (i know an old topic)

gojon17
10-13-2013, 11:44 PM
i just got my yaris a few weeks ago. I wanna lower it really bad!, i would love to get teins or tanabes but this is my daily driver, only car i have, wife and 2 little kids. and besides this i live in Edmonton Alberta. Soooo some people know how winters are here... what should i do??? thanks a lot
47_MasoN_47
10-13-2013, 11:48 PM
It's kindof rare we get snow around here, but I don't really see how being lowered would make much of a difference.
gojon17
10-14-2013, 12:08 AM
i had a celica 2001 with tanabes df210 and drove fine on winter, i think celica still had tons of ground clearance after lowering it ( they look like 4x4s stock), but when i see lowered yaris here ( teins as an example) maaan they look low!
403RS
10-14-2013, 12:10 AM
I drive (Calgary/Edmonton/occasional ski trip to BC) with my coils fully lowered most of the year, then raise them about halfway for the winter.
gojon17
10-14-2013, 12:16 AM
I drive (Calgary/Edmonton/occasional ski trip to BC) with my coils fully lowered most of the year, then raise them about halfway for the winter.

i wish i had coilovers lol, i just wanted some good ol teins or tanabes to drop it close to 2 inches :rolleyes:
gojon17
10-14-2013, 12:19 AM
how much ground clearance do you think its necessary for winter??
403RS
10-14-2013, 12:54 AM
Ride height on springs shouldn't be an issue, ride quality on the other hand (the woman hates it lol.)
CrankyOldMan
10-14-2013, 08:11 AM
My concern has always been ground clearance. My neighborhood doesn't get plowed very well, and I frequently have to "wade in" the snow when leaving my parking space. Stock ground clearance is sketchy at best (5") but dropping it is almost guaranteeing I will get stuck. That, and on 2" drop, I couldn't get into the car wash!
Viperoni
10-14-2013, 11:50 AM
FWIW I've lowered my Echo 1.5" all around and got taller than stock winters (stock size is 175/65/14, I'm running 185/70/14 winters) and have never gotten stuck.
Thirty-Nine
10-15-2013, 11:57 AM
I drove a lowered Nissan Sentra, a lowered Ford Focus, a lowered Honda Civic, a lowered Honda Prelude, and a lowered Scion xB through winters in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I never got stuck. I wasn't "slammed" down low, but I was lowered about two inches in each case.

I've driven my lowered Yaris over the mountains through a few inches of snow, and didn't have issues. I would suggest a good set of snow tires.
gojon17
10-15-2013, 09:47 PM
I drove a lowered Nissan Sentra, a lowered Ford Focus, a lowered Honda Civic, a lowered Honda Prelude, and a lowered Scion xB through winters in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I never got stuck. I wasn't "slammed" down low, but I was lowered about two inches in each case.

I've driven my lowered Yaris over the mountains through a few inches of snow, and didn't have issues. I would suggest a good set of snow tires.

i just see yaris on teins and i think they look beautiful even when they dont have fancy rims or bodykit. I love lowered vehicles sooo much... when i was living in mexico i had a chevy nova... 1 inch from the ground.
thebarber
10-16-2013, 01:52 PM
-2" in southern Ontario....no issues in snow storms, etc. Just get winter tires..
gojon17
10-16-2013, 07:03 PM
-2" in southern Ontario....no issues in snow storms, etc. Just get winter tires..

thats great because my car came with 2 sets of rims with tires...one of them being really good winter tires
IllusionX
10-17-2013, 11:02 AM
i'm lowered on MI springs.. -1.75" first winter. will let you know after the winter haha :)
detroiter
10-18-2013, 03:12 PM
I drive in Michigan winters on Tein S-tech springs (I'd say about a 2 inch drop atleast) and I never had an issue. I think it actually handles the snow BETTER than stock, it doesn't feel like a boat with body roll when getting moved around due to deep snow or slush.
WeeYari
10-18-2013, 04:15 PM
I've got a dandy crease in my passenger side rocker panel. Caused by a junk of ice buried in the snow at a parking lot entrance. Happened at stock ride height. Lowered will only get you closer to more of that type of crap. Just something else to think about other than 'will I get beached'.
CrankyOldMan
10-19-2013, 09:43 AM
I drive in Michigan winters on Tein S-tech springs (I'd say about a 2 inch drop atleast) and I never had an issue. I think it actually handles the snow BETTER than stock, it doesn't feel like a boat with body roll when getting moved around due to deep snow or slush.

I'm on the west side of the state: lake-effect is significantly worse over here than on your side. =) Getting 8 or 10 inches overnight isn't uncommon.
roxy1
10-20-2013, 09:31 AM
I'm on the west side of the state: lake-effect is significantly worse over here than on your side. =) Getting 8 or 10 inches overnight isn't uncommon.

yep. Metro Detroit doesn't have much of a winter and really gets no lake effect snow. Im in the southwest corner and lake effect hammers us often as well. I drove a fiat 500 last winter (4 inch ground clearance) and there were plenty of times id have liked a little more clearance. at least the yaris has another 1.5 inches of clearance.
gojon17
10-20-2013, 06:33 PM
I live in Edmonton Alberta, Any of ur guys winters are a joke compared to mine Lol
roxy1
10-20-2013, 08:06 PM
I live in Edmonton Alberta, Any of ur guys winters are a joke compared to mine Lol

Edmonton averages 49 inches of snow per season. that isn't that much. west Michigan averages almost twice that amount. while the rest of you may be getting sunshine on a given day, the right wind conditions mean this could be happening to us in west Michigan.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb313/roxy84_photos/Seawifs_lake_effect_snow_zps5214b064.jpg (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/roxy84_photos/media/Seawifs_lake_effect_snow_zps5214b064.jpg.html)