Yaris Off-Road

[skipfly1970]

I have a 2007 Yaris that I have decided that I want to have some fun with. I am looking to make it an off road toy. Here is my problem, I can't find any kind of suspension lift kit. Does anyone know of a lift kit that would work on a Yaris? I want to go at least 2 inches.

[CTScott]

I made my own for my snow plowing Yaris. I don't believe that you will find an off-the-shelf one. I recently ordered one for my AWD Mini Cooper Countryman that installs between the top of the shocks and struts and the mount for them. That may actually be an easier thing to self-fabricate than how I did it, which was pushing up the mounting points from the bottom.

[aspro]

There are kits, but good luck finding them in north america. The yaris is a very popular car for amateur rally in Europe and I remember when I was in Greece back in 2005 I was at a performance shop and they pulled up a catalogue for rally suspension, skids and other related parts for the yaris. Expensive but they exist, well they did back in 2005. BTW when I say yaris I mean echo hatch (as in Europe the echo was the Yaris at the time).

But I still see videos of guys running yaris' in rally both with full blown builds to mild entry level builds. I'm sure these parts are still out there for this car.

[skipfly1970]

Thank you

[mitchell12]

Disconnect front sway bar if you find yourseld flexing it out at all. Though I assume we are talking more rally offroad than truck offroad.

[justjesus]

my research has led me to an interesting solution. The Susuki SX4 uses a spacer type deal, that is sandwiched between the upper strut mount and the rubber upper isolator. It also uses a type of shock extender to make up the 2" difference. I haven't gone this way due to my Tokico Reds, which have a thinner wall threaded area due to the adjustable "knob" in that area. - Because of this, I'm leaning toward Scott's solution.

For the rear, the addition of the firestone helper springs (air bags) seems to "add" some lift. Essentially, it doesn't allow the springs to compress as much.

[CTScott]

my research has led me to an interesting solution. The Susuki SX4 uses a spacer type deal, that is sandwiched between the upper strut mount and the rubber upper isolator. It also uses a type of shock extender to make up the 2" difference. I haven't gone this way due to my Tokico Reds, which have a thinner wall threaded area due to the adjustable "knob" in that area. - Because of this, I'm leaning toward Scott's solution.

For the rear, the addition of the firestone helper springs (air bags) seems to "add" some lift. Essentially, it doesn't allow the springs to compress as much.

I just got my CooperCrap lift kit for my 2012 Mini Countryman S All4. Below is a picture of what the kit looks like (which spaces the struts and shocks from the top). It seems like this would be an easy solution for the Yaris, but the front lower spacer and firestone helpers are definitely a cheaper solution. The firestone bags do create a lift by significantly reducing the compression rate for the rear springs.

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[mitchell12]

Stiffening the suspensions is not the way to do it, Offroad you need compliant suspension ESPECIALLY with an open differential and 2wd like we have. Spacers are certainly an option, as for the shocks in the rear they aren't exactly complex. I'd be willing to bet if you poked around a junkyard you could find something longer from another application. Then you could either use the junkyard parts or buy new ones based on that application.

Making the car higher isn't even half the battle. Making it flex and comply to the terrain is equally (if not more) important, as soon as one of your driven wheels lose traction you aren't going anywhere at all. Don't forget to do something to protect the base pan at least.


My two cents.

[CTScott]

Stiffening the suspensions is not the way to do it, Offroad you need compliant suspension ESPECIALLY with an open differential and 2wd like we have. Spacers are certainly an option, as for the shocks in the rear they aren't exactly complex. I'd be willing to bet if you poked around a junkyard you could find something longer from another application. Then you could either use the junkyard parts or buy new ones based on that application.

Making the car higher isn't even half the battle. Making it flex and comply to the terrain is equally (if not more) important, as soon as one of your driven wheels lose traction you aren't going anywhere at all. Don't forget to do something to protect the base pan at least.


My two cents.

True, but the stiffening is only in the non-driven and extremely light rear end of the car. The spacers that I used in the front don't noticeably stiffen the front (at least not when the plow is off).

A locking or limited slip diff would be a huge help with an off-road Yaris, as once I take the weight of the plow off the front, I do find that traction is significantly reduced.

[hairdresserscar]

i bought super cheap coilover sleeves from ebay.... lost the picture but it was around 4 inches of lift

[mitchell12]

True, but the stiffening is only in the non-driven and extremely light rear end of the car. The spacers that I used in the front don't noticeably stiffen the front (at least not when the plow is off).

A locking or limited slip diff would be a huge help with an off-road Yaris, as once I take the weight of the plow off the front, I do find that traction is significantly reduced.

Nah if the spacers are at the top of the strut then they aren't going to affect spring rate really. But even in the rear keeping the suspension compliant is important. All depends on the terrain but I'm assuming by offroad we are talking uneven ground. But if you think about it, having a stiff rear suspension is exactly what will lift the front wheels especially in a crossy-upy situation, if the rear can't compress anymore that it's going to lift the front wheel on the same side.

[justjesus]

Regarding the rear, how much compliance can we really get from an axle beam setup like we have on the Yaris? The bushings where it mounts to the body do offer a small bit of flex, but enough to provide any decent articulation?

Personally, and just for now, I will be using the airbag helpers just for the expected added weight from all the gear I will be hauling around. The rear springs are rather soft, so the helpers will aid in that department.

[xnamerxx]

For non driven wheels is compliance needed or is wheel travel enough?
If the wheels were driven I could see you needing\wanting articulation but I'm not sure thats needed for the non driven wheels. I admit though I might be wrong about that.

[CTScott]

For non driven wheels is compliance needed or is wheel travel enough?
If the wheels were driven I could see you needing\wanting articulation but I'm not sure thats needed for the non driven wheels. I admit though I might be wrong about that.

With the type of situation that Mitchell12 is talking about in post #12, the rear axle being so tied together would cause a front wheel to lift off the ground and spin with the open diff.

[rdvitzuser]

Hello to all

I am writing here as I did not find this topic in the forum. If I am wrong, please let me know and I will delete my post.

I own a japanese 2007 4WD Toyota Vitz. It is a very good car, the fuel comsumption is about 32 Km per gallon in the city (High to med traffic).

But I am writing here because I am asking you all to help me with the rear differential maintenance, as I have looked a lot on the internet and I have not fount clear information about it.

I would like to know the right lubricant for it, the quantity tha must be used, the procedure if it is possible. If you can give me links about maintainance for the car I would really appreciate.

Thanks in advance

[mitchell12]

Cant tell you the weight of oil but almost all diffs you just fill till it overflows from the fill hole.

[Tagrallysport]

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