Yaris 2012 performance mods help

[spoonzz]

Hey all,

New owner of an older 2012 Toyota Yaris YR 1.3L (auto) and I'm treating it as a project car and an introduction of learning about cars because I know nothing.

So far I've painted the interior, put a new head unit, speakers, etc and now I'm ready to do performance mods.

I couldn't find many 2012 builds on the internet so I thought I'd post this. I want to ask - is the performance primer thread is a good place to start or even use as a guideline?

Do you have any recommendations of initial or must do performance mods for a 2012 Yaris? Cheers

[CrankyOldMan]

Start with good tires and a driving skills course. Having done all kinds of silly things to mine (supercharger, Corolla engine swap, custom gearbox, etc.) I can say that quality tires and some lessons on how to drive the car at its limits will make it way more fun than just throwing parts at it. =)

[spoonzz]

Thanks! The car came with Michelin tyres so I'll keep those for now. I've been driving it lots and I love it.

After more reading, the pulley mod/change (NST kit) seems like a good start though it'll be a while until I get it since I'm in Australia.

[kevinj93]

Michelin tyres? They must be other than original equipment size.

My 2012 YR has the standard 14x5 rims with 175/70R14 tyres. Michelin apparently don't make a tyre in this size, so I had to settle for BF Goodrich (which is owned by Michelin).

Maybe a previous owner changed the wheels? The more upmarket models (YRS and ZR here in Aus) came with 15 Inch wheels. So maybe aftermarket or swapped?

[spoonzz]

The previous owners changed the wheels. They put on Michelin Energy XM2 185/65R14 86H wheels. I wonder how the stock wheels would feel though. I have no comparison of what's 'normal' or feels 'better' as this is my first Yaris ever.

[kevinj93]

Thamks for the reply. There is only a few millimetres difference in diameter, but 185 width recommend a rim width from 5.5 to 7 inches, so not recommended for the standard 5 inch rims.

I think the main difference in performance, if any, would be quite small unless there is a significant weight difference between the wheel and tyre combinations. However, I have noted on previous vehicles that the Michelin branded tyres were quieter than the BF Goodrich branded ones.