Got some money to blow...and I'm a noob

[umm_bacon]

I recently bought a 07 3 door manual Yaris, and despite the fact that I find myself being bombarded by gay clown car jokes (I live in the mid-west and folks tend to compensate for their short comings with jacked up mudders), I am very happy with the decision. I have little practical knowledge of working on cars, as I usually pay mechanic friends beer for labor, and not a hell of a lot of money to spend, hence the Yaris. I am generally of the opinion that putting much money in a bottom of the line economy car is rather futile, but after spending a few weeks looking on this forum have started to change my mind.

My question is what would you all do if you could drop $1000 towards improving performance? Does that really even make sense? Would you really notice much difference? I understand that this car isn’t a Supra, and options are limited with modifications, but there seem to be a few choices.

At first I thought about getting rims, and found a set I liked for just under $400. I then thought that maybe the higher quality (more expensive) cold air intake would make sense. I also considered putting on some headers and maybe a complete exhaust system. What would you guys suggest? I have read many of the threads on here and I have seen a lot of good ideas, even if I don’t fully understand (again cars aren’t my thing), however, I have seen a lot of asinine juvenile stuff too.

I understand that this car will never be a badass performance machine. I don’t think that any amount of money (that I could realistically expect to drop on a $13k car) would accomplish that, but I imagine that one could make relatively easy upgrades that would yield noticeable differences. Assuming that last part is true, what would you all do? I’d like to thank you all for your previous discussions, as I have learned a lot so far, and any advice you can offer now.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

i haven't spent any money on performance mods. my ~$1k went towards suspension, ICE, and exterior/interior mods.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

but i would go with an intake, and a custom catback for the performance aspect. headers too.

[nqd]

i would start with a good set of wheels and tires....then suspension...then power mods

[uncleyaris]

x 2

[ECHOKnight2000]

i haven't spent any money on performance mods. my ~$1k went towards suspension, ICE, and exterior/interior mods.

Technically you can say those are performance mods cause they help with "performance" as far as handling...so guilty as charged!:laugh::laugh::laugh::thumbsup:



Anyway if you don't know what to do with the money my address is....and don't fret about adding more 0's, it doesn't do anything but help.:tongue::biggrin::laugh:

[umm_bacon]

i haven't spent any money on performance mods. my ~$1k went towards suspension, ICE, and exterior/interior mods.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is ICE?

[IanCFitz]

In Car Entertainment

Stereo/speakers, that stuff...

[Nexus1155]

Individual Throttle Bodies... Danstoy is making one, look them up!

[death is my gift]

I say wheels. They make a world of difference compared to stock.

And welcome to Yaris World. You'll receive your complimentary toaster in the mail within 6-8 weeks.

[Sabretooth]

For 1000...

If you dont want to up the motor anymore, I think you should get some Nice 16'' Rims ($600 for Rota's or a nice discounted set), tires ($150-200), and some springs, ($200, if you DIY)...

Rims and Lowering completely changes not only the way the car looks, but it completely changes handling. I think if you at least want a really nice car, without those hubcaps. And your not worried about gaining anymore Horses...just go with cosmetic.

Most people do one of two things: make the car fast, or make it look good. Sometimes a little of both.

EDIT:(Oh and the 'badass performance' car thing: Think Autocross Baby!, our cars do really well in curves...not the straights, Its not how fast you go into the corner, its how fast you maintain and exit that corner)

[umm_bacon]

Individual Throttle Bodies... Danstoy is making one, look them up!

That is pretty bad ass. Way too much for my inept mechanic ass and too much $, but bad ass none the less. Thanks for the idea though. I am so new to car stuff (only vehicle I've ever owned that I did anything to was a 390 '71 Ford F-100) that isn't at least 30+ years old that I am constantly amazed by the things people are doing now.

I really appreciate the responses so far. Keep 'em coming. War Eagle! Sorry to venture off topic (a preemptive apology to any flamers out there), but I've been drinking and Auburn is winning, albeit sloppily, but winning none the less.

[umm_bacon]

I say wheels. They make a world of difference compared to stock.

And welcome to Yaris World. You'll receive your complimentary toaster in the mail within 6-8 weeks.

I've got a couple toasters already...no tote bag/coffee mug combo instead?

[Ferret_san]

I've got to agree with the others and suggest the cosmetic mods first, such as tint, rims and springs. Then $'s permitting, maybe the CAT-Back system to at least get a bit of a growl from the rear. Possibly followed by some sway bars depending on how you want the beast to flow through the corners.

[umm_bacon]

The responses so far tend to suggest that you really can't do much in the way of performance (excluding handling) modifications that ultimately matter, short of a turbo or something? If that is the case...again wrong forum, but what the hell, can you put on a 17" wheel and "lower" profile tires without any rub? If you lowered with coils, do you have to replace shocks/struts? Do tie/sway bars make sense? Again I am a car idiot, so be patient. The Auburn game is not going as planned. They just turned it over and I am shit canned, so if I am asking stupid questions, that's why, but they just blocked a punt so it averages out. Again, many thanks to all.

[Ferret_san]

The Auburn game is not going as planned.

Go South Florida !!!:wink:

[umm_bacon]

Go South Florida !!!:wink:

Oh...them's fightin' words!!! Damn Aussies!

[blueskana]

Due to tech restrictions, our cars biggest weakness is also the hardest/most expensive to overcome; mainly power. This will become only easier and cheaper to fix as time goes on and the aftermarket puts out more and more for the engine. So patience will pay off and you may just want to let that go. Intake, headers, pulleys, etc are cheap things that will at least optimize the engine as is.
The cars biggest asset is it's inherent lightweight, small size, and agility. To get the most bang for your buck, this is an area where you can get alot of return. It's not a Viper killer, and probably never will be. BUT it can stomp some ass in the corners and manueverability. If I had a chunk of change I would:
1) High quality, fully adjustable coilover kit. One that uses all it's own parts and stands alone. This will let you adjust the car, have the best ride, and allow you to change the car set-up to fit the other thing I'd do to it.....
2) Wheels and tires. Having height adjustability, spring choices and valving options will allow you to get away with running a much larger spectrum of rim/tire choices and have it look the best. I would recommend finding the lightest, albeit affordable, rims you can get for you're budget. Again, to help what power the car does posses to not get sapped away. And don't skimp on the rubber! Sidewall stiffness, as much as low-profile, dictate a tires performance, as well as rubber/silicia compound. There are some outstanding tires out there for not a whole lot of money in the 15-17 inch wheel sizes.

Any purely cosmetic (tint, lip kits, etc) are cool too, but if you want the car to suprise people and are primarily going for 'performance', I'd milk it's strengths in between yourself and the road. However you go, enjoy!

[eTiMaGo]

It's true, there's not a lot you can do for horsepower cheaply. The way it's looking now, you'd need at least $2500 for a basic turbo kit. There's not really anything else for the engine like high performance cams or stuff like that.

What I would recommend:

1) Lightened Pulley kit from NST - This will improve the response of the engine and really enhance driving
2) If you do want to autocross regularly, coilovers would be the best choice, but for daily driving you can get by with just lowering springs, this will improve handling greatly
3) Wheels... I would personally not recommend over 16", and lightweight wheels will improve acceleration and cornering greatly.

Then, if you still have some cash to spend, an intake and exhaust. Truth be told, there does not seem to be a whole lot of power increase difference between the different brands, so it's really your choice of price and sound. For the exhaust, you should consider a custom catback like Black Yaris has, it should be better bang for the buck.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Technically you can say those are performance mods cause they help with "performance" as far as handling...so guilty as charged!:laugh::laugh::laugh::thumbsup:



Anyway if you don't know what to do with the money my address is....and don't fret about adding more 0's, it doesn't do anything but help.:tongue::biggrin::laugh:

hahaha, yeah, true that. hmmmm, performance in the horsepower aspect, then? :tongue:

[Kaotic Lazagna]

i would start with a good set of wheels and tires....then suspension...then power mods

i dunno, i've heard that suspension first then wheels and tires. that way, you're not stuck with a set of wheels/tires that'll rub because the drop is too great. having suspension mods first will allow you to test fit wheel/tires sizes first to see if they'll rub.

[blueskana]

I agree Kaotic.

[kngrsll]

if i had money to blow, id buy an S2k, or an elise. :)

[contraband831]

I would go with Suspension, some wheels & tires, tint, NST pulley set, Tanabe exhaust or TRD, and some stereo equipment.

Cheap route:
Tanabe DF or NF springs- ebay or sponsoring vendor
rota wheels, drag wheels, sportmax wheels- ebay, tirerack, discount tire, craigslist
NST crank pulley-NST or sponsoring vendor
tanabe exshaust- ebay or sponsoring vendor
stereo equip- ebay, best buy, cicuit city, wal-mart

expensive route:
tein or megan racing coilover kit-sponsoring vendor
work, koning, volk, motegi, etc...- same as above and sponsoring vendor
NST pulleys (complete set)- NST or sponsoring vendor
tanabe or trd exhaust- sponsoring vendor, toyota dealer, i am sure their are others
stereo equip- same as above and local audio shops

[Kaotic Lazagna]

i got my Tein S.Tech's for a really good price through ProMotionTuning here.

[Blenjar]

SUSPENSION, INTERIOR MOD (INDASH DVD, SOUND SYSTEM), dont do power...its a waste but do get a intake, exhaust n header if u want..

-- Blen

[AlphaFox]

NST crank pully is by far the most notaceable mod for performance I have done. I cant wait to try the full pully set coming out soon!
Intake/exhaust make the car sound nice, but didnt do too much for me in terms of power.

[Jerkratt]

i had CAI, header, axle-back exhaust, crank pulley, shocks, springs, sway bar, strut bar, tie bars, nad Toyota 7-spoke 15" alloys and i kid u not i had friends drive it when it was stock and then after.. they all said there was a difference in handling and power... not a WOW but a noticeable difference in power and the handling got ALOT better.. so anyway i say u should get

* Cold Air Intake (TRD, AEM, Fujita, Weapon R, Chinos Intake)
* Header (Megan, AEM/DC, maybe one more cant think right now)
* Cat-back or Axle-back exhaust (no cat-backs ATM that i know of but Axle-backs TRD, Megan, Tanabe, Greddy, AEM/DC, Apexi)
* Shocks/Coil Overs (Tein, TRD Sportivo, Megan)
* Springs (Tanabe, Megan, Eibach, TRD, Progrssive, Tein)
* Sway Bar/Strut Bar (AEM/DC, Megan, Tanabe, TRD, Progressive,C-One ect..)

[eTiMaGo]

Keep in mind, guys, that in the original post he's talking about a budget of $1000 or so :wink:

[lifthard1]

Oh...them's fightin' words!!! Damn Aussies!

x2
WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[joe keeney]

Buy a new TV or something. Yaris is great stock.

[thebarber]

rims and tires and lowering springs

the yaris wont ever be fast in a straight line cheaply, but for a grand you can make it corner like a mofo.

[WRBlue]

The single most effective upgrade on any car is tires.

Then it depends on what your going to do with the car...

Daily driving only, get wheels you like, put sticky tires on it. Maybe an axle-back if you don't like the OEM sound - cause on a modern NA car, you don't get power from an exhaust.

AutoX and DD, get a 2nd pair of wheels and some decent tires. Put R-compounds on the OEM steelies. Win your class.

Drag and DD, get wheels you like and decent tires. Put 2 Drag Radials on the front OEM steelies and keep the OEM bridgestones on the rears. Practice and save a ton of money to go faster ;)

[KSIbucky]

what about ignition

[umm_bacon]

I have yet to stumble across any aftermarket ignition stuff...any ideas as to what parts specifically (remember I am pretty cartarded) or better yet where to find said parts? I just tried a lazy Google search and didn't find anything for the Yaris specifically. Again, I am not such what exactly to look for though.

[WRBlue]

Ignition upgrades are worthless until you need it. Is your nitrous causing detonation? Is boost blowing out the spark? Any miss at WOT high RPMs? These might be the need for an ignition upgrade.

But if you really want to look, MSD makes cool stuff.