Sandbags in Trunk?

[deebrown]

I'm having a problem with the yaris being blown around in the wind on the highway - i was thinking about putting sandbags or free weights in the trunk of the car (it's a sedan) to weigh it down (and thus hopefully making it more stable). Has anyone done this and, if so, what was the loss on mpg?

[pc1x1]

Common sense more weight = less mpg. What you can do is a ratio, Power/Weight = Power/Weight + sandbacks, then check MPG and multiply it by your normal MPG.

[Nutzoids]

Originally Posted by pc1x1

Common sense more weight = less mpg. What you can do is a ratio, Power/Weight = Power/Weight + sandbacks, then check MPG and multiply it by your normal MPG.

You so SMART!

[Kitt]

Been there, done that! and i have a LB it's scary man! 120K/h and the wind moves you!!!

[KSIbucky]

what i have seen is tires that respond to wind but idk theres not much you can do. you would have to put a lot of weight wouldnt you?

[Spades]

I have roughly 150 pounds of stereo junk in the trunk of my sedan, and all it helps to do is increase the body roll of your car.

If you want to stop getting pushed around by crosswinds, you have a few options:

A. Buy a bigger car
B. Lower that beech!
C. Follow option B and also buy some bigger rims & really wide low profile tires
D. This option is if you refuse to lower it...buy wide low pro tires and rims to mount them on, buy sway bars,struts,and a strut tower brace...these will help stiffen the car up a little bit and perhaps help with the wandering in crosswinds.
E. Just forget the other options and lower it because it is the best option second only to option A.

[BailOut]

I'm curious if you folks experience higher winds or just different vehicle behavior than I do.

The area I live in gets 90 MPH winds several times per year and lots more days of gusts up to 75 MPH and while I have definitely felt the wind resistance and the Yaris leaning, maybe even being pushed a touch, I have never even come close to getting blown out of my lane, or even moved that much in it.

Is it just the leaning or feeling of being pushed that bothers you folks so?

[brickhardmeat]

I lowered mine 1.9 front and rear and it made a huge difference on the highway. Much better.

[deebrown]

Ok, can anyone tell me how to lower the car and how expensive such a process is? Also, my last car was a dodge neon (very low to the ground and no wind problems) but i was constantly "bottoming out" the car as it was so close to the ground - do any of you who have lowered your car have this problem?

Thanks,

Dee

[Razr]

I'm curious - there's a couple of threads on this subject and a number of posters suggesting that you fit swaybars..

Do your North American Yarii not come with an OEM front swaybar??!?

Here's a pic of the one that came standard on my liftback:

[brickhardmeat]

chris did a "how to" on his tanabe spring install, whatever springs you use go in the same, you could probably get them installed for about 200. dunno, luckily I have a friend who helped me out, tools and all, it's not a big deal just don't let the car fall on your head

[Spades]

I haven't checked to see if my US sedan comes equipped with a front swaybar...I assumed it hadn't due to the low cost of the car and pronounced body roll.

I haven't noticed much problem being pushed around from lane to lane either...I notice a strong gust puts some resistance on the steering wheel, but it never was strong enough to even come close to moving me into another lane.

[sf180th]

I have a Sedan and yes the American models to come with a front sway bar.

[Spades]

yes, but does yours have the swaybar because it is an S coupe? or do they all come with them?

[Razr]

Why don't you turn your wheels to full lock and take a look Spades :)

[mkaresh]

It's not so much a function of weight as the design of the body. Apparently the upper body of the Yaris catches the wind rather than deflecting it around the car.

I'm surprised to hear this is a problem with the sedan, because it's not as tall as the hatch and presents less area to crosswinds.

[deebrown]

"I'm surprised to hear this is a problem with the sedan, because it's not as tall as the hatch and presents less area to crosswinds."

Can the problem then, in your opinion, be corrected by lowering the car?

[mkaresh]

Probably not to a significant extent. You can't lower it more than an inch or two. The shape of the upper body is probably the largest factor, and you can't do anything about that.