All Terrain Tires?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by Thirty-Nine

That'd be cool. I'd think it wouldn't be too hard to fab up a spacer lift, no?

It really is not that bad. It's just the strut base spacer and the extended strut supports that are required. I ground the lip off the bottom edge of my struts to make it easier to do, but with a bit of extra work the spacers could be made to work without modifying the struts.

[Ben_]

So much good information! Thanks so much you guys are the best!


I was thinking this could possibly be an easy project, but it isn't. Its probably not the best idea to tear apart my DD, especially with auto-x season in full swing.

It seems there is interest in off road use and I would LOVE to see a bolt on lift kit that could be put on in a weekend so this project is more approachable by other owners. 8+ inches of ground clearance and an LSD with tires and maybe some engine work and the Yaris could be a real weapon. I think wranglers come stock with only 8.5" (don't quote me on that) of ground clearance.

Lets see some kick ass rally hatches! Toyota needs more motor sports recognition anyway

[justjesus]

Funny thing. Me and CTScott have been discussing this during the last week. I have been doing a ton of reading / research for lifts, mods, custom stuff, ATV tires, wheels, etc.

I'm planning on doing a small lift myself. I won't go into details yet. But for the front, I was thinking along the lines of CTScott's 4" lift, but limited to 1-2" instead. I don't want to go too high.

For tires, I have settled on the BFG All Terrain, mostly because it's the smallest aggressive looking tire (non ATV) that I found. Since the Yaris is low on power, I wanted to keep weight down, and these 175/95-14s are already at 31 lbs!!!! Aside from that, I have some lightweight wheels in 14", aside from a few other 14" wheels to choose from.

The airbags, I definitely will be using in the rear. I bought a set a long time ago, but never put them on. With my intention of going "off road" and do some camping, i'm using the bags to help with the extra weight. I DO plan on using the stock springs, since they are taller than my Micro Image springs, and are much softer. Shocks, I'll likely go back to the stock ones too. Not sure on that yet.

Lastly, here's some "Ground Clearance" numbers I've been getting. I had been wondering what I can safely get away with in the yaris, without getting too crazy high, but enough clearance to have some fun on some of the trails.

These numbers are taken from Edmunds - I'm not sure if they measure the bottom of the rocker panel, or the absolute lowest point on the car (frame/suspension).

99 4 Runner 11"
10 Tacoma 9.3"
02 Rav4 6.3"
08 Yaris 5.8"

01 Cherokee 8.1"
11 Liberty 7.8"
06 wrangler 10.3"


I will be shooting for at least 2 additional inches of lift, created by the added height of the 195/75-14 tires, as well as the suspension mods I plan on doing.

Oh, the last part for me: I plan on doing this on the cheap side. cuz I'm poor. (too many projects!)

[justjesus]

Originally Posted by CTScott

MCA Suspension makes a setup that would work on the Yaris, but I wouldn't even want to know what it costs.

I KNOW! - I looked them up when i heard about them from the Tag Yaris, but was thinking big bucks!!

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by justjesus

Funny thing. Me and CTScott have been discussing this during the last week. I have been doing a ton of reading / research for lifts, mods, custom stuff, ATV tires, wheels, etc.

I'm planning on doing a small lift myself. I won't go into details yet. But for the front, I was thinking along the lines of CTScott's 4" lift, but limited to 1-2" instead. I don't want to go too high.

For tires, I have settled on the BFG All Terrain, mostly because it's the smallest aggressive looking tire (non ATV) that I found. Since the Yaris is low on power, I wanted to keep weight down, and these 175/95-14s are already at 31 lbs!!!! Aside from that, I have some lightweight wheels in 14", aside from a few other 14" wheels to choose from.

The airbags, I definitely will be using in the rear. I bought a set a long time ago, but never put them on. With my intention of going "off road" and do some camping, i'm using the bags to help with the extra weight. I DO plan on using the stock springs, since they are taller than my Micro Image springs, and are much softer. Shocks, I'll likely go back to the stock ones too. Not sure on that yet.

Lastly, here's some "Ground Clearance" numbers I've been getting. I had been wondering what I can safely get away with in the yaris, without getting too crazy high, but enough clearance to have some fun on some of the trails.

These numbers are taken from Edmunds - I'm not sure if they measure the bottom of the rocker panel, or the absolute lowest point on the car (frame/suspension).

99 4 Runner 11"
10 Tacoma 9.3"
02 Rav4 6.3"
08 Yaris 5.8"

01 Cherokee 8.1"
11 Liberty 7.8"
06 wrangler 10.3"


I will be shooting for at least 2 additional inches of lift, created by the added height of the 195/75-14 tires, as well as the suspension mods I plan on doing.

Oh, the last part for me: I plan on doing this on the cheap side. cuz I'm poor. (too many projects!)

Interesting on the stats. I just checked Crashy and without the plow she has a solid 12" of clearance (Woot! more off-roadable than an old 4-Runner!).

[justjesus]

LOL, Scott

She's got some clearance!

edit: holy smoking clearance. That's almost as much as my friend's 4runner with like 4" lift and 33" tires!

[justjesus]

They cleared. Barely. This is with the Micro Image lowering springs.




It's really tucked in, so there isn't rubbing. But, this was on straight pavement.

[Ben_]

:o you are my new best friend dude that is amazing

I WANT I WANT I WANT

[Thirty-Nine]

That looks badass.

[justjesus]

Originally Posted by Ben_

:o you are my new best friend dude that is amazing

I WANT I WANT I WANT

Okay, but just so you know, I wont be sending out Christmas cards this year!

Originally Posted by Thirty-Nine

That looks badass.

Thank you thank you. I'm liking the way the tires tuck in and all, but this is supposed to be for off-road, where clearance is needed. I'm afraid it will look less badass once it's lifted back to stock, or a tad bit higher. I'll post a few pics of the "proposed" height a little later.

[Thirty-Nine]

Personally, I think it'll look better once back to stock height. more rally-car-like.

[justjesus]

plus an inch....give or take a quarter of an inch. LOL - yeah, i'm getting excited.

I've been planning which trails to hit with it.

[Ben_]

So let's get an update.... How is is cruising?

[justjesus]

WOW... I can't believe it took me nearly a year to finally get the rest of the tires and take it off road!!!!

So yes. Earlier this month, I put the tires on, and went for it's maiden trip on the 16th. Took it to the closest trail I could find. It's also one of the easiest I know. Sure, it has a few spots that are more challenging, but it's mostly an easy trail.

Ben: Cruising with the larger tires is okay. They seem softer for the ride, and lower the overall cruising RPM. I don't like that I "lost" some power, since they're quite a bit heavier than I was used to. MPGs has dropped. I'm still working on getting an average, but it's clear it has dropped.

The larger tires at stock height clear....mostly. At full lock, the d/s rubs the fender liner (just barely). I attribute this to a prior set of tire setup when I was lowered and i rubbed the crap out of the liner. I'm sure it loosened it some and even ripped some small sections off the liner. No big deal. It also rubs a tiny amount at full lock on the factory tie down hooks (?) near the frame rail. These are the hooks that they use for transporting the new cars from the factory, I believe.

Anyway, my boss keeps coming around, so I can't get into more detail. But here are some pics... I'll post up some videos in a week or so.

[CrankyOldMan]

Nice! Did you get a chance to bottom out on all corners? I'd like to try these for rallyX, but not if it's going to eat my bumper fascia and/or fenders.

[justjesus]

Originally Posted by CrankyOldMan

Nice! Did you get a chance to bottom out on all corners? I'd like to try these for rallyX, but not if it's going to eat my bumper fascia and/or fenders.

I didn't bottom out on the suspension, if that's what you mean. I didn't drive fast, mostly cruising at lower speeds in 1st gear.

Fenders and rear bumper were just fine. Front bumper was hit at the bottom in a few spots. You can see that in one of the videos I'll eventually post.

There are some rally yaris out there, and they seem to be doing fine with their bumpers.

[CrankyOldMan]

I think they run a slightly smaller tire, but are going significantly faster. =) I would be using them for rallyX, so there would be a high potential for bottoming out and biting the fenders.

[justjesus]

Ahhh, I see. Have you considered a more Yaris friendly size in the form of some rally gravel tires? RallyX could be fun!