Mods for towing and CB - with pics

[john456]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here, but I have been using the forum a lot for information in the last few months. The forum has been so much help to me I felt like I should contribute something in return. So I decided to upload some pictures of the things I have done with my 2009 Yaris HB.

I purchased the Yaris for a particular purpose. I wanted a small and light vehicle that got great MPG. And one with a manual transmission that could be towed behind an RV.

The first mod I did was to install cruise control. The instructions on how to to it were unbelievably helpful. Those of you who did all the hard work to put together all the information and then publish in in an easy "How to" format, your work was much appreciated. My cruise control works just like it came from the factory and only costed about $100.

Next thing I wanted to do, and the biggest project, was the installation of the baseplate to attach a Roadmaster tow bar. I went with the Stowmaster model. There were a few caveats with the installation, but it turned out very good. If anyone has an interest, I could answer questions ... but unfortunately I neglected to take pictures of the project while it was underway.

A CB radio was another thing I wanted to install. This turned out to be possible, but not easy. I had to replace the factory radio with a 1/2 height single DIN stereo. As would be expected, this forum again became a great place for information on how to do it. Pictures to follow.

I also have a cell antenna and a wilson cellular amplifier which is not yet installed. The antenna went through the dash along with tail light wiring (for towing) and the CB antenna cable.

Hope you enjoy the pictures, and thanks again for all the help I found on the forum here.

John

[john456]

This is the stowmaster tow bar, folded up while not being used. It also detaches easily when not needed.

Installation involved replacing the front bumper (can be seen on the floor in the picture if you look carefully). It was a lot of work to install. Some people just pay a dealer to do it.

[john456]

Cobra 18 and Pioneer stereo installation. It turned out pretty good I think.

[fj40dave]

Nice!

I installed a FM/CD radio in mine (didn't come with one) and have replaced the front plastic piece (bumper) after taking out the passengers front corner on something that was on the freeway a few years ago.

Dave

[john456]

It took me a long time to decide exactly how to mount a CB antenna on the Yaris. In the end I decided to use a Wilson "little wil" magnetic mount antenna. The magnet really is strong if you locate it somewhere that it has a support beam underneath the roof.

The antenna cable runs through a hole I drilled in the firewall, up along the passenger side windshield and across the top of the roof. I used clear poly weatherproof repair tape over the cables to keep them in place.

I am not sure how well the tape will hold up, but i decided to give it a try. If it doesn't hold up I will have to find an alternative. But for now it works and was fast and easy to do. Because it is clear it shouldn't leave any fade marks on the paint (I hope).

If you look closely at the pic, you will also see the cell antenna. My yaris has more antennas than any others I have seen

[john456]

Since I was upgrading the factory radio, I also decided to install new Pioneer 6.5" speakers. Again this forum was very helpful when I was trying to figure out how to do it.

In the picture what you are seeing is the passenger side rear speaker. I still don't have the other side done yet. The speakers are Pioneer TS-G1643R's, but any 6.5" speaker would fit.

The stock speaker housing had to be modified to fit the new speaker. If you look closely at the picture you will see 4 #8-32 bolts that I used to mount the new speaker into the old housing. The old housing had to be drilled, and I used washers, lock washers, and nuts on the backside. Lock washers because I thought there would be a lot of vibration and didnt want them coming loose.

In the pic you can see the wire is not hooked up. That is because I was experimenting with an amplifier to see how much difference it made in the sound. I have decided at this point to just go with the head unit and no external amp. I am more interested in quality of sound than volume.

I am still undecided on whether to replace the front speakers ... wanted to wait and see how it sounded with both rears replaced.

[firemachine69]

That tape will likely come loose from flex. Have you considered one of the stubby antennas, mounted on those inner-fender brackets you tack-weld into place?

[john456]

Originally Posted by firemachine69

That tape will likely come loose from flex. Have you considered one of the stubby antennas, mounted on those inner-fender brackets you tack-weld into place?

I looked at every type of mount. Not exactly sure what type you are talking about. Do you have a link to a picture?

The little stubby antennas pick up higher frequencies, they are not CB antennas. CB antennas generally have to be longer in order to be able to transmit more than a short distance.

You also need a good ground plane for good transmission, and the center of the top of the roof is the only place on the yaris with a good ground plane.

If all you wanted to do was listen, a smaller antenna would work fine. The little wil antenna was rated as one of the best smaller antennas for transmission range, so I went with that one. I plan on doing some tests to see how far it will transmit. With a stock 4 watt radio it should get at least 4-5 miles, maybe more.

[mazilla]

Originally Posted by john456

I plan on doing some tests to see how far it will transmit. With a stock 4 watt radio it should get at least 4-5 miles, maybe more.

Take it to a CB shop(if you can find one anymore) and ask them to "tweak and peak" you're CB. They should be able to squeeze a couple more watts out of that cobra with ease.


I like the way you mounted the CB, it looks great right there.

[john456]

Tested the CB on my way to a friends house yesterday. He was sitting in his truck in his driveway. I was over 2 miles away, and we could hear each other. It was hard to understand though, not very clear.

This was not line of sight, it was in the city transmitting through trees, houses and buildings.

We were both pretty impressed to get that range with an off the shelf 4 watt CB and a small whip antenna.

I think on the highway it will do a lot better.

I don't plan on taking it in to a CB shop, thats good enough for me. I wired up the power to it with the stock wiring and fuse.

The rear speakers are installed and there is no question now that they are superior to the stock speakers. Until I replaced all of the trim and the sound deadening materials on it, it wasnt quite as easy to tell. I wasnt sure before if I wanted to replace the front speakers, but now I am definitely doing it. This thing is going to sound great.

I love the built-in MP3 player (plays directly off USB flash drive). And the bluetooth that cuts your volume off when your phone rings so you hear it.

The ultraguage says I am getting over 40MPG highway and 35MPG average. But I haven't calibrated it yet.

Someday this car will be finished, sure takes a long time.

[HTM Yaris]

PFFFFT . Dude just get a 5KW amp and you can talk to peeps in Japan if ya want to . Not to mention "stomp" on everybody's signal within 50 miles . But you will need a nice Yasue radio to take advantage of that .

[ROCKLANDTOYOTA]

BREAKER 1-9

[john456]

Originally Posted by HTM Yaris

PFFFFT . Dude just get a 5KW amp and you can talk to peeps in Japan if ya want to . Not to mention "stomp" on everybodies signal within 50 miles . But you will need a nice Yasue radio to take advantage of that .

I dont understand japanese. Besides, what would we talk about?

[HTM Yaris]

There are radio operators that speak english around the globe With 5KW you can talk about anything you want

[john456]

I ended up going with different speakers in the front. They are all installed now and really sound awesome.

The rears are pioneer TS-G1643R's that I picked up at Walmart for $38. They do sound good, better than the factory speakers.

Best Buy had 6.5" Polk Audio speakers on sale, and I had Best Buy reward zone points. They were $25 off at $75. I had a $90 reward zone certificate so I got them free. They are now installed in the front doors. Model number is DXI-650.

Installing these in the front was a little different that the pioneers in the rear. In the rear I used the old speaker housing to mount the new speaker. In the front that would not work. But the polk speakers came with an adapter plate that bolted on easily. Just drill 4 holes and bolt it on. Then the speaker screws onto the adapter plate with four self-threading screws. The adapter plate had holes pre-drilled to get the screws started.

The Polk Audio speakers did not come with clips for the speaker wires, and I didn't have any. So I soldered a length of wire onto the leads on each speaker. To avoid having to do this, be sure to pick up some clips when you get the speakers. The dummies at Best Buy didn't tell me I would need them.

Overall the front speakers were easier to install than the rear.

The Polk Audio speaker has three speakers and filter electronics built-in. I was wondering if a $100 speaker would sound much better than a $40 speaker. It does. Bass sounds noticably better. Maybe not $60 worth better, but it distorts less at higher volume levels. But the mid and high ranges is where they really sound a lot better. You hear every part of music with clarity

Now that all four speakers are replaced, the difference in sound quality is unbelievable. The head unit puts out 150 watts, and it is sufficient for any reasonable person. No need for an amp.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by john456

The head unit puts out 150 watts, and it is sufficient for any reasonable person. No need for an amp.

Traditional speaking having an amp will clean up the audio quality a great deal over a built in amplifier in a head unit and you very well could end up reducing your distortion that you experience with the bass at certain volumes. It is an investment for sure, but worth it IMHO. It is cool that you have done what you have with the towing assembly..props!