Yaris Off Road???

[Rutherfordman]

Now that my warranty is almost out I figured I could publish about the off road capabilities of the Yaris. Five days a week the Yaris has to go up and down what is considered the worse gravel road in my county. It is 3.8 miles from the hard road to my house with an elevation gain of 2000 feet. The first 1000 are in the first mile of road and that stretch consists of six switchbacks which are too tight for even a delivery truck to manage. Our road is on the no travel list for Fed X, UPS and regular mail. There is one particularly nasty stretch which consists of a hair pin curve and then a 25% grade of gravel. It is so bad they poured a concrete strip to put your wheel on to help you get up the hill. Rear wheel drive vehicles can only make it up sometimes. The Yar car with its front wheel drive and less weight design can negotiate the entire road 99% of the time. I have been doing it for almost 2 years 5 days a week. Good tires help a lot (I like the Yokohamas). So don’t be afraid to push the Yar out of its element (hard road). You may be surprised but keep in mind you have no ground clearance

[SilverBack]

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by k r a y z e e . j o j o

Has to be somewhere near here...

[1NZYaris1]

Looks like good rally country

[IllusionX]

if you ask me. the worse road to take is driving to Labrador City.

the last ~300km is gravel.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...696899&t=h&z=8

[Rutherfordman]

Well I see you found me. I live in the upper right corner of the map. Road leaves the pavement in the lower left corner. Google earth gives you the 3D affect. Needless to say I get very few visitors.

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by Rutherfordman

Well I see you found me. I live in the upper right corner of the map. Road leaves the pavement in the lower left corner. Google earth gives you the 3D affect. Needless to say I get very few visitors.

Heh! I enjoy GoogleEarth-guessing. Amazing how simple it can be sometimes to find the right spot, and how monumentally wrong at others.... .

[enviri]

http://www.trdvitzchallenge.jp/ :p

[SilverBack]

Vitz Rental Rally Car, eh? Are any of them 4WD? (Sorry I don't understand Japanese)

[advocate]

That Vitz rally looks like a lot of fun

[scape]

http://translate.google.com/translat...Den%26hs%3D3OE

this may help

[eyesman007]

nice to hear that bro, i'm pretty sure your 4X4 is automatic, ayt?

[TheRealEnth]

yeah it sucks that they offer a 4wd version and a fast turbo'd version but for us US folks... we gotta wait or import or mod lol

[carlghoul]

I'm planning on buying a Yaris partly for it's appearent off-road ability. Short wheelbase cars with little front and rear overhang beyond the wheels can handle offroading better than their limited ground clearence would imply. Short overhangs = good approach and departure angles, and the short wheelbase keeps things from catching underneath. O-O vs. O-----O
The best mpg official SUV's get is about 24, and none of the modern ones are truly small. Narrow cars like the Yaris also have a big advantage in squeezing thru narrow roads. 4wd would be nice, but it has such a large weight and mpg penalty, and it only helps with uphill traction, not with turning or braking. I've been using my '91 Ford Festiva offroad since it got old and expendable, it's a very short (141") car with small overhangs, no awd or traction control, and have gone on "medium" rated Jeep trails,crossed muddy and rocky streams, and gone places most SUV's won't because they're too wide. I've been doing this with all season tires, the right tires on a Yaris could improve it's offroad ability, larger diameter tires can also add an extra precious inch to inch and a half of ground clearence. You say Yokohamas are good, which specific Yokohamas are you using and in what size?

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by carlghoul

I'm planning on buying a Yaris partly for it's appearent off-road ability. Short wheelbase cars with little front and rear overhang beyond the wheels can handle offroading better than their limited ground clearence would imply. Short overhangs = good approach and departure angles, and the short wheelbase keeps things from catching underneath. O-O vs. O-----O
The best mpg official SUV's get is about 24, and none of the modern ones are truly small. Narrow cars like the Yaris also have a big advantage in squeezing thru narrow roads. 4wd would be nice, but it has such a large weight and mpg penalty, and it only helps with uphill traction, not with turning or braking. I've been using my '91 Ford Festiva offroad since it got old and expendable, it's a very short (141") car with small overhangs, no awd or traction control, and have gone on "medium" rated Jeep trails,crossed muddy and rocky streams, and gone places most SUV's won't because they're too wide. I've been doing this with all season tires, the right tires on a Yaris could improve it's offroad ability, larger diameter tires can also add an extra precious inch to inch and a half of ground clearence. You say Yokohamas are good, which specific Yokohamas are you using and in what size?

I would agree that the Yaris has great potential as an off road vehicle. I have been plowing snow this winter with "Crashy", my ebay purchased wrecked Yaris that I brought back to life. I put Maxxis Bighorn ATV tires (26x8-R15) on it. With those tires on it, I can cruise through a foot of snow without spinning the tires.


Here's the whole thread on her:
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/sho...ghlight=crashy

[wooverstone8]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViCfNfRQLhc

Go to 3:30

[127.0.0.1]

Originally Posted by wooverstone8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViCfNfRQLhc

Go to 3:30

yah and 5 minutes after that video... the entire front bumper fell off that Yaris

[127.0.0.1]

Originally Posted by carlghoul

I'm planning on buying a Yaris partly for it's appearent off-road ability. Short wheelbase cars with little front and rear overhang beyond the wheels can handle offroading better than their limited ground clearence would imply. Short overhangs = good approach and departure angles, and the short wheelbase keeps things from catching underneath. O-O vs. O-----O
The best mpg official SUV's get is about 24, and none of the modern ones are truly small. Narrow cars like the Yaris also have a big advantage in squeezing thru narrow roads. 4wd would be nice, but it has such a large weight and mpg penalty, and it only helps with uphill traction, not with turning or braking. I've been using my '91 Ford Festiva offroad since it got old and expendable, it's a very short (141") car with small overhangs, no awd or traction control, and have gone on "medium" rated Jeep trails,crossed muddy and rocky streams, and gone places most SUV's won't because they're too wide. I've been doing this with all season tires, the right tires on a Yaris could improve it's offroad ability, larger diameter tires can also add an extra precious inch to inch and a half of ground clearence. You say Yokohamas are good, which specific Yokohamas are you using and in what size?

Suzuki Samurai is one of the best offroaders ever built. small iz good offroad