Retiring the Yaris to daily driving duties

[sqcomp]

I've finally let go the competitive car audio demons and relegated the Yaris to the mundane daily driving duties.

I picked up a 2004 Dodge SRT-4 to fulfill my minor need for speed. The little car only had 48K on it and had been sitting idle since 2010. The previous owner had put a little bit into it and after falling up into a job that has taken a lot of his time and after picking up an Audi TT/s, he stopped the mod-fest. This is where I picked it up. The already quick little car has a stage 2 PCM, 650cc injectors, an AGP wastegate, BFMIC, Werks stage 2 transmission, upgraded flywheel and track clutch, solid motor & transmission mounts, a K&N SRI, 3" turbo back exhaust, coilovers, and a Maddog STS w/booger bushings.

The premium fuel and 23 MPG is quite a shock, but not unexpected. I sit here writing this as I've just ordered a catch can and check valve for the blow by from the block. The car is also about to be stored for the winter.

Next year I have a solid map of what is happening with the car. The first major purchases will be a Diablosport Intune, new FID 1025cc injectors rescaled and a tune specific for the car's setup. Along with this will come an NGK AFX AFr meter to help me keep track of the air/fuel mix in real time.

Later in the year I'll dial the suspension in with a weld in undercar bracing system that will compliment the coilovers. It'll be dialed in for time attack runs around the local raceway. Coming after the suspension tuning comes the PTE 5558, a SS Treadstone V-band manifold, a Tial wastegate, a fuel return line system, an NO2 cryo setup to retard knock, and a DCR instake manifold...THEN the expensive stuff happens. I'll be keeping the boost down until the headwork, bottom & top end engine mods happen...there will be some good oiling mods to keep everything running smoothly.

Big plans to make a really quick little four banger truly fast. Realistically, it is quick now. The motor and transmission mounts really keep the front end planted on hard acceleration. The car needs a good dialing in of the suspension. For the price I picked it up at, I cannot regret anything.

[D&D]

(About) what did it set you back?

[sqcomp]

It set me back a total of $6K.

That's what most of them are going for right now. This one has some signs of obvious use but I'm not too worried about it. I know where it came from, I know who owned it and I was there for most of the mods he bolted on. Hell, half those mods are from my old SRT. The buying price is a steal in my book since that transmission alone is worth $3K installed. I helped him remove the stock one, crate it up and put the reworked one back in with the new flywheel and clutch.

It runs strong, there are just some pieces I need to buy to make it last for a long time. This whole feeling of having a second car to wrench on and not worry about the daily driver is VERY refreshing. People keep asking me what I'm going to do to the Yaris. I've put that girl through a lot since 2007. She deserves to be driven sensibly and so the duty she was designed for, economical driving 101 will be the tasking.

The only thing I can think of is having the same guy who just this afternoon shipped my retros for the SRT:









Just to be clear, for any trolls out there, the top two are the retros that are being sent. I'm not claiming that the white SRT is mine. I posted those last two pics to illustrate what mine will look like come next week.

My reasoning for this lighting mod is to keep the light on the road instead of blasting everything in sight like on the Yaris now. I am thinking that I might have the Yaris fitted with projectors as well. Prolly no "demon eyes", but hell, I like those a hell of a lot better than angel eye/halos. Not too many people that I've ever seen are running with "demon eyes"...

Outside of the lights, the next addition will be the AFr. I've removed ALL stereo equipment from the car, as it'll be installed into a '72 Chevelle SS over the next couple years. I'll be fabbing in the AFr meter into the opening for the stereo. I'll be "cold fusing" the same plastic that the dash pieces are made out of to form a completely stock plastic housing that will look OEM for the meter. THAT is going to be fun! The last time I did that was for the Yaris's stereo and processor controller. It took a little bit, but I made it happen and made it look good...being color matched to the car and all.

As of right now, the SRT is sitting in a temperature controlled semi bay along with two corvettes about 15 minutes away from me right now out in the middle of nowhere. Perfect place for a future little terror.

[thebarber]

Wicked purchase!

[Golddeenoh]

those cars are capable of 600+ street-able hp, i want one, just don't have the money or place to put it. Good job on the find/acquisition I look forward to see what you do with the "Little Terror".

[sqcomp]

I'm going to wring all the real usable ability out of this platform that I can. After that hits the ceiling on the neon chassis, I may look at a tube chassis platform for the powertrain...

For the time being I'm looking for a vehicle that is street legal without being stripped and until it is built properly, around 425 HP. When I hit that mark, the car will be prepped for the race track, go further into weight savings amongst other things. Realistically I see the car maybe slimming down to 2500 to 2600 lbs. That's too fat IMHO. That being said, an acquaintance of mine has a 2500 lb, 588 HP/576 Tq vehicle...She's damned quick around a track.

It's a spec racer and could EASILY double the HP. But it's not how the series specifies her class to allow that much HP.

I refuse to play with cones, I want a real track. This will take time to get licensed.

[sqcomp]

The light housings arrived today. I'll be attempting to install them on Sunday...

[sqcomp]

I'll get some shorty eye lids in silver and paint the fog bezels black just to make the lights "pop". Eventually those fogs are going away to turn into ducts to cool the front brakes.

*wringing my hands*

Okay here's the latest:

I'm in talks with a fab specialist regarding a proposed setup of the SRT for time attack runs. This person tunes for a business who runs another time attack SRT out of Houston.

That's not the exciting part, this is...

Think PTE 5558 T4 TWIN SCROLL on a tubular manifold



I'm working with PTE regarding a twin scroll T4 housing for the setup.