So we just came back from TRD Thailand...

[eTiMaGo]

Firstly, you guys are gonna scream, but unfortunately my stupid phone ran out of battery, so I do not have any pictures I promise I will take some whenever I go there next!

But anyway, the main order of the day was to discuss with them the different possibilities for increasing the number of ponies going through the wheels.

The two main options they deal with are adding a turbo, and engine swaps.

TRD's Turbo solution was introduced on the limited edition Vios Turbo a few years back, and boosts the 1NZ-FE to about 140hp safely. I told the engineers there about ZPI's kit, but they do not recommend doing such power that without beefing up the internals first. They also quote about 180,000Baht for the complete install, which is about $5000 at current exchange rates. Not exactly good value for money.

Engine swap-wise, as we know the 2ZZ (190hp high-revving engine) is a pretty easy fit, they can do it including the 6-speed gearbox for about 150,000Baht ($4000). They haven't done many, there should be 3 or 4 on the road here with this engine. The car would also need to be at their workshop for about a month.

Just for fun, we asked the main engineer if they could do a 3S-GTE (250ish horsepower, easily tweakable to a lot more) swap along with 4WD conversion. And he said it's quite possible , using the Japanese Vitz's 4WD system. The engine would be a bloody tight fit, they'd have to almost remove the firewall, push the radiator as far forward as possible, but it could potentially fit. And he estimated no more than 300,000 baht ($8500) for the whole job. But, it would take them about 5 months to get everything done, as they have never attempted such a crazy thing on a Yaris before.

Anyway, they'll get back to us in about 2 weeks about feasibility of the 3S swap, they need to do a lot of research first! It's a crazy amount of money, I know, but they can arrange some basic financing terms to help. Plus, it would be one hell of a challenge for them, and definitely gonna end up with my car in several magazines

Apart from that, there were some interesting things to see at the shop... The arto wide-bodied Yaris was there, as well as two Vios, one with a 2ZZ, one with a 3S-GE (non turbo), you can really see the difference in size of the engine, the 3S is tight!

Also a one-make race Yaris without an engine (it had blown up...)

We also asked about joining the Yaris one-make races, but the guy recommended starting off with the new Vios (which most of you guys know as the Yaris Sedan) races, as the hatch is in a higher class They sell a pre-modded, ready to race version of the car at the same price as the base model. So, seeing as I unfortunately don't have enough money trees in the back yard, I have to choose... Join the one-make races, or create the absolutely craziest most powerful Yaris in the world? It could kick ass at drag races... Decisions decisions...

Oh and good news for sedan owners, they also showed us a prototype bodykit for the car, with integrated dual exhausts in the rear bumper, carbon fiber parts, etc. Looks good, and the price should be reasonable.

Anyway, that was a very most informative and educational day