Wheels and Tachometer

[Deshi Basara]

I am new here and I am also new at customizing a Yaris. My question is how big can I go as far as wheel size. Also, would you recommend putting a tachometer on your yaris and if so what kind? Thank you all so much in advance for your help and suggestions.

[eTiMaGo]

Some people have put 20" wheels on their cars, so it's doable... but frankly ridiculous :D

Personally I had 18" wheels and very low profile tires, and it looked gooood... But really impractical, not comfortable at all and the rims got bent very easily.

So my opinion is if you want to look good but still be comfortable, go for 17". But if you want to maximize whatever performance you can get, go for some lightweight 15" wheels, it makes a huge difference in the response of the car.

As for a tach, is your manual or automatic? If auto, it should not be such a huge deal, but it helps with a manual. There's so many types out there, from huge 5" dials to sleek progressive LED strips, or LCD displays, it really depends on how you want to do your interior...

[Deshi Basara]

I have a manual and I really want to put a tachometer on it that is a good quality. Also, you are telling me that 15 light is better than 17 as far as for performance? I just want good handing on my yaris because I travel at least 500 miles or more weekly. I'm also deciding if I should put a strut bar and a short shifter on it. Can you give me some enlightenment on that???

[BEEF]

there is a DIY on here on putting in your own tach. it works great. also, you can get a short shifter and chassis bracing through microimageonline.com. they sell quite a few items for our yarii.

I picked up the short shifter along with a shifter extender. I am very fond of an armrest but with the armrest, the shifter is too low. I extended it 3" and used the short shifter to basically give it the factory throw. I also put stiffer lowering springs along with a rear sway bar. the turns on it are very tight now. much better handling than stock.

[eTiMaGo]

Originally Posted by Deshi Basara

I have a manual and I really want to put a tachometer on it that is a good quality. Also, you are telling me that 15 light is better than 17 as far as for performance? I just want good handing on my yaris because I travel at least 500 miles or more weekly. I'm also deciding if I should put a strut bar and a short shifter on it. Can you give me some enlightenment on that???

Yes when it comes to cars, especially wheels, lighter is better.

For a tach, better stick to a good, well known brand like AutoMeter, they have a LOT of different styles.

Strut bars are debatable. The general consensus is that they really come into play when cornering very fast like on a racetrack. A sway bar, on the other hand, is a highly recommended mod that will help the car roll less, at any speed.

Short shifter, big improvement :D Get the bushings as well, it really makes the shifter a lot more solid and direct.

[Deshi Basara]

Awesome!! I was going to get a strut because I want to improve my handling that is why I was going to go buy 17 in rims for my yaris to make the handling a lot better than now. The reason being is because right now my car is stock and when I am on the highway going 85-90. The car moves idk if it's the wind or drag from the big trucks. Anyways, I just want my yaris to handle better than now because I am planing on keeping it for a very long time. It's my second car and it's effing awesome. Also, me and my friend draged raced in an abandon airport strip and he has a prelude auto. SMOKED that fool with my stock yaris!! LOL I felt so good and amazed by my yaris..lol

[Altitude]

The "highway wander" is a well known and reported phenomenon. Rear sway, wider wheels/tires and lowering springs are your best bet to improve that. If you only had to do one of them then the rear sway bar is your best bet.

FYI - I have been running 18's since I've had the car. Yes it does make the car a bit more sluggish and yes the ride is rough, but neither are THAT big of a downer - at least for me.

[Deshi Basara]

17 as far as for ride comfort doesn't make it better???? I want a smooth ride and be able to have comfort as well. That's the reason why I traded my 350z because of the road noise and the damn gas is getting way too hi. I just want comfort, great handling, and a bit faster than usual :).

[BEEF]

when looking at lowering springs, find some progressive ones. I personally have H+Rs and the feel is stiffer than stock but normal riding is not that bad. I also have the whiteline sway bar. I haven't noticed highway wander though I didn't do a lot of highway traveling before putting the springs and sway bar on. I am also running stock steelies.

as far as power, i currently just have a short ram intake. I actually have the header (Weapon-R heat wrapped) and am getting a fully resonator back setup soon. you can make the yaris peppy with just a few little things. you can make it a killer if you are willing to really put some green into it. I'm sticking with the little stuff for now.

[whoknows89]

Bigger rims will make your car ride rougher. The low profile tires that you would need do not have as much sidewall flex as the stock tires. Without the side wall flex you will feel more of the rough roads because you no longer have the cushioning affect of the larger sidewalls.

[Deshi Basara]

Can you explain to me a bit more of the side wall flex thing because I don't really know anything about it. I am sticking with the little stuff for now like the strut bar, sway, short shifters, small intake, rims (16 or 15 idk yet because I want comfort), suspensions, breaks and tachometer. I'm guessing I'll be spending at least 1500 for all of it. Also, I have a kayak that I want my yaris to carry..lol so yea

[kimona]

I run 16x7's with 205/50's. This set-up drastically improves handling and at the same time offers comfort and safety.

I'm on stock suspension and no longer use an anti-sway bar... and I have completely eliminated annoying highway wander; I experimented with numerous tyres until I discovered that tread pattern (and silica compound) make all the difference with this little car.

[eTiMaGo]

Originally Posted by Deshi Basara

Can you explain to me a bit more of the side wall flex thing because I don't really know anything about it.

The sidewall is the "height" of the rubber, basically. What a lot of people don't realize is that the tires are actually the very first shock absorber of your car, they will bend (flex) when hitting small rocks, imperfections in the road, etc, before your springs have time to react.

When you change to bigger wheels, it is best to keep the outside diameter of the tire as close as possible to the original wheel and tire. So, this means fitting tires with a shorter sidewall.

So, by having a shorter sidewall, you will have less flexibility in absorbing small shocks, and more vibration thus makes it to the car's body and its occupants. When you go from 15" to 17" wheels, you lose 1 inch of sidewall. With 18" or larger wheels, you end up with barely an inch of sidewall, and you end up really feeling every bump in the road!

With 15" (or smaller, people have managed to fit wheels as small as 13"!), you have more of a "cushion" to ride on.

16" wheels are a good compromise between good looks and comfort, as Kimona mentioned.

[Deshi Basara]

Awesome, then now I will go for 16 for ride and comfort. Thanks for helping me make a decision on that one. Now my problem is I need a tachometer. Do you have any recommendation aside the autometer for a tach.

You guys are so awesome here and I'm really looking forward to creating my new machine. Also, do you guys have any recommendation for wheels??? I hate chrome plated wheels. I don't like to shine but I do want at least a good looking rim..lol