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Old 01-31-2009, 01:31 AM   #1
supmet
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A few questions about suspension, tires, and brakes.

So far I love the Yaris, but the stock suspension and brakes aren't cutting it. Driving on bumpy freeways can be scary at times. I only have 60000 miles on my car, and have gone through 4 sets of pads, turned-replaced-turned-replaced the rotors, and they are shot again. My pads don't wear out, they glaze over(about every 10k-12k miles) and then warp the rotors.

I have a stock 4 door automatic yaris with no ABS on stock 15s (steel not alloy)

Handling-
1) Is the TRD suspension set and sway bar pretty good? Are there better options for the yaris?
2) The TRD set doesn't come with springs - do you have to use the lowering springs? can you use the stock springs? if I use stock springs, will I still see an improvement in handling?
3) Bigger wider tires will obviously increase traction, and therefore handling. My question is, at what cost to gas mileage? I've heard people say you can get better mileage if the wheel is lighter, and other people say the increased friction automatically means worse mileage. I'd like to hear from some people with 16s or 17s on their yaris and what kind of difference they saw in mileage. I'm willing to sacrifice 5-7 mpg for stability/handling.

Brakes-
4) I haven't seen any performance brakes for the yaris - anybody have some that work for them?
5) Are there any brake vents for the yaris?? If I can't find affordable brakes I'm thinking some air flow might keep them from overheating and glazing.(I'm half tempted to cut a hole in the fog light space and run radiator hosing to the brakes )
6) I have drums in the back - would it be worth it to change to discs? I know the fronts do 80% of the work or more, so I'm kind of thinking not really.(but if I put rims on I'll probably change to discs anyways.)

I'm not looking to take up canyon racing or anything, I'd just like to feel comfortable pulling an emergency lane change at 70 when a couch falls off the truck in front of me.
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Old 01-31-2009, 03:04 AM   #2
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Go look at microimageonline.com they are a vendor here on yaris world ,
they have all the goodies that you require and more.
or try PM ing cali Yaris (Garm)
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Old 01-31-2009, 04:32 PM   #3
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Invest in the TRD swaybar first. It makes a huge difference in handling and stability.
The TRD dampers are quite firm and should make a considerable difference even with the OEM springs. I put the TRD springs in at the same time and will tell you it handles like on rails with the full package. Even with the stock alloys & sneakers.
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Old 01-31-2009, 04:37 PM   #4
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Go see Garm at Microimage...... he will take care of you
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Old 02-01-2009, 07:31 PM   #5
supmet
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Thanks for the replies... I'm probably gonna try out the R1 brakes from micro image and see how they work. I don't see pads on the micro image site though? Anyone know where to find upgraded pads for the yaris?

I'll probably end up getting the sway bar also before I fork out money to redo the entire suspension :P
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Old 02-01-2009, 07:40 PM   #6
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Old 02-02-2009, 01:17 PM   #7
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I'm running the R1 slotted rotors with Carbotech XP8 pads in the front, and Carbotech 917 shoes (the race-spec compound) in the rear. I got all of the parts from Garm at microimage, and after two track days and about 6K miles on the street I've had no problems. Also, I changed out all of the fluid for ATE Superblue DOT 4 fluid.

Question....what are you doing to kill your brakes so often?
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Old 02-02-2009, 01:42 PM   #8
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4 sets of pads and twice turned rotors in 60K? Jeebus. Methinks it is your driving habits and not the brake parts.
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Old 02-02-2009, 02:01 PM   #9
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In order:

1. the TRD bar is the best on the market, and best bang for the buck handling mod you can do. buy it.

2. TRD struts do not come with lowering springs. You can use lowering springs of your choosing, or stock springs. Look at the Tokico HP damper set to save $100 and get the same result as the TRD pieces. Again these can be used with stock or lowering springs.

3. Bigger tires will also improve braking which I see is a concern for you. If you stick with 15 or 16 in wheels you will only add a couple lbs per corner. Konig and Rota offer many styles of wheels that are fairly light and economical. Fuel economy will only suffer very slightly.

4. Check with caliyaris for upgraded pads and shoes. Don't waste money on slotted or drilled rotors, they provide no performance gain. Good pads/shoes, stainless lines, and a fluid flush is all you need. If your rotors are bad, replace them with OEM blanks. Remember, the best braking upgrade you can do is wider tires.

5. No one makes cooling ducts, but you can custom make them pretty easily. Try upgraded pads first before you add cooling ducts. If your pads are too agressive, you can loose stopping power for highway emergency stops. Agressive pads get too cool when the car is at highway speeds when using brake cooling ducts.

6. There is no real need to change to discs. You will not see a performance or stopping gain.
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Old 02-02-2009, 02:32 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Altitude View Post
4 sets of pads and twice turned rotors in 60K? Jeebus. Methinks it is your driving habits and not the brake parts.
I wonder if this might be a sign of some other problem with you brakes. Go ahead and go for upgraded pads, but make sure all the bushings, etc can move easily, your pads might not be able to float back up(the < 1mm) when your not braking.

The other possibility is you've been getting fake pads. Have your changes been evenly spaced, or did the first set last a long time and the replacements are destroyed in a hurry. I once got a set of bendix shoes from autozone (generally reputable). Within 5000 miles it actually cracked and a portion of the shoe was separated from the rest and was held in place by the drum. Most pads are made in china and even reputable stores can sometimes end up with a questionable supply.

I tend to bake hard, and from my experience I think you would go through at least 2 sets of tires per set of pads, something doesn't seem right.
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Old 02-02-2009, 04:55 PM   #11
supmet
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Ya I've considered its my driving habits that are killing the brakes, and that could be part of the problem, but not as quick as they are going. I've driven much harder on heavier, older cars and the brakes still lasted 2-3 times as long.. When I switch out to the R1 brakes I'll clean the hell out of the caliper and the bushings and make sure they are all lubed up.

How much does running stainless brake lines cost?

Also, I'm gonna try to make it out to garm's shop for the open house this saturday, I'll probably get my brakes then and check out some other stuff :D
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