GR Yaris Balance of tuning and durability limits

[Onehp]

Quite a few have posted here since this dropped. Here's my take...FWIW.

Looking at his videos, the car is three years old, so pretty much a first-run.

While "only" 50,000km, he has beaten this car on high-speed, extended-loading circuit for its entire existence, and good on him for it.
Someone in a comment on his latest video asks if it's modded and he answers, "more or less " which to me says yes...

Watching some of his other videos, this car is quick. This car's third gear acceleration off of high-speed corners is legit, and the car holds its own on straights with what looks like a 991 GT3, and a 992GT3 RS isn't completely destroying him. At a minimum, it's got boost and a piggy-back.

He doesn't seem to upset that Toyota won't warranty it. Even here in Japan where many, many customers bought it for rally, gymkhana, etc., Toyota states that if you track the car, you own it.

He had replied it has a DTE box and nothing else that helps power (approved Milltek OPF-back exhaust only a handful hp) from the comments, which also fits with the claimed 300hp. Given the hard use with high temps, there definitely was a higher heat load on this engine then intended and where safeties are concerned.

From the comments, people still seem to have problems to grasp the difference between an engine that runs street races at night at 5s-10s per run and a page long modlist, and many thousands of track miles with constant high load on a fully stock engine pushed extra by a box. For the latter, I honestly don't expect any engine to last this long, let alone at a specific power output of ~190hp/litre and 260Nm/litre.

 

[tonic]

I clearly understand Toyota's position. Why would anyone even consider that GRY could handle track use?

 

[sixtentouge]

Toyota UK cover track work on standard cars if you evidence oil changes after each track day

Before it was released there was a big hoohah on pistonheads when the warranty terms were released saying track = no warranty.

We all complained to Toyota that they were using track shots in the marketing and they ended up putting out a letter saying so long as the car stays standard and you change the oil it’ll be covered

Right, but where does that end? If the car has a 100,000km/5yr powertrain warranty, does that mean 100,000km at max get on the track?

In real life, a 1.6 liter engine doing 280hp and 10 rallies per year, the engine and gearbox is coming apart for inspection and refresh maybe every two years.

 

[Onehp]

Right, but where does that end? If the car has a 100,000km/5yr powertrain warranty, does that mean 100,000km at max get on the track?

In real life, a 1.6 liter engine doing 280hp and 10 rallies per year, the engine and gearbox is coming apart for inspection and refresh maybe every two years.

Exactly.

10 yr warranty here if serviced through dealers, and insurance gives 8 yr and 120,000km. Obviously that doesn't work if those are all track miles...

There is something similar going on with Porsche GT (RS) cars, cars even more dedicated for track and a lot more profit margin on them. If completely stock and serviced rigorously through them, you have warranty in some places. But modify anything and you are completely dependant on goodwill. Lots of local variance.

This kind of thing will never be clear cut and the general trend is, count yourself lucky if you get warranty work on a tracked car....

 

[Sam]

Right, but where does that end? If the car has a 100,000km/5yr powertrain warranty, does that mean 100,000km at max get on the track?

UK cars have 100,000 mile / 10yr warranty so long as you maintain Toyota servicing past the initial 5yr period.

As for your hypothetical, who knows? Is that even a realistic situation worth spending braincycles on? No. I personally don't feel the need for that absolute certainty.

Based on the documented backtrack by Toyota UK early on, I don't imagine a standard car, serviced to schedule, tracked a couple of times a year having an issue late in the warranty would be a denied claim.

I guess maybe we'll find out in coming years.

 

[Onehp]

As for your hypothetical, who knows? Is that even a realistic situation worth spending braincycles on? No.

I understand your point out of typical uk use, however I don't agree the above is a hypothetical only.

Some cars are used very hard. Some are resident ring rats, some owners take them to different trackdays every weekend if they can, others are driving instructors using them at the job when the opportunity presents itself, some are going from trackday, to hillclimb, to driftday, to ice lake driving etc, and repeat, using them literally year round. And that is exluding outright racing or professional use in e.g. Time attack club class to name something where the car can still be very much or very close to stock.

 

[Sam]

One has to wonder if Nurburgring use is specifically excluded in warranty terms?

As for Time Attack we should be pretty sure that timed track use in a marshalled event i.e. competition is not covered in warranty.

 

[Onehp]

One has to wonder if Nurburgring use is specifically excluded in warranty terms?

As for Time Attack we should be pretty sure that timed track use in a marshalled event i.e. competition is not covered in warranty.

At least in most insurances outside of Germany.

Indeed, that was what I meant that all the other uses aren't competition although hillclimb can of course be that too depending on the arrangement.

 

[BarShushan]

Well I run a gr Yaris with Motec cams 550 turbo PWR rad and intercooler Arp head studs valve springs head gasket with e85 on track with 350 HP and can’t keep it cool over heat after 2 laps

What is overheating? The engine? Coolant? Diff?

 

[BarShushan]

Hi there, if you’re not doing ECU software (more boost, more power and maybe raised rpm limit) is pointless to do valve springs and camshaft, and I would add it’s probably detrimental to engine life (anything you do on this car, by someone else, you risk doing it below factory standards, and that’s a big risk for me) and a waste of money.

The car in stock form is quite bulletproof engine wise. Yes, there’s been “loads” (not that many in the grand scheme of things) of engine failures reported, but I wonder how many of them have had the ecu flashed, used the wrong oil or just the use wasn’t really the ideal -meaning abused without respecting warming up times, cooling down periods…-

What do you mean by wrong oil?

 

[BarShushan]

This here seems to be the answer to avoid disaster due to valve float :

if you open the top part of the engine might aswell install the valve spring instead of this

 

[Onehp]

Now seems the grey one that Misha just tried popped cyl. 1. Should try to find their common denominator...

https://www.gr-zoo.com/threads/misha-just-gave-us-all-a-present.6583/post-100927

 

[Michael Knight]

Now seems the grey one that Misha just tried popped cyl. 1. Should try to find their common denominator...

https://www.gr-zoo.com/threads/misha-just-gave-us-all-a-present.6583/post-100927

wonder if it had baffles and what tune it was running (if any)

 

[Michael Knight]

factory increasing the cooling of the car (mk2) is kind of clear indication it is one issue. though the broken car had additional cooler installed aswell so not full protection even added. btw making all the demo runs on closed ice or race track gives an impression car can take track driving. hard to avoid that thought really.