GR Yaris GR Yaris from France

[Yohz78]

Hey everyone,

New GR Yaris from France here!

Full stock except tegiwa mirror riser.

I am probably going to keep it stock except for the torque mount insert and mud flaps. As you can see in the second picture, I have a few opportunities to drift it in the mud and I noticed 2 small stone chips after a drift session...

So rallyFlapZ are coming. Probably installing them this weekend

 

[micsub]

Hey everyone,

New GR Yaris from France here!

Full stock except tegiwa mirror riser.

I am probably going to keep it stock except for the torque mount insert and mud flaps. As you can see in the second picture, I have a few opportunities to drift it in the mud and I noticed 2 small stone chips after a drift session...

So rallyFlapZ are coming. Probably installing them this weekend

View attachment 34172View attachment 34174

Bienvenue sur ce Forum ! Beaucoup de Vaccinés au SP98 ici et une mine d'info sur cette voiture partagée entre les membres !
Welcome to this Forum ! Plenty of Petrol Heads here and infinite info about the car shared between the members !

 

[Yohz78]

Added toyota's camber bolt yesterday + alignment.

Got great results for camber with 2.37° front and 2.1° rear despite having no bolt rear.

However the mechanic misunderstood my request and setted front toe at -0.0° 1' (why not but I wanted more opening) and rear toe at + 0.0° 15' which is far too much. As a result, the rear is really lazy and the car has lost a lot of its fun factor. Gonna go back to set proper toe values next week...

I also mounted yellow powerflex torque mount insert. Easy job, the gear selection is better but it is not the night and difference I read there and there either. Guess I'll see what its all about when I'll go blast a little more.

I tested camber in roundabouts at the limit of the tyres and it's a lot better. Really happy with the bolt and the camber change. Can't wait to have proper toe set up !

 

[Yohz78]

Had also added some front flaps.

 

[micsub]

Added toyota's camber bolt yesterday + alignment.

Got great results for camber with 2.37° front and 2.1° rear despite having no bolt rear.

However the mechanic misunderstood my request and setted front toe at -0.0° 1' (why not but I wanted more opening) and rear toe at + 0.0° 15' which is far too much. As a result, the rear is really lazy and the car has lost a lot of its fun factor. Gonna go back to set proper toe values next week...

I also mounted yellow powerflex torque mount insert. Easy job, the gear selection is better but it is not the night and difference I read there and there either. Guess I'll see what its all about when I'll go blast a little more.

I tested camber in roundabouts at the limit of the tyres and it's a lot better. Really happy with the bolt and the camber change. Can't wait to have proper toe set up !

I think it's a mistake to go too much toe out on these cars. I personally think that the front should be close to 0° like you have. Rear can be close to zero, but slightly toe in (0°03' to 0°06' max) for a good balance and turn-in feel , but that depends on each and everyone's preference and driving style.

 

[Yohz78]

I think it's a mistake to go too much toe out on these cars. I personally think that the front should be close to 0° like you have. Rear can be close to zero, but slightly toe in (0°03' to 0°06' max) for a good balance and turn-in feel , but that depends on each and everyone's preference and driving style.

Interesting, why would you want to avoid toe out front ?

I definitely agree for the rear. I'm going to aim for that range of toe in rear. I have far too much right now but pretty sure toe out would just make the car unstable which is not really efficient.

 

[LittleMav]

I think it's a mistake to go too much toe out on these cars. I personally think that the front should be close to 0° like you have. Rear can be close to zero, but slightly toe in (0°03' to 0°06' max) for a good balance and turn-in feel , but that depends on each and everyone's preference and driving style.

You are right. I’m on —2.3 camber and 14 min total toe out on the front and on -1.5 camber and 12 min total toe out rear; for 1.5 years now. Have been testing a few settings before and (personnally) like this one the best.

 

[Yohz78]

Alignment is finally fixed.

-2 ° 27 ' camber -0.0 ° 3 ' (toe out) front

-2.0° 02' camber 0.0° 3 ' (toe in) rear

The car is perfect on the road like this. Front has gain the sharpness and reactivity I wanted. The rear rotate easily with trailbraking. Managed to make the rear step up several time on purpose which had become hard with high toe in rear. The car is fun, playfull but with great adjustability if you know what you are doing.

With cold PS4S the first one or two roundabout were really fun, you throw the car and the rear come quickly but progressivly. Wet driving will be REALLY fun

It has the right compromise between playfullness and stability. I love it as it is now. I could use more camber, especially for trackdays. It would however probably be too much for daily roads so I think I'll stay like that. Using OEM toyota bolt also allow me to claim full OEM

Bit of a review of the torque mount. It indeed made a difference even if it was not that clear at first. Gear selection is firmer and it really moves a lot less. With proper muscle memory it's really hard to miss-shift now. Love it ! You probably won't notice a world of difference for daily use but if you drive the car hard it is necessary.

 

[Yohz78]

Finally did my first track day with the car !

Lots of alpine A110 here, I can say for sure that GR Yaris with PS4S can overtake an A110 S on track ! Maybe I was a better driver but the only car that overtook me in the whole day was a M3RS highly prepared with slick tyre ... GR Yaris is really really fast especially on a tigh track like this one.

PS4S are NOT a track tyre though, I was pretty sure about that already on the road and I can confirm it. They held up well wear wise but grip is lacking, sidewall is not firm enough and they overheat quickly. There's a nice slide due to that in the video ! I followed a 308 GTI wearing A052 and it is crazy how much more grip they have ... The driver wasn't good at all but the grip his car had was insane. Wondering about a second set of wheels now ...


Went well, the car also definitely need more cooling ... Longest stint I did was 8 min and the oil temp was on the second white line after 100°C ... No idea which temp it is, close to 130°C I guess. I'll change oil for sure ! A easier to read oil temp display is necessary Outside temp was between 20 to 25 °C.

Alignment is pretty good. At least with stock tyre&coilover. Not sure more camber would have made a difference and I'm happy about toe. Understeer was coming from cooking PS4S. Hot pressure were 2.2 front 2.0 rear. Wear is really good, grip isn't. The short time before PS4S overheating the balance was excellent ...

The stock suspension was excellent on kerbs, really felt confident taking them. Better suspension like ohlins must be insane on track.

Overall really enjoyed my day. Tyre&Pads wear were far below what I feared. Car is fun. It needs better tyre, I have eagle F1 SS 235/40 coming. They won't be that much better but they should handle heat better so performance can be maintained longer and the largest section will help with grip. I also expect better sidewalls. We'll see ! First I need to fix stock cooling for sure ...

This morning track day left me wondering about people using the car in mountain. An alp road is longer than my max 8 min stint and oil temp is probably higher after 15km of climbing ... I'm not sure oil temp is less of an issue during B-Road blasting if you climb the turini for instance, Car will cool less and drive longer. There's probably a lot of people cooking their oil far worse than what I did today with max 8 min of WOT driving.

All in all it left me a bit frustrated because I do realize that I need to calm myself on the road and spend more time on track so I can attack properly. However it comes with its cost and make you want to prepare the car ... Cooling, ohlins, second set of wheels with A052 ...

I guess this how you end up with a lotus but I don't want to loose the daily ability and road fun for now ! GR Yaris on a wet road is so good, an elise not so much...

 

[Yohz78]

Also fitted a cusco pedal extension prior to the trackday. Easy to fit, really good, finally I can heel&toe properly with this car. The turbo lag make it a bit harder than my previous DC2 ect but it's fine.

 

[Yohz78]

Here is another session following a friend with his EP3. He definitely know the track and his car better than I do ! He has coilover ect but stock K20. He was faster than most Alpine & catherams ...

I want to go back on track, I'm addicted now ... I wonder what I should do. I don't want to touch the engine as I want to stay as reliable as possible. I will do the duct to gain cooling on the air/oil exchanger. Guess I can also do the TRD underplate to gain a bit more and help the transmission stay cool. I'll also take off the back seats. I wonder what can I do more to get the car more track ready in a budget ? I don't want to change the suspension either, at least not now. Cooler and reliability are first !

I also need to fix the towing eye front. The cover is extremely annoying to take off. I'll probably drill a hole and put a cusco eye ring all year long. Looks dope and avoid loosing time on a trackday ...

 

[Yohz78]

A few pics from the trackday :

 

[micsub]

I also need to fix the towing eye front. The cover is extremely annoying to take off. I'll probably drill a hole and put a cusco eye ring all year long. Looks dope and avoid loosing time on a trackday ...

Great idea, I was planning to do so as well, but just didn't get down to it.
If you do drill a hole in the cover, could you kindly make a paper "patron" with all the measurements to center the hole correctly and share it here please ? It would really be appreciated, I am sure many others here would too !
Thanks in advance !

 

[tonic]

You can use a laser level for precise center drilling if you have one available. Remove the cover and align the center of the vertical and horizontal laser cross with the center of the standard hook hole. Replace the cover, then use the center of the cross as your guide to drill the hole.

 

[micsub]

You can use a laser level for precise center drilling if you have one available. Remove the cover and align the center of the vertical and horizontal laser cross with the center of the standard hook hole. Replace the cover, then use the center of the cross as your guide to drill the hole.

Great idea, I didn't even think of that option. I know someone that, I think, could lend me a laser level. Thanks for your input.

 

[Yohz78]

Great idea, I didn't even think of that option. I know someone that, I think, could lend me a laser level. Thanks for your input.

Hey,

I haven't had the time recently, bought a house and got a young son.
I'm going to wait for end of winter to :

1) Install the air duct to cool oil
2) Buy a second cover to drill a hole through
3) Eventually buy and install an undertray for better cooling again
4) Flush new RBF600 + Change pads
5) Change engine/gearbox/diff oils

What should I improve for track reliability that I would have forgotten ? (keeping engine / exhaust / intake stocks)

I would also like to make the car lighter but all weight saving I have find is in the back. I'm worried to make the car to tail happy even if it is fun. Are there other solution than lithium battery ?

I'm happy with the alignment so if I don't change the coilover I'll probably keep the current set up.

I'll take notes for the hole drilling if you haven't done it already

 

[micsub]

Hey,

I haven't had the time recently, bought a house and got a young son.
I'm going to wait for end of winter to :

1) Install the air duct to cool oil
2) Buy a second cover to drill a hole through
3) Eventually buy and install an undertray for better cooling again
4) Flush new RBF600 + Change pads
5) Change engine/gearbox/diff oils

What should I improve for track reliability that I would have forgotten ? (keeping engine / exhaust / intake stocks)

I would also like to make the car lighter but all weight saving I have find is in the back. I'm worried to make the car to tail happy even if it is fun. Are there other solution than lithium battery ?

I'm happy with the alignment so if I don't change the coilover I'll probably keep the current set up.

I'll take notes for the hole drilling if you haven't done it already

No I haven't done it yet, I'm at sea till early december. I'll do it only once I get down to buying a spare cover. Thing is I don't track the car, but probably will now and again on cold wet winter days... TBC.

To increase reliability, first thing to think about as you track the car apparently, is to replace engine oil more often than spec.
A good thing to do is to install a larger baffled oil sump (Rothelli Racing) or Lamspeed baffles in the OE oil sump to prevent oil starvation.
Why do you want to replace your brake pads ? Are they used up ?
Yes you don't have many options to reduce weight, lighter battery, remove the rear seats, leave your wife at home, go on a diet, and keep the glove box empty...
If making the rear lighter worries you because it could make the car too tail happy, then you can always re-adjust your rear alignment (more toe-in) to increase rear grip.

 

[Yohz78]

No I haven't done it yet, I'm at sea till early december. I'll do it only once I get down to buying a spare cover. Thing is I don't track the car, but probably will now and again on cold wet winter days... TBC.

To increase reliability, first thing to think about as you track the car apparently, is to replace engine oil more often than spec.
A good thing to do is to install a larger baffled oil sump (Rothelli Racing) or Lamspeed baffles in the OE oil sump to prevent oil starvation.
Why do you want to replace your brake pads ? Are they used up ?
Yes you don't have many options to reduce weight, lighter battery, remove the rear seats, leave your wife at home, go on a diet, and keep the glove box empty...
If making the rear lighter worries you because it could make the car too tail happy, then you can always re-adjust your rear alignment (more toe-in) to increase rear grip.

Ahah you want to enjoy some wet/cold drifting ? I probably won't have the opportunity but I hope to do wet days early 2026 ... May be too soon for me, we'll see. You are more in east France, aren't you ?

I do change oil after each track day (only done one so far but I've always done it like this before GR yaris) or approximately each 5K km if I don't track it.

I'm quite sceptical about oil sump for GR. They do not seem that efficient, I thought about it but came to the conclusion that if I don't use big wide semi slicks (like 255 A052) with proper track coilovers it is not really needed yet ...

Yep, brake pads are at ~20% of life yet, I'm finishing them and already have spare ready to be mounted. I'm still annoyed by a tiny bit of vibration under braking, I need to flush the brakes but I don't think it explain why the brake would be vibrating. I had pad deposits, it cleaned itself and vibration are 80% gone but there's still 20% that haven't gone away yet. I only experience the vibration with hot brakes (not during daily drive) and feel them in the seat/pedals, not the wheel. I may put the car to a shop so they flush the system fully and investigate the brakes ...

Thanks for the weight advice, I'll start by a diet and taking out rear seat. Lithium battery are worth a set of tyre, I'd rather do a trackday ahah

 

[micsub]

Ahah you want to enjoy some wet/cold drifting ? I probably won't have the opportunity but I hope to do wet days early 2026 ... May be too soon for me, we'll see. You are more in east France, aren't you ?

I do change oil after each track day (only done one so far but I've always done it like this before GR yaris) or approximately each 5K km if I don't track it.

I'm quite sceptical about oil sump for GR. They do not seem that efficient, I thought about it but came to the conclusion that if I don't use big wide semi slicks (like 255 A052) with proper track coilovers it is not really needed yet ...

Yep, brake pads are at ~20% of life yet, I'm finishing them and already have spare ready to be mounted. I'm still annoyed by a tiny bit of vibration under braking, I need to flush the brakes but I don't think it explain why the brake would be vibrating. I had pad deposits, it cleaned itself and vibration are 80% gone but there's still 20% that haven't gone away yet. I only experience the vibration with hot brakes (not during daily drive) and feel them in the seat/pedals, not the wheel. I may put the car to a shop so they flush the system fully and investigate the brakes ...

Thanks for the weight advice, I'll start by a diet and taking out rear seat. Lithium battery are worth a set of tyre, I'd rather do a trackday ahah

By the way, I just realized that we're missing the point here.
You were thinking that making the rear lighter would make the car tail-happy.
On the contrary, it will increase it's grip. Less weight = less inertia, on same tyres & suspension = MORE grip.
Edit : Lateral Grip on twisty windy roads
Remember Colin Chapman : Light is Right !

 

[Altocumulus]

By the way, I just realized that we're missing the point here.
You were thinking that making the rear lighter would make the car tail-happy.
On the contrary, it will increase it's grip. Less weight = less inertia, on same tyres & suspension = MORE grip.
Remember Colin Chapman : Light is Right !

I feel that the rear gets too light over 200 km/h with the OEM battery on track, but each to their own.
Best option for me would be a lighter battery and aftermarket rear wing to increase downforce a bit.