GR Yaris Yaris GR Seat Lowering Kit comparison

[Phil1291]

You will need to cut something with nearly every Kit.

But of all the Kits i saw, is the one from GP Elite by far the best solution.
And the only thing you cut is the handle which costs ~30€ to buy new if you want to go back to stock.

Plus it‘s so far the easiest to slide front and back and it works as good as it came from the factory this way.

 

[GRYDC5]

If you follow the link and switch to English (upper right corner) you'll find some information. The price is for both seats (LHD cars) or €298.- for single seats and loweres the seats by approx. 35mm (which is very noticable). The set weights about 1 kg each side and is very stable. Please ask for more details (and pics), can't find the fitting instructions and have to take the pictures as you ask.

Bye for now Fred

Just to note their website says 13kg not 1kg

Not clear if that's for one side or both.

 

[Boost Creep]

You will need to cut something with nearly every Kit.

But of all the Kits i saw, is the one from GP Elite by far the best solution.
And the only thing you cut is the handle which costs ~30€ to buy new if you want to go back to stock.

Plus it‘s so far the easiest to slide front and back and it works as good as it came from the factory this way.

No cutting on the SWM kit, but I would guess it's the heaviest kit just visually.

 

[GRYDC5]

No cutting on the SWM kit, but I would guess it's the heaviest kit just visually.

Yeah I think you're probably right, but I wouldn't have thought any of the other kits will be much more than 1 or 2 kg lighter each side, so I've plumped for the SWM one as to me it doesn't seem worth paying so much more for GP Elite or DNA even if they are that bit lighter.

I ordered a couple of days ago and it dispatched today - will post how I get on with fitting when I get round to it.

 

[Boost Creep]

Yeah I think you're probably right, but I wouldn't have thought any of the other kits will be much more than 1 or 2 kg lighter each side, so I've plumped for the SWM one as to me it doesn't seem worth paying so much more for GP Elite or DNA even if they are that bit lighter.

I ordered a couple of days ago and it dispatched today - will post how I get on with fitting when I get round to it.

I have done the driver's side, and I would recommend removing the plastic covers on the back of the seat, the ones that swing up; if you go to the lowest setting they pinch under the seat.

 

[Sturesmyg]

Ive ordered the Importracing one. Whats the best tool to cut plastic trim? One of those normal sharp retractable knives?

And Im a bit nervous about the wires. What does it mean to make sure they dont streach and strip em? Do I just slide the seat all the way back and strip them in way so they dont have a strain anywhere?

 

[Boost Creep]

Ive ordered the Importracing one. Whats the best tool to cut plastic trim? One of those normal sharp retractable knives?

And Im a bit nervous about the wires. What does it mean to make sure they dont streach and strip em? Do I just slide the seat all the way back and strip them in way so they dont have a strain anywhere?

I used a finger sander to shape the trip with a fine sanding belt, it worked very well.

The trick I found with the wires/plugs is to leave the back bolt in (just loosen) when removing and put them in first when reinstalling. This will allow you to tip the seat back to remove and replace it. Also when replacing (if your kit allows) be sure to put the connectors back on the seat mounts, it makes it easier as you don't have to hold both sides of the connector when reseating.

 

[Sturesmyg]

View attachment 14629View attachment 14628

Bad pic quality and "car in use". Anyway you'll get an impression.

Bye for now Fred

What does it mean to shrink the tube on the handle? Use heat or what?

 

[Sturesmyg]

Fitted the importracing seat lowering today. Forgot to weigh it, but no way it over 10 kg like the site said. Anywho: Set was good but mediocre instructions and the holes on the plastic railprotection thing was not far enough apart. Had to cut two pack parts, but nothing on the sides or visible on the seat.

Also didn’t have a heat gun for the shrinking, so will have to do that later. Took me 2 hours 15 minutes to install!

 

[cdruk]

No cutting for me with DNA

 

[Sturesmyg]

Ok. So I installed the seat. All good but after a couple trips I felt the seat have some travel/play/movement.

So I took it out again and noticed that the upper plate screws to the seat needed to be more countersinked. So I counter sinked more then I felt comfortable with and placed it in again. Now it feels tight, but there is some play in the upper plate itself with the seat mounted outside the rails. Naturally. That plate can’t be as rigid as mounting to the frame of the car.

All in all I like the new seating position better, but would prefer the old rigidity. After all some of the “power” is lost in seat play/travel.

Wouldn’t do it again.

 

[Onehp]

Thanks for the review @Sturesmyg , that was my suspicion but only read comments on how good it feels...

Also makes me wonder what happens in a crash. How will the offset seat rails, the plates and added/modified mounting points deal with the forces at play?

 

[Sturesmyg]

Thanks for the review @Sturesmyg , that was my suspicion but only read comments on how good it feels...

Also makes me wonder what happens in a crash. How will the offset seat rails, the plates and added/modified mounting points deal with the forces at play?

Good question. Is this a potential insurance voiding factor also?

 

[CerN]

I wonder how the rigidity of the DNA kit compares. That's the one I am leaning towards...

 

[KTGAZ]

The VBD kit is solid

 

[Sturesmyg]

I mean the set itself is solid. But there will be SOME flex in them. If they were to have absolutily no flex they would be thick and heavy, and in turn reduce the lowering effekt. Unless it's vibranium or some shit from Wakanda.

I'm a tall and fairly heavy bloke and so when I move about there is a lot of force. I Imagine (but dont know) that whatever lowering set I would feel a flex in the seat.

I could just remove it as I have all the plastic parts etc, but im 197 cm tall and cant even wear a hat or a beanie in the car. So I may be stuck with the solution.

A teny tiny part of me also feel like the car doesn't feel as special now that the seat position is normal. Before I had my head in the roof and basically couldn't see under the mirror, but that kind of made the car special also. f**k. Am I going back to the cramped seating position here?

 

[Onehp]

I mean the set itself is solid. But there will be SOME flex in them. If they were to have absolutily no flex they would be thick and heavy, and in turn reduce the lowering effekt. Unless it's vibranium or some shit from Wakanda.

I'm a tall and fairly heavy bloke and so when I move about there is a lot of force. I Imagine (but dont know) that whatever lowering set I would feel a flex in the seat.

I could just remove it as I have all the plastic parts etc, but im 197 cm tall and cant even wear a hat or a beanie in the car. So I may be stuck with the solution.

A teny tiny part of me also feel like the car doesn't feel as special now that the seat position is normal. Before I had my head in the roof and basically couldn't see under the mirror, but that kind of made the car special also. f**k. Am I going back to the cramped seating position here?

For me steering wheel spacer did the trick, reclining back of the seat maybe two clicks. Same for @MagnusT who is similarly tall as you.

Contemplating lowering seat as nice to have, but also thinking it actually might make leg angles worse and now this, I don't think so...

 

[Boost Creep]

The SWM kit is solid, I'm 280 kg and 180cm, and it feels no difference movement-wise from the stock set up, other than I can see now.

That said its heavy. Diet time for me maybe

 

[foxspeed]

The SWM kit is solid, I'm 280 kg and 180cm, and it feels no difference movement-wise from the stock set up, other than I can see now.

That said its heavy. Diet time for me maybe

agreed was very solid but should be as its bit heavy!

 

[GRYDC5]

I fitted my SWM front and passenger kits today. Took about 4 hours in all.

Overall I'm chuffed. I wouldn't say it's game changing - it's only about 3cm after all - but definitely a noticeable improvement in driving position for me. Much better for passengers too - puts the passenger seat about where the driver's used to be at its lowest.

Driver's side went really smoothly, no problems at all.

The passenger side was much more fiddly owing to the tilt-slide mechanism. I also had a small tolerance problem on the front left of the upper mounting plate and had to cut a little notch out of it with a hack saw.

No biggie though and overall the kit does what it says on the tin. As others have said, there's superfluous trim afterwards but nothing damaged or cut so can easily go back to OEM.

According to my bathroom scales (that I've always assumed over-read , 8kg a side excluding the handles and nuts & bolts.

Before

After

Tolerance problem

Thanks hack saw

Superfluous bits