Bracing

[lilredrocket]

Ok thank you. Loren I was wondering what type of K sport coil overs you are using I see that they have 2 different types on their website?

[Loren]

Originally Posted by lilredrocket

Ok thank you. Loren I was wondering what type of K sport coil overs you are using I see that they have 2 different types on their website?

I have the K-Sport Kontrol Pro kit with higher rate rear springs (not a K-Sport option with that kit). It was the only K-Sport kit available to fit the Yaris last year. Looks like they may have an RR kit available now, which will allow you to choose your own spring rates and probably has dampers with much stiffer valving.

For street/autox use, especially just starting out, the Kontrol Pro kit should more than meet your needs. In fact, if you don't set them up properly (there are hundreds of ways to set them up wrong, it's easy to do), you may even be better off with STOCK suspension.

Seriously, just starting out at autocross, I would recommend this:

1. Do at least two events with the car box stock, just as you bought it. Crappy factory tires, completely stock suspension, just drive it.
2. Fit a rear swaybar. For autocross, get the biggest one you can find. (23mm is readily available) Run a few events with that.
3. Fit a really good set of street tires. On a nice set of lightweight alloys if you have the money to spend. Run a few events with that.
4. Fit a set of camber bolts (or slot your struts) to get 2-2.5 degrees of negative camber in the front and then reset the toe to zero. Run that until you've gotten good enough at driving to piss off a bunch of local competition that doesn't think a Yaris should be so fast.
5. Decide what class you want to compete in and where to go from there.

Follow that list step by step and in the end you'll not only have a Yaris that handles pretty darned well, but you'll have gained an awful lot of knowledge about how the car handles completely stock, what adding rear roll stiffness does for you, what a difference tires make, and what a difference good alignment makes. If you just rush out and put a bunch of braces on the car, or a coilover kit, or whatever... you won't learn a thing. You'll just be out there treading water with a very adjustable suspension that you don't have a clue how to adjust.

Fundamental autocross advice:
Tune the driver first.
When tuning (driver or car), change only one thing at a time so that you'll know exactly what THAT change did or didn't do for you.