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03-06-2018, 06:58 PM | #1 |
Drives: 2007 Toyota Yaris Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asheboro NC
Posts: 2
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Highway Driving Question
Hi All,
I'm getting ready to pickup a 2007 Yaris sedan S model. Driving my Tahoe home from work in a moderate downpour got me wondering a few things and I knew I could get answers here. I will be driving my Yaris 90% highway. It currently has 135k on it with great service history. 1) How does the Yaris do at 70 to 80mph? Does it glide right along? What's the average RPM at 75mph? 2) How does the Yaris do in the rain cruising down the highway? Since it's a light car does it hydroplane easy? I guess these are my first two questions for now. Thank you all! |
03-06-2018, 07:24 PM | #2 |
Hello and welcome.
I average between 70 and 80 mph on the freeway. I will say that the car was significantly more bouncy on the freeway at speed than my Honda Civic was. Nothing outrageous but it was noticeable. It improved with bigger wheels and tires. Again, it wasn't necessary, I got them for looks, but I saw improvement in how the car felt on the freeway. Rain has always had more to do with tires than anything else, in my experience. The first set of aftermarket wheels I got for my car came with some super hard 'Sunny' brand tires, which were garbage. The car would slip in the rain when taking off from a stop. Terrible traction. Once I went to some Toyo tires, and Michelin thereafter, the rain has been a non-issue. |
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03-06-2018, 07:56 PM | #3 |
Drives: 2007 Toyota Yaris Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Asheboro NC
Posts: 2
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Thank you for the reply. Being the "S" model it has 15" tires (I would guess that's a plus).
I haven't owned a small car in about 20 years but my new drive to work is forcing me to "make sense" with my commute and save a ton of money!! As far as tire choice goes, I have learned over the years you can't beat Michelin tires. Pay the price for them and they will prove their cost. |
03-07-2018, 11:13 AM | #4 | |
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03-07-2018, 09:05 PM | #5 |
Drives: 2016 Yaris 3 Dr Super White Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: SoFloYo
Posts: 259
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Congrats on the car! I drive about 90% highway and I will tell you that I had complained about wandering issues at 70+ mph before. Many members steered me the right way. I am still working on the issue but the conclusion that I’ve come to is that these cars are so light, they are influenced by every small imperfection in the road and tread pattern matters. Kimona is a member on here who has good advice. My current wheel setup is 16x7.5 inch wheels with 205/50 series tires. I plan on adding a rear sway bar, lowering springs, and switch to a 3 ribbed tire pattern. I really don’t want to experiment with front/rear spoilers, diffusers, or canards but I will attack that after. It’s funny but I just picked up my mother from the airport today and with myself, her, my 8 yr old son and her 2 suitcases with a full tank of gas, the car tracked straight and true.
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03-08-2018, 03:21 AM | #6 |
Drives: 2015 Yaris L Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Illinois
Posts: 94
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When I got my Yaris, my first drive on the interstate shocked me at how unstable it felt in the wind. Especially passing or being passed by semi trucks. After I installed a rear sway bar those problems dropped by about 70% I would say. Now on the interstate it feels like pretty much any other car I have ever owned.
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08-03-2018, 05:36 AM | #7 | |
Banned
Drives: Honda accord Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: USA
Posts: 4
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08-03-2018, 11:45 AM | #8 |
Drives: 2008 Yaris hatchback in white Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Maui Hawaii
Posts: 38
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terrible on the highway
These little cars are terrible on the highway for several reasons
1) they only have 4 speed auto boxes, and they start buzzing at about 50mph, road noise is unacceptable, some have pulled interiors and soundproofed. Manual trans may be better. 2) even with premium 195/60/15 Michelins handling at speed is just ok Tires help dramatically with the econobox. 3) they have very little road presence and other drivers give them little if any respect Have 8 years of experience with both sedan and hatch, mostly maintaining but driving on occasion. Comparing with 5 series BMW and E class Mercedes is not fair but even Camry was significantly better and we are talking '03, 01, and 00 vintage. On the positive note they handle just fine at speeds less than 50 mph and are super easy to maneuver and park. Maintenance could not be easier or less expensive. Great fuel economy. With a good ceramic tint, are much nicer inside especially with dark 6" band across top of windshield. |
08-03-2018, 12:42 PM | #9 | |
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We test drove a Hyundai Sonata back in 2011 and it felt like it was on water while going down the road. Bouncing and rolling all over the place. I'd take my Yaris hatch over that heap of shit every day of the weak and twice on Sunday. |
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08-03-2018, 07:10 PM | #10 |
Drives: '15 Yaris SE 5MT Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Arizona (USA)
Posts: 1,058
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Not sure about the 4-spd automatic version Yaris, but my 2015 5-spd manual SE hatch is at 3000 RPM exactly @ 70 MPH & about 3150 @ 75 MPH (In my overdrive 5th gear). My Mon-Fri round trip commute is a bit over 60 miles total daily. I am ahead of the traffic rush in the morning & when I leave work, so I very rarely ever get into a stop & go jam (usually only when an accident has occurred). Thus, 95% of my daily trip is comfortably cruising along between 70-75 MPH in the right or middle expressway lane & grooving to my MP3 collection off the USB drive. So far, over my 3 years of ownership, my Yaris has been averaging 41.5 MPG, overall - better than I was expecting when I purchased it.
I know that the 2015+ hatch refresh received some added refinement in the form of a stiffer chassis (more spot welds), retuned suspension/steering & better sound insulation. The ride is stiffer than my old Honda Accord, but the car has lower-profile 195/50/16 tires, a stiffer suspension setup, etc. Still, even in its factory state, it drove fine at highway speeds for the size/weight of the vehicle (no tracking issues, etc.), & noise suppression levels were better than I expected really. I did notice later, however, that adding a TRD rear-sway-bar improved the feel of the car even more against wind buffeting, body-roll on corners/curves, etc. With a stock suspension, it is the best bang-for-the-buck performance/stability modification that you can make to the Yaris hatch (or 2nd gen sedan). We have some crazy dust/wind storms out here sometimes & the occasional monsoon-style downpour, & I still felt perfectly confident driving my little Yaris in those conditions. It handles itself like a champ, especially with the rear-sway-bar setup. In closing, tires (& PSI) also make a huge difference on how the car performs, with regards to most of your questions. All brands/types/sizes are NOT created equal when it comes to tracking, rain, noise, comfort, MPG, etc. The factory Bridgestone tires on my SE have been pretty decent/balanced for me across-the-board thus-far, but I am looking forward to trying the 195/50/16 Yokohama YK740 GTX tires next in about another 5K or so miles (I am currently approaching 40K miles on my Yaris). - Last edited by Kalispel; 08-04-2018 at 02:35 AM. |
08-04-2018, 10:45 AM | #11 |
Drives: 2016 Yaris 3 Dr Super White Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: SoFloYo
Posts: 259
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08-06-2018, 09:15 AM | #12 |
Drives: 2007 Yaris Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Canada
Posts: 15
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I live in British Columbia Canada and I do alot of mountain driving and these little cars are great, like others have said get good tires and enjoy the ride and you will be doing much more now that it won't kill you in fuel.
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2006 YARIS RS |
08-06-2018, 09:51 AM | #13 |
Drives: 2007 2-door hatchback Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: USAnotCA
Posts: 750
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Sedan might have less freeway tail wag than the hatchbacks (most of respondents here.)
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