The Toyota GR Yaris was one of the most unexpected cars to come from Toyota. By all accounts, it can be viewed as the spiritual successor to the Toyota Celica GT Four, despite the GR Yaris not being entered in rallying yet. The DIYers from Mighty Car Mods have taken it upon themselves to utilize all available aftermarket modifications for the GR Yaris in order to create the ultimate version of the compact hot hatchback. Can they build the most powerful GR Yaris yet?
The main principle of modifying a turbocharged car is “keep it cool”
“Keeping the airflow going” is important for any car, but even more so for ones that feature forced induction. Heat-soaking is an issue on prolonged track sessions, which is what the GR Yaris is meant for. A thicker intercooler is in order, so the rally-bred hatchback can run cooler for longer. While the aftermarket piece is not much bigger than the stock one, it works fine for the stock boost.
The same goes for the brakes, which also need to be able to dissipate heat during a track session. The addition of brake-cooling ducts is often overlooked, but the guys at Mighty Car Mods bless the GR Yaris with this seemingly minor, but important mod.
Complementary track mods
A less restrictive exhaust is a crucial performance mod for any project car and Mighty Car Mods went for an HKS Super Turbo kit, which is both lighter and louder than the stock exhaust, and we already know how awesome the GR Yaris sounds with an aftermarket exhaust.
A cone-air filter is something you can go without, but in order to optimize the intake airflow of the small inline-three, they proceed with the installation. To keep the oil at an optimal temperature, the GR Yaris also gets a front-mounted oil cooler. This also requires additional oil in order to account for the extra capacity added.
Lower center of gravity
Installing lowering springs is the logical mod for any track-day car. The GR Yaris gets Whiteline lowering springs, which turns out to be a simple installation since the shocks and springs on the hot hatch are separate. The benefits of a lower center of gravity are obvious so we’ll save you the explanation, but essentially, it has a lot to do with improved stability and weight transfer.
More air ducts
The GR Yaris is getting put together after all the aforementioned mods have been done to it. The front fascia gets two new openings at the bottom for the new brake-cooling ducts and an aftermarket undercover, which features air ducts for cooling the transfer case, engine, and transmission.
The three principles of building a track car
Mighty Car Mods just built the best track version of the GR Yaris, without resorting to cranking up the boost (not yet anyway). While we know the G16E-GTS engine can reliably push 36 PSI and nearly 500 horsepower, the DIYers focused on three important aspects – maximized airflow and cooling, stability, and lightness.
In stock form, the Toyota GR Yaris packs 268 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and 273 pound-feet (370 Nm) at 3,000 to 4,600 RPM. With all the mods installed so far, the GR Yaris not only has a bit more than that but also gets to use its full power for much longer, before heat-soaking starts taking its toll. Last but not least, new track-focused brake pads and titanium backing plates make it onto the GR Yaris’ already impressive braking system. To top it all off, the GR Yaris gets Advan RC3 lightweight wheels for a more aggressive stance and more importantly, reduced unsprung weight.