European Yaris 2000 Ecomodding

[Jyden]

Just back from my long time trusted Toyota garage, where the car had a full tune up.

As I suspected (from the very dirty airfilters I found) the car do not seem to have been serviced correct. And it hasen't!

Sparkplugs - center electrodes worn down on all 4 - new plugs installed.

Drivebelt - old and carcked - new installed

Engine oil and filter changed - and it was about time - both rather dirty. Now theres full synthetic 5W 30 on the engine good for the next 15 - 20.000 km's

Transmission oil - totally toasted - dealer had never seen anything like it. Replaced with new.

Front breakes Ok - rearbreakes cleaned and lubed

Colant - replaced with hi spec Toyota - 4 years service interval.

Had an engine clean performed. Cleaned intake body, intake tubes, sencors etc.
Nozzele cleaner in tank for the next 2 to 3 tanks

Finally they took the car to the tester, and all 4 emmisions showed now below new spec. values.

I'm one happy Yaris owner now. The car engine much better, responds quickly to the gas, and engine pulls better. Now I can fell it's a VVT-I engine. Before is was like a lame duck. Trans is now compleatly silent.

For the FE - we will have to wait and see, but I expect above avarege result at next fill.

I'm glad I had this done, as they went through the whole car, and basicly comfirmed that it was in otherwise good nick, and with the tune up, and replacement of the vital fluids, everything is up to spec.

Now I just have to find those extra 10 mpg (driving style)

My goal is first to get it above the 40 mpg which the car is rated at, and through mods and practicing a better driving style, the long term goal it to get it up near 50 mpg. But that will take time and more mods.

After the serice I took the car for a 30 miles drive on a rute I often go.
The car computer gave me a 43,8 mpg read out, which is by far the best I have seen so far.

This indicates, that the tune up is going to give some better milage.

[Piwoslaw]

Well, it's good that you got those things fixed. Hpoefully you will keep a better eye on them than the previous owner. Now you have to work on technique, no excuses left!

[Jyden]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

Well, it's good that you got those things fixed. Hpoefully you will keep a better eye on them than the previous owner. Now you have to work on technique, no excuses left!

Yes - Piwo - I will have to beat your 49 mpg

It takes time to train, and many km's I suspect

But I'll get there.

Had a good look undeneath the car when at the garage today, and I plan for at front and rear bellypan, as they seem to be easy to do, and easy to attach, but as I have to work on the car outside, that a summer project.

[Jyden]

Small update as we are about to enter April.
I've been struggeling with the FE of the yars since I got in in early january. But things start to improve.

The latest mods include a new more permanet upper grill block (pics will follow in my album tomorrow) made from painted aluminium sheet.

As temps started to raise, I pulled the lower temporary grill block, as the car struggled to get rid of the heat during city driving. (fan ran a lot)

I also finally invested in a scangauge II, and it really helps a lot in trying to get better milage, as I constantly try to lower the avage MPG on each trip. Now I can also keep exact track engine and intake temps, which is nessesary for further mods.

Last tank, I finally broke the 40 miles barrier, which the car is stated to do here in europe. Avarage on the whole tank was 43.49 miles. Succes at last....

This winter here has been the worst in about 20 years, and we have had about 67 days with constant frost and snowcover.

As we now have spring, and temps are rising, I see dramatic improvements in my FE, so I belive, that winter is to blame for my struggle with this cars FE the past 3 months. In march alone we hat - 17 deg. centigrade frost and two weeks later a day ewith +19 deg. centigrade. Now it around 5 - 9 deg centigrade and rising every week.

Firstcomins tuesday I'll cange fraom winter tires to my Michelin Energy Svaer LLR tires, so can't wait to see if thats goind to bring further improvements.

When the LLR tires are on, next will be some kind of rear wheel well covers.

1. goal is to reach a consistant avarage per tank of 20 km/l ( 47 mpg), and the dream will bee to get to 25 km/l (59 mpg), but that will proabably involve covering to bottom of the cars, and som mods to the rear.

(Don't thing the wife will approve of the last)

[Angmaar]

Originally Posted by Jyden

Small update as we are about to enter April.
I've been struggeling with the FE of the yars since I got in in early january. But things start to improve.

Winter kills FE but a block heater and grill block could help improve it.

Nice mileage out of your Yaris.

[Jyden]

Pics now in my album:

Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - Jyden's Album: Yaris 2000 mods

[Jyden]

As I'm out of job for the time beeing, I don't commute, and the cars is mostly beeing used for shorter trips locally, and this has a tendensy to kill milage, but naturaly driving less also meens using less gas.

Lately the wheater warmed up, and I have seen som improvements in milage lately.

The wamer wheather also promted me to get back in to some of the planned mods, one of which was to remove and reasemble a badly fitted front bumper, which had som big gaps between parts and also between bumber and bodywork.

So I pulled the bumber, put it together properly and refittet it. At the same time, I did a partial lower grille block with black gaffa tape. In this very warm wheather, is was a good time to test that.

Also I removed the licenseplate holder, and pop riveted the plate flush to the bumber.

Finally I also got around to do a pair of rear wheel skirts. I used som 0,6 mm aluminium plate I had. Outlined the size of the wheel well on tracing paper, and cut the plates. Painted and fitted with welcro.

As the plate is rather thin, and I did not want to make a lower bracket, I kept the skirts a bit small so that they stay free of the wheel. Also I wanted to keep an easy acces to the wheel for cheking pressure, so I only covered the upper halv of the wheel well.

So far the have stayed in place.

I will put up some pics later today.

Havent done any tests, but scangauge indicates an improved milage from all this. I have just refilled the tank, so this tank should reveal the impact of the mods.

For the first 130 km's of the tank, I'm at an avarage of 20.3 km/liter = 47.75 mpg, which so far is the highest for this car as long as I've been driving it.
But it will drop with more small trips later on this tank.

For now I have dropped the plans for mounting bellypans. The front end underbody is farly smooth due to factory panels, and the rear end is not too bad. But I migh reconsider later on.

Next is deleting the radio antenna, or relocating it, and then I'm going to do some test on some kind of kamback.

Pics:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-jy...side-wiew.html

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-jy...ill-block.html

[Daox]

Very nice mods Jyden. Looks good.

[Jyden]

Finally got around to two more mods:

A - radio antenna - As I did'nt wanted to mess with the cieling in the car, I chose not to mount an inside antenna. The original antanna is a 50 cm long whip, so I simply changed it to a modern short rod on only 9 cm long.

B - Driving lights - has been looking for some easy to mount LED driving lights for some time now, and I finally found a flexible LED strip that could be mounted just under the headlights with sticky tape.

In my country it is mandatory to drive with ligts on all the time, and this offcourse use some power, thus the altanator runs a lot. The LED runninglights should help reduce that.

I am very exited to see what this tank of fuel are goind to show, when I refill later today.

Pics will follow tomorrow

[Jyden]

Yupiiie !!!! I finally broke the 45 mpg barrier for this car. A combination of all my modding, summer temperatures along 80+ fahrenheit, and a lot of focus on driving behavior, I finally nettet a tank with an avarage of 46.44 mpg!

Best trip result fo far is 24 km/l = 56.45 mpg, (according to Scangauge), but that was with a solid rear wind helping me along.

Never the less, alle the different mods, and attention to driving style is finally paying off.

This car with only a 1 liter engine, and a fairly high gearing struggles with wind resistance at speeds over 90 km/t (56 mph) in the sence that fuel consumption goes through the roof when driving over 50 - 55 mph.

So if time is not of the essence I tend to stay at 50 mph.

I need to consider further mods that can bring down wind resistance. I allways se fuel consumption rise is I have some headwinds.

Thinking about deleeting af sideview mirror, or some kind of camback, but there is the Wife Approval Factor to consider.....