5 Upgrade ideas for your Toyota GR Yaris
Toyota was and remains the benchmark for reliability. Brand bestsellers, including the Hilux, Corolla and RAV4, offer a balanced mix of dependable mechanics, frugality, comfort and value. And yet, few motorists have associated Toyota with outright performance or driving dynamics. That is, not until the Gazoo Racing (GR) arm spurned the likes of the GR Yaris, GR 86 and GR Corolla.
Why the GR Yaris?
Apart from the GR Supra produced in collaboration with BMW, the GR Yaris is Toyota’s first independent take on the hot hatch theme. And it’s been praised for its exceptional driving agility, the world’s most powerful three-cylinder production engine, tons of grip through the electronic AWD and the all-day practicality of the regular car it’s based on.
Along with exterior styling smarts that shed weight and add rigidity, and factory coilovers to ensure smoother steering and cornering stability, this is a car that gets you grinning both on the track and the street. The question is, with so much engineering thrown into its development, can the stock car be improved? Short answer, yes, with the right Toyota aftermarket parts.
Upgrade Ideas for Your GR Yaris
Aftermarket Intercoolers and Oil Coolers
The original GR Yaris suffered from heat soak when pushed hard, resulting in reduced performance. The simple solution is to install an aftermarket intercooler. This cools compressed air from the turbine more effectively, resulting in a denser oxygen-rich mixture for optimal combustion, letting the engine maintain power even under higher loads. Not incidentally, Toyota went with a larger intercooler design in the facelifted model, resulting in a 21kW power increase over the older car (rated at 200kW).
When selecting intercoolers, ensure to go with designs in larger core sizes for improved cooling while still fitting the recess just behind the front bumper. For optimal engine cooling, additionally consider fitting aftermarket oil coolers. The parts maintain engine longevity and provide efficient lubrication by stabilising oil temperatures and viscosity, especially at higher engine loads. And they not only prevent overheating or engine seizing, but also help in future power upgrades, such as ECU tunes or faster-spooling aftermarket turbos.
Improved Aiflow with Cold Air Intakes and Performance Exhausts
For additional power gains, choose cold air intakes. Toyota went with a traditional airbox design in the original GR, with air drawn from within the engine bay. This has a few downsides; the biggest being the radiant heat from adjacent parts.
Cold air intakes relocate the airbox closer to the front bumper, include more efficient cotton gauze and reusable filters for cleaner, contaminant-free intake air, and heat-resistant air box and ducting materials (metal or carbon fibre) to prevent heat soak. Along with the wider piping, this provides higher air volumes of oxygen-rich air delivered at optimised speed and angles for increased engine power.
Air coming into the engine is combusted and exits as spent gas through the exhaust piping. Complement a cold air intake at the inlet end with a performance exhaust at the outlet end. These Toyota aftermarket parts go with wider, straighter and less restrictive designs that optimise flow and improve exhaust velocity. They also keep high exhaust temperatures with the piping, ensuring cooler (and denser) air in the intake.
Parts built with durable materials, such as high-grade stainless steel, and with advanced production processes (mandrel-bending, CNC machining, heat treatment) mean higher resistance to extreme exhaust gas temperatures and pressure, as well as corrosion or impact sustained in daily driving. A big selling point is opening up the exhaust with more volume and depth, and matching the sound with the engine output.
Better Handling and Improved Aesthetics with Aero Body Kits
The GR differs from the regular Yaris with the lower roofline, carbon fibre roof, aluminium doors and bonnet, wider wheel arches and revised front and rear bumpers. The latter have integrated ducting (for brake and suspension cooling), and come as part of optional aero packs. If you’re against spending thousands for exterior Toyota performance parts, but still want the handling benefits, opt for aftermarket aero kits.
These consist of front splitters, side skirts, rear diffusers, and rear lips (with twin or quad exhaust openings). Parts are optioned in low-weight ABS plastic, are designed to fit flawlessly to the rest of the car, and are often sold unpainted to allow for easier colour coding. For an improved visual presence, consider pairing aero parts with underglow kits.
Real-world benefits are reduced drag for faster acceleration and higher top speeds, increased strength and rigidity to help maintain downforce and tyre grip, improved road holding in corners and hard braking, and the aesthetic improvement over the stock car. Look for a professional fit to rule out misalignment or damage to adjacent parts and surfaces. As with intakes, exhausts, intercoolers and oil coolers, source these and other performance parts from reputed brands.
