Yaris Cross GR Sport

[TonyHSD]

As long as the replacement  wheels and tyres combo match the specs of the car and the outer end of the tyre matches the position of the oem specs wheels the handling will not be compromised at all, but they will be some gains like easier going over speed bumps, softer ride , slightly better fuel consumption, tighter turning circle , faster acceleration, less tyre noise and vibrations, lower risk of wheels damage, less tyre wear, cheaper tyres and greater choice, all in favour to the smaller size. 👍

[Cyker]

2 hours ago, IT Troll said:

Would you be willing to post a photo? I am intrigued about how this looks.

The 17 taken when the car was quite new and the 15 taken just now! (The light levels are a bit low so the photo isn't as nice I'm afraid!)

[TonyHSD]

17 hours ago, Cyker said:

The 17 taken when the car was quite new and the 15 taken just now! (The light levels are a bit low so the photo isn't as nice I'm afraid!)

Great job here 👍

Done the same and could not be happier. Only thing with me was that I didn't do it on my purchase but years later, but all that because I was not using the car. 👌

[Hibird]

I accept the Toyota offering for what it is as they ain't changing it for me. I would not buy anything I did want want or like and am very happy with my choice. Clearly the 'GR Sport' offerings are popular with some and not with others surley that's life or we would all be driving the same car !

[Hibird]

On 9/3/2022 at 12:59 PM, Cyker said:

I agree with your first point about the individual choice, but not the second; The Excel spec has real improvements over the Design - Keyless entry, all around sensors, options for improved sound system and HUD etc.

From what I've read so far, the GR Sport is all style and no substance - Doesn't offer anything over e.g. Excel apart from a worse ride and likely higher insurance premiums due to the bigger more easily damaged rims!  

I do see (and have overtaken  ) some Mk3s with GR badges on them so I don't doubt there is a market for them, but I seriously think it is a smaller market than my Kitchen Sink-spec idea. Esp. with regard to the normal Toyota customer-base, who tend to stick with them for their technical and mechanical excellence.

The sort of person that gets the Poser-spec is much better served by German marques - No amount of GR badges will make them happy with the interior and fit'n'finish of the average Toyota.

It's a criticism I've had about Toyota's marketing and direction for a while - They are chasing other demographics who aren't really interested in them, and are meanwhile neglecting their core customer base by leaving out things that we'd want that are available to be specced!

Amazing view of fellow Toyota owners vehicle preference. 'The sort of person that gets the Poser-spec" I guess you would include me in your wide ranging judgement of views different to your own. I do not feel the need to judge your vehicle choice and hope you are as happy with it as I am. I think I remember being overtaken by a MK4 Yaris but don't think it was you 🙂

[Hibird]

On 9/3/2022 at 10:48 PM, Cyker said:

Hmm, maybe I should buy some GR Sport badges to stick on my Excel so I can sell it as a GR Sport Excel and jack the price up some!  It already has everything and more than the GR Sport, excluding the 18" rims but including 'sports seats' and 'sports tuned suspension' afterall...  

 

Hmm I think you should do whatever you want and allow others with a real GR Sport Badge to do the same 😆

[Hibird]

21 hours ago, Cyker said:

The 17 taken when the car was quite new and the 15 taken just now! (The light levels are a bit low so the photo isn't as nice I'm afraid!)

I know which one I would vote for !

[Cyker]

No offence meant! Well, maybe some gentle ribbing    

It's all down to personal preference at the end of the day, and I'm a function-over-form type with rabies  

I think the worst thing about the 15"s are those Toyota wheel covers - If anyone does this, don't get them, as they're a ripoff and just look cheap and nasty. Even the ones I had on my Mk2 from Halfords were nicer looking. I will say they are very solid tho'! (I have kerbed the ones on the otherside of the car a fair amount already and still no cracks!   )

But I do prefer the ratio of wheel to tyre over the 17's - On the Mk4, I think 16" would be the sweet spot as they look just right to me, just the right balance. The 17's and especially the 18's are just too much wheel, not enough rubber to my eyes, and I'd be in a constant state of anxiety taking those anywhere near the roads I regularly drive on! The 15's, especially as they're steel, I don't give a smeg about and there's something to be said about the joys of care-free motoring  

(Also I don't have to look at them so it's not my problem    And the tyres are SO much cheaper!!!)

 

[TonyHSD]

Yeap. the 16' wheels are the best size for Yaris , 17' for the Yaris cross. I have see recently a Yari mk4 parked next to my car, well it was an excel with large wheels, well kerbed already on 22 plate car and there is so little tyre that th e whole car looked like seats on its bare wheels, same for the corolla with 18'. To me doesn't even look good, because its disproportional., proper Mexican style tunning. 

[Eddie G]

On 9/4/2022 at 2:37 PM, Cyker said:

Oh I didn't realize they'd put 18" rims on the Excel too... good grief the 17"s were bad enough!  It's an eco box! Not a sports car!!

Thank smeg I got mine when I did, it seems they're just making the cars worse!! At least Mazda haven't succumbed to this madness yet with the rebadged 2, so there's still an alternative option!!

I reiterate my opinion that Toyota GB have no idea of their customer base...

 

Agree, 16" are the sweet spot, anything bigger just makes the ride worse and MPG, reminds me of when i drew cars as a kid and the wheels always looked too big lol.

[Hibird]

On 9/3/2022 at 12:59 PM, Cyker said:

 

 

On 9/3/2022 at 12:59 PM, Cyker said:

It's a criticism I've had about Toyota's marketing and direction for a while - They are chasing other demographics who aren't really interested in them, and are meanwhile neglecting their core customer base by leaving out things that we'd want that are available to be specced!

As we clearly don't all want the same as you and are not all feeling neglected perhaps your views on Toyota's marketing are not universal.  I would consider myself a core customer as they are making vehicles I am buying. If they were not I would not hesitate to take my business elswhere, surley that's how business works.

I think Henry Ford may have said 'If you do what you always did you will get what you always got" Of course he may not have said that or he may have said something different however is probably said something. What he did not do is put his feet up and say job done the core customer is happy.

Manufacturers of all sorts of products offer different specs in different World markets and if the spec I wanted was not avaiable in my location the choice would be simple as I would not be spending those sums on something I would .... I think you used the word Detest.                                                

I think you probably consider yourself a core Toyota customer as do I. So it is obvious that not all core customers want the same. At least I am happy core core customer.🙂

 

[Llynyfan]

Its good to have choices in life. Our other car was a 'normal' spec but our new car is a M Sport, yep, we have a BM...cough...W as well.

The reason we changed the spec is the look, nothing else. The engine, drivetrain is similar, we have 20" wheels instead of 18s and a Harmon Kardon sound system instead of the Roberts MW/LW offering of the old car ... I jest 😉 but it is a marked difference for one who likes music.

My point being, it's what an individual finds attractive is what the decision is based on. A member here prefers the 9" screen offering on the Yaris to the 8", 17" wheels to 16s etc etc. If I was allowed a GR Yaris 3dr, I would have the convenience pack, bring it home in black paint, have the wheels re-painted in gold ala Scooby and enjoy the JBL system and the same performance as the Circuit. Give it a month, colour the calipers, upgrade exhaust and enjoy.

You're all individuals (Python, M. 1979) 

[Cyker]

I don't think just owning one of their cars automatically makes someone a core customer, just A customer.

Toyota's core qualities are Reliability and Efficiency - They have traditionally pursued these things at the expense of other qualities. These two things the the reason I stick with their cars, as I got sick of always having to sort out weird minor repairs all the time. The look of the car and general appearance is very secondary to me, so I wasn't ever bothered by the Toyota Make Boring Cars image or journalists complaining about the lack of driving engagement and noddy wheels.

My colleague OTOH, while he owns an Auris hybrid, is definitely not what I'd call a core customer - He's deffo more a core customer of the german brands, who tend to focus on Quality and Refinement. I think if he had a choice he'd much rather have an Audi or VW, but due to things like running costs and the war on cars going on in London, the Auris  hybrid was the only option that made any sense. He's always complaining about the 'scratchy plastics' and comparing the interior to his previous cars (An A3 and a Passat IIRC!)

Obviously car manufacturers want to sell cars, so they will diversify their stock and options to capture as much of the market as possible - Big rims seems to be the best way to attract non-core customers; They make the car worse in every way that matters, but people are conditioned to think Big Rims = Prestige, so they sell.

Of course choice is a good thing - Good for sales certainly, and Toyota have been doing a good job diversifying lately, especially as they have started to move back in to markets they previously shunned, i.e. performance cars, offering obtainable performance-oriented vehicles, which is a sector that has been neglected in the past few years (Hence the wildly successful sales of the GT/GR86 and especially the GR Yaris - I don't think any of the manufactures realized how hungry people were for such a car!)

I just don't want them to go the way of the german manufacturers, who also had reliability as one of their core values, but by catering more and more to the more prestigious big rim and leather everything crowd, they've done so at the cost of that, and the reliability of modern german vehicles has suffered a lot compared to their older models - I rate them no better than Ford and Vauxhall in terms of reliability these days!

 

[Hibird]

I am not sure why "Big Rims" on vehicles that are not owned by you are such a problem but it takes all sorts and will not get smaller because you object to them so you are in for the long haul.

It would appear you are now claiming to be a more important core customer than me without having any idea of how Toyota cars I have owned and over what period of time. Toyota will however see you as a customer nothing more or less ... yes really, dissapointing I know.

It has been interesting as I have never considered while out in my GR there are at least some other Toyota owners around with such negative views about my car choice. There is probably a life lesson there somewhere !

Those weired minor repairs you are sick of will of course still prevail regardless of wheel size and GR sport Badge will continue so your mission can continue.

 

 

[TonyHSD]

Nothing wrong with big wheels as long as manufacturers offer smaller wheels as optional, similar to Prius., where you can order top spec excel with 15” instead of 17”, this is what bothers me and many others like cyker. I like GR or Excel trims too but the wheel sizes does not suit my needs, therefore I have to choose lower trim or buy another set of wheel, inconvenience at least. 

[Hibird]

2 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Nothing wrong with big wheels as long as manufacturers offer smaller wheels as optional, similar to Prius., where you can order top spec excel with 15” instead of 17”, this is what bothers me and many others like cyker. I like GR or Excel trims too but the wheel sizes does not suit my needs, therefore I have to choose lower trim or buy another set of wheel, inconvenience at least. 

We all have our own preferences and hope our preferred manufacturer can accomodate them as we all want to be happy or at least not unhappy. What I do not undestand is why some folk feel the need scorn the choices of others while expressing their own views. Unlike like your post on the subject so thanks for some sanity on the subject.

[Hibird]

On 9/5/2022 at 12:15 PM, TonyHSD said:

Great job here 👍

Done the same and could not be happier. Only thing with me was that I didn't do it on my purchase but years later, but all that because I was not using the car. 👌

How do insurance companies view a change of wheel type/size from the original spec ? Do you inform them ? is there a change in premium if so up or down ? or is it just recorded somewhere to prevent a claim from some some pricier hardware ?

I have always viewed that question about "modifications" more important than it may appear and not just about wheels.

[FROSTYBALLS]

As far as I'm aware, unless changes (whether wheels or something else and whether these are classed as modifications or not) are declared, the insurer will go by the policy information provided by the customer and the vehicle specification. 

So if the customer states they have an Excel, the insurer will expect, in the event of a claim, that the vehicle will have the standard wheels (size, type and style) for that specification and year of car. 

For example my policy documents state the car is to standard specification.

If changes have been made, depending what those changes are, and the insurer not informed, it could have an effect on the claim, and also whether or not the insurance is still valid.

[Hibird]

Thanks for your insight which is kind of along my line of thinking and a bit more. I guess the risks are low but could be a financial and personal nightmare. One would have to assume the bigger the incident the greater the scrutiny, food for thought indeed.

[TonyHSD]

Insurance needs to be notified indeed. Some will accept it, charge a bit extra or no charge at all. Some companies and depending on the wheels sizes and styles may even refuse to insure you. Each case will be individual. Cost like for the insurance premium it’s little, perhaps £30 more per year, the savings from tyres replacement and wheel damages are huge, plus the fuel bill is reduced and the overall comfort is vastly improved, for me was a deal breaker. I won’t hesitate to do this again on my next car if I will be driving as much as I do now. 

[ISL]

 

On 9/4/2022 at 7:09 PM, Cyker said:

The 17 taken when the car was quite new and the 15 taken just now! (The light levels are a bit low so the photo isn't as nice I'm afraid!)

Looking to get some steelies for my Yaris when it arrives to run winter tyres, but not sure yet what size, probably 15s I guess.  Have winter tyres for all my cars, all running on black steel wheels without any wheel trims.

Have never been a fan of big diameter alloys, and on some cars destroys the feel, good to have a bit of progression on the handling.

BTW that Toyota wheel trim doesn't look too bad.  

Also GR Sport in the Cross isn't my cup of tea, just don't get it.

[Cyker]

One of the reasons I went 15" steel instead of an alloy was to try and head off any insurance increases; Back in the day with my first Mk1 D4D, the 14" alloys were shockingly bad - The paint literally peeling off in big slices. I remember looking at a cheap set of Wolfrace 14" alloys on eBay, but when I checked with my insurance company they wanted an extra £70 for them! Just because they were not OE alloys! Ended up getting the original ones refurbed and powdercoated, which cost more than the Wolfraces would have, but saved more money on insurance in the long run.

While I was talking to the insurance company, I found out criteria that would increase the premium were things that increased the value of the car, larger rims, wider rims, and non-manufacturer alloys; Since going from 17" alloys to 15" steel dodged all of those, they couldn't charge me any more because there were not such options on the system, so they could only note it on the policy (Wouldn't give me a discount tho'!  ). The slam dunk was that I'd gotten the rims from Toyota and it's a size listed in the manual, so I was able to argue it was a manufacturer recognised and tested configuration