Getting More Power From E12

[dwtg]

Hi all,

i have a 03 corolla E12 at the moment. I really like the car but it has no power at all. Can any body give me some tips on increasing bhp of the car? I know back box industion kit will help. I dont want a decat as its too loud and living in a built up area. this will cause trouble. sports cats are overpriced. Anyway any suggestions what to do, what have others done? i know someone will suggest getting a tsport, but there are probably bout 10 here in ireland and Id need a 5door too so not really an option. any advise appreciated

[dahat]

Hi all,

i know someone will suggest getting a tsport, but there are probably bout 10 here in ireland and Id need a 5door too so not really an option. any advise appreciated

alright mate,i have one of those ten in ireland!!!hahahaha!!!!

i was in the same position as you last year.......so i went and got a t-sport!!

a back box and induction kit will not give you anymore power.induction kit will give slight gains......

ya better off getting a stainless steel decat done which i know ya dont want to do but it will give ya more power.

getting the the head ported and polished will give ya gains,expensive though.think wesward do it for 6-8 hundred euro.

either way there is no way around it mate...get a t-sport!!!!!!i got two kids and my two cars are both 3 doors!! in my opinion is that the corolla's dont look half as good in the 5 door!!

[dahat]

where ya from mate???????

[MarcTS]

Not sure how many of us there are on the forums but I'm a proud owner of a 5 door 03 reg black T-Sport. Now I'll agree that the 3 door looks much better, I still think the 5 door has it's plus sides. I'm just waiting on a few parts to arrive and then they need spraying but I should end up with a drop dead gorgeous 5 door rolla in 3 weeks or so.

[dahat]

wat parts ya getting mate???

wat part of ireland ya from??

[MarcTS]

wat parts ya getting mate???

A few purley cosmetic bits that'll make the front of my car look identical to this...

I'm still procrastinating over deciding which wheels to get as well. I'll more than likely end up getting a front strut brace and maybe a TRD short shifter before the new wheels so that will delay the purchase further.

[dahat]

there is my e12 .......the wheels on it really set off the black lad......17" momo wrs.......they are well suited to black,

[DaveSR]

Your car looks sweet minimarc

And the 3 door looks so good ...... just brought myself the Aero spoiler for mine which I hope to get sprayed and fitted soon :D

[MarcTS]

Your car looks sweet minimarc

I wish that was mine. It actually belonged to a guy on the forums who posted the pic ages ago - Just after he had sold it

I will however end up with the front of mine looking identical to his (front lip and debadged grille) as well as getting some 18s on the corners (as soon as I can talk myself into parting with £1000)

[dwtg]

where ya from mate???????

Im in Limerick myself. I think putting 'performance mods' in to the E12 will be money wasted as it is prob cheaper to just buy the tsport. will also make it harder to sell on. About the 3 door, Ive always had 4-5 door cars and find it a pain getting in and out of 3 doors. but if I was offered a 3 door at a good price id take it. I might sell the E12 here in Ireland and buy the Tsport in UK. Theres more of 'em there and they are cheaper even after the conversion to £. not sure of VRT and transport costs so that might swing the prices about even. If I bought a tsport off a toyota dealer in UK and was given an extended warrenty would I be covered by my local toyota dealer? This would rule out any real risk involved in buying abroad? I dont suppose there is a toyota dealer on here that can answer this?

@ dahat: how are you finding the Tsport?

[dahat]

unless ya get a right bargain ya wont save much on getting one in from the uk......i biought mine privately in ardee co louth...wata journey!!

im loving the t-sport...a few small niggles due to the previous owner but in general i love it. the lift is a lovely feeling i must say.........running at a bout 30 mpg....nottoo bad.....

ya go to any cruises r the like in ireland mate?i aint too far from ya in tipp

[MarcTS]

I think putting 'performance mods' in to the E12 will be money wasted as it is prob cheaper to just buy the tsport. will also make it harder to sell on. About the 3 door, Ive always had 4-5 door cars and find it a pain getting in and out of 3 doors. but if I was offered a 3 door at a good price id take it. I might sell the E12 here in Ireland and buy the Tsport in UK. Theres more of 'em there and they are cheaper even after the conversion to £. not sure of VRT and transport costs so that might swing the prices about even. If I bought a tsport off a toyota dealer in UK and was given an extended warrenty would I be covered by my local toyota dealer? This would rule out any real risk involved in buying abroad? I dont suppose there is a toyota dealer on here that can answer this?

If you don't fancy "performance" mods on the vanilla E12 and decide to keep it, I rerally would suggest sorting out the handling as it's pretty soft as standard (well it is on the CTS). Dropping it 30mm and having a strut brace fitted will stiffen the ride up nicely so you get much better responsiveness from the steering.

As for prices of the CTS in the UK - I did a look on the Used Car section of the Toyota site and they have a number of 5 door T-Sports listed for anything between £8K and £10k. That then gives you the best of both worlds. Out of the box performance but still in a 5 door car.

There are a few people on these forums who work at Toyota dealerships (Customer Service, Mechanics and Sales People) so they might be able to give you a solid answer on transferring the warranty over to Ireleand (if you actually need to). Hopefully one of them will spot this thread and answer.

[dwtg]

Ya thats one of my debates.

The handling is soft in the 1.4 too. I could lower and harden the suspension but would be money wasted if I was then to change the car. It all a bit frustrating. I must call in to my toyota dealer and see if they have contacts that could source me a tsport for a reasonable price including trade in. Highly unlikely but we've bought 6 cars in 6 years off him, might be nice to me.

[dwtg]

I think putting 'performance mods' in to the E12 will be money wasted as it is prob cheaper to just buy the tsport. will also make it harder to sell on. About the 3 door, Ive always had 4-5 door cars and find it a pain getting in and out of 3 doors. but if I was offered a 3 door at a good price id take it. I might sell the E12 here in Ireland and buy the Tsport in UK. Theres more of 'em there and they are cheaper even after the conversion to £. not sure of VRT and transport costs so that might swing the prices about even. If I bought a tsport off a toyota dealer in UK and was given an extended warrenty would I be covered by my local toyota dealer? This would rule out any real risk involved in buying abroad? I dont suppose there is a toyota dealer on here that can answer this?

If you don't fancy "performance" mods on the vanilla E12 and decide to keep it, I rerally would suggest sorting out the handling as it's pretty soft as standard (well it is on the CTS). Dropping it 30mm and having a strut brace fitted will stiffen the ride up nicely so you get much better responsiveness from the steering.

As for prices of the CTS in the UK - I did a look on the Used Car section of the Toyota site and they have a number of 5 door T-Sports listed for anything between £8K and £10k. That then gives you the best of both worlds. Out of the box performance but still in a 5 door car.

Update: A CTS in UK will cost about £9000. Thats €13500 + VRT €3425 + NCT €49 +road tax etc etc = too much

The tax is killer!! thought it would be 1k. It makes them cheaper in Ireland then

There are a few people on these forums who work at Toyota dealerships (Customer Service, Mechanics and Sales People) so they might be able to give you a solid answer on transferring the warranty over to Ireleand (if you actually need to). Hopefully one of them will spot this thread and answer.

If I do keep the E12 it will need some suspension changes as it is soft, especially felt on country roads. Im presuming that the cts isnt much harder in trhe suspension lines as this is what I have read in reviews. So Im saving my money to lower and harden the cts (if I actualy go and do something about getting one!). Never thought of looking on toyota uk site . They have a few potentials. Need to do some research now on vrt and other costs of getting it to my front door. How much is it to get the AA to do a full diognostic(spelling) on a car in UK?