Toyota GR Yaris Drag Races Itself To See If A $900 Tune Is Worth It

il y a 3 années, 9 mois - 19 Février 2021, motor1
Toyota GR Yaris Drag Races Itself To See If A $900 Tune Is Worth It
Here's what 44 extra horsepower looks like.

There's good reason to love the mighty little Toyota GR Yaris. The spritely hot hatch packs an angry 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine that sends 261 brake horsepower (195 kilowatts) to all four wheels. It's already a fun-loving machine, but more power is never a bad thing. The real question is whether a modest increase under the hood is worth the money spent.

In this case, the CarWow crew lined up a bone stock GR Yaris with an otherwise identical model, right down to the color. The only differences are Litchfield stripes on the side, which advertises a Litchfield tune to the engine. Combined with a high-flow air filter, the Litchfield-modified GR Yaris makes a claimed 305 hp (227 kW). That's a modest 44-hp (33 kW) increase, with torque also elevated slightly from 266 pound-feet (360 Newton-meters) to 288 lb-ft (390 Nm). The tune reportedly costs $900, but does it actually deliver on its promise of more power?

That's where the drag racing comes in. Four races are held, with two being from a stop and two more from a roll. Both cars shift gears the old-fashioned way, and surprisingly, the first race sees the stock Yaris jump out to a sizable lead at the launch. However, it appears the advantage was due to a premature start in the far lane, because the tuned Yaris makes up the difference and then some before crossing the line. A second dig race saw an even start between the two, and yes, the extra horsepower certainly makes a difference. It also makes a difference in the two roll races, though the cars seem better matched at speed.

The $900 upgrade certainly gives the Litchfield-tuned Yaris a performance boost, but we're forced to revisit our original question. Is the extra punch worth the money?