Automatic Sportif!!

[29929blacktuesday]

Hi - as title - got an 82k R-plate auto 1.3 Sportif.

It is totally stock and has sh1t tyres all round on steel wheels. I love this little car - it is an absolute hoot to drive and really shifts for an auto. Thing is:

It leans badly on cornering and feels really really tail-happy in the wet. Yes pressures are correct at 32. I've bounced the quarters and the shockers seem OK. Tyres are 165s - front Avons and rear cheap budget Heros.

I know this little car wouldn't stand up next to some of the works of art I've seen on here but what would you suggest I did to upgrade the handling for a budget of up to £1000?

Tyres? Tyres and rims? Springs? Dampers? Any other basic mods for this little Toyota?

I hope you can help - something in me wants this little gem to have a new lease of life! Cheers - Dave

[ollie ryan]

eister coilovers £599

rear anti roll bar and anti lift kit is a must for any starlet!

rear stut brace and rear c-pillar bar

[ste91]

First and most important is tyres, get some nice 14/15 inch alloys and stick some good rubber on them!

Then consider other mods, but unless you plan on upgrading to a Glanza/GT/4EFTE conversion then I wouldn't go too mad.

[29929blacktuesday]

Thanks for the advice. Probably won't convert the car too much as will most likely buy the real thing and keep this little one as a shopping car. Yes, the back could do with something and I reckon I'll go for some decent rims and rubber first then see what's left over for the suspension. As you say it's not worth going too far - just enough to tighten it up a bit. It feels over-powered for the handling at the moment and there really is no point in complaining until there are decent tyres. This is always the way with any new car I buy - the previous owners always fit the cheapest tyres at the first opportunity. It is amazing that some tyres are even available - like the SAVA brand - shudders...

So, thanks a lot for replying - it really is appreciated. I'll keep you posted.

Funny how I see Starlets all over the place now!

[ryan lang]

welcome to the club to start with mate

get some tidy14/15 inch rims, and get some tidy tyres, yoko parada spec 2s, toyo t1r's, kumho are good and quite a bit cheaper i think

then if your planning on getting a glanza, you can transfer all suspension mods from the auto to the glanza anyway, but if your just looking for cheap thrills, rear arb and some lowering springs should do the job for now, and some front and rear strut braces that can be picked up for pennies nowadays

happy modding, and get some pics up of the beaut

[Guest Enzo]

welcome mate,!

how did you find this site?

heres a wee guide on how to make your starlet handle better.

http://www.ukstarletclub.com/forums/index....&article=17

enjoy your stay

[29929blacktuesday]

welcome mate,!

how did you find this site?

heres a wee guide on how to make your starlet handle better.

http://www.ukstarletclub.com/forums/index....&article=17

enjoy your stay

I found the site by putting in 'Starlet handling' or something like that into Google. Then just joined! I'll read that attachment now. Poor little thing is misfiring on low revs now...

edit: Reading that advice, a rear arb will INCREASE my oversteering problem.

I reckon it just needs a set of decent tyres all round. Not sure if I'll go for the big rim idea - it wouldn't fit the image of this standard motor - I'll probably get a replacement pair of shocks and the best standard tyres I can get.

It may not handle like a Clio or a Focus but it is actually way more fun to drive. I literally have had to employ driving techniques I used to use on a 5.3 / V12 E-Type I once had (that car tried to kill me a few times I can tell you...) and be pretty nifty with the opposite-lock steering! They're not supposed to do that are they? Understeer it does not! The oversteer feels like a 'snap' and only happens on RH bends... any ideas other than mismatched rubber?

Is the misfiring a common Starlet problem? It's on 83k and looks to have the original HT leads and most likely sparkers.

[ste91]

Big rims? What are you on about? 14 inch are good if you want a smaller wheel, 15 inch are perfect for Starlets. The main reason for using bigger wheels (the standard ones are only 13 inch) is so you can use wider and better tyres.

Have a look at some pictures on here, you'll see that 15 inch look fine, it's not as if you're fitting silly 17 inch wheels.

As for the over steering, one of my Starlets "snap oversteered" on me twice, my setup was uprated shocks, lowering springs, Toyo Proxes T1R tyres on the front and mismatched shit tyres on the back. Both times happened in the wet, which I put down to going too quickly into corners with shit tyres on the rear causing it to (quite eratically) step out.

Starlets are fun because you can make them handle reasonably well with a few mods, and they are easy to control. I felt a lot safer in my Starlet than I do in my CRX, even though it massively outperforms the handling capabilities it just doesn't feel as predictable.

As for the miss-fire, just check over all the ignition parts, it's probably something simple. These engines are pretty much bullet proof with basic maintenance.

[29929blacktuesday]

Big rims? What are you on about? 14 inch are good if you want a smaller wheel, 15 inch are perfect for Starlets. The main reason for using bigger wheels (the standard ones are only 13 inch) is so you can use wider and better tyres.

Have a look at some pictures on here, you'll see that 15 inch look fine, it's not as if you're fitting silly 17 inch wheels.

As for the over steering, one of my Starlets "snap oversteered" on me twice, my setup was uprated shocks, lowering springs, Toyo Proxes T1R tyres on the front and mismatched shit tyres on the back. Both times happened in the wet, which I put down to going too quickly into corners with shit tyres on the rear causing it to (quite eratically) step out.

Starlets are fun because you can make them handle reasonably well with a few mods, and they are easy to control. I felt a lot safer in my Starlet than I do in my CRX, even though it massively outperforms the handling capabilities it just doesn't feel as predictable.

As for the miss-fire, just check over all the ignition parts, it's probably something simple. These engines are pretty much bullet proof with basic maintenance.

Yeah - of course, 14" / 15" is a small increase. I've always preferred steel wheels over alloys. Is there a production car with these rims (in steel) that would fit? From a breakers. I'm going to have a go at the misfiring as soon as I have a spare second. It's worse now it's damp. I remember an RAC bloke telling me how everyone automatically assumes engine faults are down to fuel management but are 99% of the time electrical.

You're right - attack the basics first - new plugs and leads. Is there a supplier on here that could send a set to me?