Besides being Australia’s best-selling car brand with reliable, versatile, and affordable vehicles, Toyota hasn’t left out driving enthusiasts and offers a healthy range of performance vehicles. The recently discontinued Supra is still Toyota’s fastest production car. While waiting for the next-generation model, Toyota customers can revel in the GR 86, the GR Yaris, and the GR Corolla. All pack serious power numbers, nimble handling, and tons of grip from the all-wheel drive system.
To squeeze out the last drop of power, consider installing aftermarket Toyota performance exhausts. If you’ve dipped your toes in the tuning scene, then a new exhaust will often be the first recommendation. While systems in Toyota’s GR and Performance ranges go the extra mile with revised layouts, better muffling, and neater tips, there are better aftermarket options without the typically high asking price. These are better built, go with superior materials, and most importantly use wider diameter piping for even better airflow from the NA engine in the GR 86and turbocharged mills in the GR variants of the Yaris and Corolla.
Why Upgrade?
source: xforce.com.au
If you’re still on the edge whether to equip your already decently-specced GR Yaris, Corolla, 86 or any other Toyota for that matter, consider the long list of benefits:
- Increased exhaust flow: Toyota aftermarket exhausts draw larger volumes of spent gases through the tips. Straight-through piping in wider diameters clears systems of exhaust gases and allows for the next combustion cycle.
- Increased velocity and scavenging: Where performance exhausts excel is faster velocity, urged on by pipes that also aid scavenging for higher engine efficiency.
- Reduced backpressure: Gases lingering in the piping can cause unwanted backpressure, essentially choking the engine and preventing it from taking its next breath. To limit backpressure and other airflow restrictions, performance piping uses wider diameters, smooth mandrel bends, and superior welds in jointed parts for a leak-free design.
Real-world benefits, though, are what matter. Improved airflow and new designs also boost engine efficiency. Power plants can freely draw more intake air and produce bigger bangs. Estimates are that power increases range between 5 to 10 percent of rated power in full turbo-back systems, so for the Yaris and Corolla, you’ll be looking at close to an additional 30 horses. Cars are faster off the mark, more responsive to throttle input, and get a nice dose of added low-end torque.
Then there’s the sound. Proprietary muffler and resonator designs and combos, some with dash-controlled valving, greet drivers with a deep, throaty sound. Manufacturers have also included adjustable settings and modes to modify exhaust volume and pitch based on where and how you’re driving. This works by changing airflow levels in the piping with electronics opening or closing the valves lining the muffler inlets and outlets.
Boost Durability and Aesthetics With Performance Tubing
Besides the performance gains, aftermarket exhausts are better than factory units with upscale materials and builds. High-grade 304 and 409 stainless steel offer unmatched (for the price) heat resistance, keeping the heat of hot exhaust gases within the system, and reducing intake temperatures for more efficient combustion cycles.
Impact resistance is also on a higher level, with the materials exhibiting much higher tensile strength than the mild steel seen in factory exhausts. This prevents dents, punctures, and leaks. Add advanced production methods such as mandrel-bending for uniform diameters (a prerequisite for smoother and faster exhaust flow), and heat treatment for improved hardness, and you have piping that can outlast any Toyota. The final touches improve aesthetics, with matte powder-coated or high-gloss and polished chromed finishes in areas like the tips, turning more heads.
All this from an affordable system in stainless steel. If money isn’t an issue, choose brands that go one better in terms of materials. Inconel and titanium are readily used for one-off racing applications, and are now available to the wider public. The materials top steel in all parameters, including strength and heat resistance, and are the go-to choice if you’re considering major under-hood engine upgrades. Along with carbon fiber, they’re also lighter, skimming quite a few kilos off an already featherweight GR Yaris or Corolla.
Choosing the Right Exhaust for Your Toyota
With materials and build sorted, your main consideration when looking into Toyota performance exhausts is widths and exhaust configurations. The 2.5″ pipe diameters in the stock Yaris and Corolla are responsible for increased backpressure, robbing the 1.6 turbocharged engines of their true potential. Aftermarket exhausts go wider, with 3″ pipes striking the right balance between exhaust velocity and the required backpressure to spool the turbos.
Lastly, choose a system. Axle-back configurations, with new parts from the rear axle to the exhaust tips, are more about tuning the sound than real performance gains. They do however, add nicer tips in a range of materials and shapes for more visual flair. Go with cat-back (or GPF-back) exhausts for the added realty of wider mid-pipes, or full turbo-back systems with beefier downpipes to reap all the benefits or improved scavenging. All have revised designs, are made to a higher standard, and include more efficient muffler and resonator combos for more substance to the exhaust note.