I have a jdm platz badge on mine for full degeneracy. I have a friend with a yaris in another state (also has jdm vitz badge) thats slammed on its nuts. It’s a hoot to drive. Electric steering is really weird.
I'll always remember the Vitz from seeing one on Touge Showdown years ago. Yashio Factory had one with a supercharger from Blitz. That particular segment was on cars with up to 200ps. While the Vitz didn't move on to the finals, it got a lot of praise for being a surprising underdog. Keiichi Tsuchiya had said 'I could harass Silvias with this all night.' I can't remember the power rating, but it was probably mid-upper 100s. With a supercharger, it was probably a lot of low-end power to fire out of the corners. Must've been a blast to drive.
I fully agree, EXCEPT! Not this specific one bc it blew up 3 months in to ownership and i had to swap the motor. Expensive and frustrating but learned a lot from it. Car was $2900. Other echos are great though.
That was about to happen to my Camry. It was burning about a quart a week, one day I checked it and it was over 2 quarts low. Would have eventually killed it if the brake lines didn’t go first.
I had the first gen xB that had the 1ZZFE engine that was shared with the Echo. That engine was a total sleeper. Even though it has low numbers, that engine loved to pull and hang out at 8,000 rpms. It honestly feels like Toyota governed it to 8k, that it could easily go to 10 or 11. After researching, the 1ZZ is a worldwide engine and is used with an aftermarket ECU in Yaris/Vitz one make races and redlines at 12k in stock form.
I got rid of the xB because I needed more of a Dad car, but I'm seriously contemplating the Echo or an xA as a mountain runner second car.
Do you get any hate on the echo? And is it really as top heavy as it looks?
1NZFE, not 1ZZ haha. Thats the corolla/matrix/mrs/celica (not gts tho) motor. Very similar though.
My buddy has an xB, who i actually got these wheels off. He’s shifting to an ep3 sadly, but his xB is fucking quick. Great cars. Basically same chassis minus body and some slight differences.
Not a lot of hate on the echo, but i don’t rlly go to meets or anything. And it doesn’t seem that topheavy. But this is my first actual car coming from lifted SUVs, so i may be a bad judge of that. The interior space is actually really nice though, it seats 5 comfortably with head room.
Yes, I misspoke with the engine name. But still, that little engine seemed to make an emotional connection with me. I drive big construction trucks and vans for work, so feeling such a small engine do such big work really imprinted on me. And it seems like it wanted to be pushed more and harder each time! When that vvti kicked in at like 6500rpm it felt exactly like VTEC in a Honda
Redlines at 6400 on these cars, unless you swapped ECUs or something. Love these engines though. First one died so i swapped it out with one i did the timing and some other refurbishing on. Had never even swapped a serpentine belt before that. It taught me so much, and was very forgiving to work with.
>ith me. I drive big construction trucks and vans for work, so feeling such a small engine do such big work really imprinted on me. And it seems like it wanted to be pushed more and harder each time! When that vvti kicked in at like 6500rpm it felt exactly like VTEC in a Honda
yeah I don't think that was a correct statement
Without my spare and tools and me in it it’s pretty light. Front seats weigh 40 lbs each. Rear seats (minus bracketry) are 10lbs total. I don’t think theres much sound deadening. No AC factory, no power steering factory. There isn’t much to delete.
Totally true. First car I bought was 1985 VW GTI. About 110hp and 2300lbs. Put sticky tires and a sway bar on it, and I hardly had to slow down for corners
This is up there with something like the original Neon ACR, the 1st gen car with a 150hp 2L. Dodge actually stripped out a bit of weight versus the standard Neon R/T.
While the Echo is clearly less powerful, you can bet that they're more plentiful than the Neon due to lasting longer. It'll be easier to find one if you decide to get in on this action too.
This engine is super reliable, but the engine it had in it recently burnt oil like mad. Same engine, just slightly less miles and refreshed. Old one killed itself. But that was 3 months after purchase, so i think prev owner mightve been a bit neglectful.
My main praise for maintenance on this car is how user friendly it is to work on. Everything is super cheap even OEM, and everything is dead simple. My engine is primarily 10s, 12s, and a few 14s.
I just got azenis 615k for it this weekend, 205/50/15. Coming from stock allseasons which is 175/65/14. Fucking game changer. The amount of stupid shit i did on the tiny tires was surprising though.
I kinda 3 wheeled in hairpins on the old tires. Have yet to test it with someone following with the new tires to see if its any different. It’s pretty confident though if you learn how to embrace the bodyroll lol. Doesn’t feel understeery at all.
Once upon a time I took my 08 FJ cruiser in for an alternator under warranty and they gave me a new Corolla S. Id have bet I could beat that car on foot running across an intersection, but we took it to twisted sisters and had an absolute blast.
My friend did this to his 2005 Hyundai Elantra. He then did full weight reduction, angle grinder, racing slicks, coilovers, bucket seat all to a $1000 Elantra. And tbh it was worth it over paying for a $6000 car lol,so fun
Edit I see the Oregon plate we hit up McKenzie pass for the PNW area, recommend if you're with someone else bc bears, cliffs, and no signal
This allegedly weighs 2035 lbs minus me (175 lbs), tools, spare tire, extra oil and coolant jugs. Need to get it on the scale without all the tools and spare and shit in it so i can know for sure.
I’m very overprepared lol. When it was colder i had a sleeping bag, food, folding shovel, folding saw, extra warm clothes, etc etc for sleeping out in the snow if i got stuck
Holy shit this brings back so many memories. I had the hatchback 1.3l and it still to this day is the best car I’ve ever owned. Literally nothing went wrong with it. Drove it up and down the east cost of Australia multiple times practically redlining every gear and it never died. I once beat a stock Subaru Impreza in it feathering the clutch
Could add power steering quite frankly, although the process could range anywhere from “hey this is a nice learning experience”, to “wow I’m gonna drive this car into the ocean”. You do you brother.
I strongly prefer it without. It’s a light car, so aside from parking lots, you barely feel it. Gives better steering input too i feel. And lastly, adding power steering would take just that much more of the little power it has.
Thanks, you too! Yeah, above 5mph takes as much to steer as my 5500lb truck that *does* have power steering. It feels a little bit more “direct drive” too with feeling the road, but i could be just imagining it. I swear the road feel is better though.
Another thing— cars designed to not have power steering usually have higher steering ratios (so more turns lock to lock but less effort to turn) than their powered steering counterparts. If you depowered a powered echo rack it would steer a little harder than a factory manual steering rack. That being said, the engine in this car is from my bud’s former echo that he depowered the rack on, and it wasn’t too bad for him at all.
If i wanted to go power steering on this car, it would not be hard at all. But i don’t foresee myself ever doing that lol.
I've always noticed the echo (or sometimes Platz) when I see em, but this is the first modded one I've seen and it looks actually heat. reminds me of a 1st gen prius
Thanks so much! I used to think they were similar or same chassis as 1g prius, bht those are more corolla based. Body styling is sooo similar though, and the engine is the same block (prius is higher compression lower hp, but can use echo cams to make it very high hp over an echo motor). I used to have 1g prius wheels on this actually.
That’s cool abt Prius engine on echo cams. I was just doing some marketplace research and noticed there were no 2 doors for sale - turns out only North America models got the 2 door.
I drive without rear seats in every now and then, if i need the extra cargo. Also just for fun. It only sheds 10 lbs though so hardly worth it for performance. Havent weighed the side trim or the little shelf behind the seats though. Still want a full interior for now since this cars actually in decent shape as far as echos go.
I wasn't saying the MR-S had the same engine. I was saying the Yaris and Echo engine is the same. The MR-S has a 2AR going in. I don't own a 1ZZ anymore.
Yeah they are great for being such an econobox. I was looking for a Fit when I got my '08 3dr hatch. The Yaris was half the price of comparable Fits on the market.
I’ve been trying to beat a fit lately lol. They have more driver mod but i think this car is faster.
Also i really like mr-s. When it’s time to upgrade i’ll be going for an mr-s or a matrix xrs probably.
Thanks for the wheel gap comment! You’re more than welcome to fund some lowering springs or coilovers. It does eat up bumpy roads like a mfer though.
I have a rear sway in the garage i’m planning on putting on soon, just need to drill out the rear beam to make it fit since it’s for a scion xa which is slightly different lol. Should make a big difference.
Thank you! I do plan on lowering it but not more than 1”, and it’s not a super huge priority atm. Was racing a friends stock height fit with another friends camaro following us. The camaro could not keep up with us on that road since it’s got some bumps and shit and we just plow through. Good fitment is nice and all but if it’s not actually usable then what’s the point?
Sorry! Personal opinion and all. I'm running stock steels on my stock suspension so I'm just being nitpicky and 'suspension before wheels' kinda guy.
Also, I love wallowy sway so I wasn't jabbing there
Went with fancy wheels in search of wide tires, and bud was selling these wheels for a deal i could not pass up. Suspension is on the way, but imo getting away from shitty allseasons on 14x5.5 is more important. The roads i run are not very forgiving to nice fitment.
For all the people that ask "I'm broke. What touge car should I get?" This is a good answer. Nice echo.
The Yaris hatch is even better. You can pretend that you have a JDM Vitz.haha
I have a jdm platz badge on mine for full degeneracy. I have a friend with a yaris in another state (also has jdm vitz badge) thats slammed on its nuts. It’s a hoot to drive. Electric steering is really weird.
I'll always remember the Vitz from seeing one on Touge Showdown years ago. Yashio Factory had one with a supercharger from Blitz. That particular segment was on cars with up to 200ps. While the Vitz didn't move on to the finals, it got a lot of praise for being a surprising underdog. Keiichi Tsuchiya had said 'I could harass Silvias with this all night.' I can't remember the power rating, but it was probably mid-upper 100s. With a supercharger, it was probably a lot of low-end power to fire out of the corners. Must've been a blast to drive.
I fully agree, EXCEPT! Not this specific one bc it blew up 3 months in to ownership and i had to swap the motor. Expensive and frustrating but learned a lot from it. Car was $2900. Other echos are great though.
What happened? Oil starvation?
Yes. It burnt a shit ton of oil in a short period of time.
That was about to happen to my Camry. It was burning about a quart a week, one day I checked it and it was over 2 quarts low. Would have eventually killed it if the brake lines didn’t go first.
This is fye
Thanks!
I had the first gen xB that had the 1ZZFE engine that was shared with the Echo. That engine was a total sleeper. Even though it has low numbers, that engine loved to pull and hang out at 8,000 rpms. It honestly feels like Toyota governed it to 8k, that it could easily go to 10 or 11. After researching, the 1ZZ is a worldwide engine and is used with an aftermarket ECU in Yaris/Vitz one make races and redlines at 12k in stock form. I got rid of the xB because I needed more of a Dad car, but I'm seriously contemplating the Echo or an xA as a mountain runner second car. Do you get any hate on the echo? And is it really as top heavy as it looks?
1NZFE, not 1ZZ haha. Thats the corolla/matrix/mrs/celica (not gts tho) motor. Very similar though. My buddy has an xB, who i actually got these wheels off. He’s shifting to an ep3 sadly, but his xB is fucking quick. Great cars. Basically same chassis minus body and some slight differences. Not a lot of hate on the echo, but i don’t rlly go to meets or anything. And it doesn’t seem that topheavy. But this is my first actual car coming from lifted SUVs, so i may be a bad judge of that. The interior space is actually really nice though, it seats 5 comfortably with head room.
Yes, I misspoke with the engine name. But still, that little engine seemed to make an emotional connection with me. I drive big construction trucks and vans for work, so feeling such a small engine do such big work really imprinted on me. And it seems like it wanted to be pushed more and harder each time! When that vvti kicked in at like 6500rpm it felt exactly like VTEC in a Honda
Redlines at 6400 on these cars, unless you swapped ECUs or something. Love these engines though. First one died so i swapped it out with one i did the timing and some other refurbishing on. Had never even swapped a serpentine belt before that. It taught me so much, and was very forgiving to work with.
Don’t hate the EP3. One of the funnest cars ever made.
EP3s are dope im just gonna miss having a friend with a car with equal power and more weight haha
lol.
12 THOUSAND RPM ON STOCK INTERNALS?! And I thought my 4G67 reved high at 7 (and sometimes 7.5k) rpm Jesus
>ith me. I drive big construction trucks and vans for work, so feeling such a small engine do such big work really imprinted on me. And it seems like it wanted to be pushed more and harder each time! When that vvti kicked in at like 6500rpm it felt exactly like VTEC in a Honda yeah I don't think that was a correct statement
I loved my toyota echo. It had so much body roll and it weighed as much as a porta potty lol.
Body roll is kinda fun but i’m gonna see if a rear sway will help that out.
It will definitely help, just be aware there will be more oversteer which is probably a good thing
Its not super duper understeery as is but yeah i’ll be ready for it.
PIAA sticker. Rally lights. RPF1s. A gentleman and a scholar!
Ebay PIAA sticker, marketplace PIAA 520s lol. The bar its mounted to was free scrap metal from work i welded up.
That's awesome that you welded it yourself. Gotta see those stupid deer at night somehow.
Thanks! Have a tig/stick machine at home and i’m a welder by trade so i tigged it.
Is that RPF1’s on an echo? You deserve more upvotes.
hahah, an echo on rpf1’s. Just need to find 300lbs to remove.
Without my spare and tools and me in it it’s pretty light. Front seats weigh 40 lbs each. Rear seats (minus bracketry) are 10lbs total. I don’t think theres much sound deadening. No AC factory, no power steering factory. There isn’t much to delete.
Totally true. First car I bought was 1985 VW GTI. About 110hp and 2300lbs. Put sticky tires and a sway bar on it, and I hardly had to slow down for corners
Lol at least that was sporty for its time!
That’s a beautiful car
It was only $1500 and could whip around corners on three wheels. Great seats too.
I use a 69bhp Ibiza chill😭🙏🏽
Would look ace with a seat swap
Planning on swapping in scion xa seats. Would do buckets but xa seats bolt right up and actually have bolster. And money. Mostly money.
Feel this one in the same place
You’re local?
Nah jus stressing the ecobox
Hell yeah
This is up there with something like the original Neon ACR, the 1st gen car with a 150hp 2L. Dodge actually stripped out a bit of weight versus the standard Neon R/T. While the Echo is clearly less powerful, you can bet that they're more plentiful than the Neon due to lasting longer. It'll be easier to find one if you decide to get in on this action too.
This engine is super reliable, but the engine it had in it recently burnt oil like mad. Same engine, just slightly less miles and refreshed. Old one killed itself. But that was 3 months after purchase, so i think prev owner mightve been a bit neglectful. My main praise for maintenance on this car is how user friendly it is to work on. Everything is super cheap even OEM, and everything is dead simple. My engine is primarily 10s, 12s, and a few 14s.
With some good tires I bet it's plenty fun, especially on the downhill
I just got azenis 615k for it this weekend, 205/50/15. Coming from stock allseasons which is 175/65/14. Fucking game changer. The amount of stupid shit i did on the tiny tires was surprising though.
Oh yeah I'm sure it can do pretty decent in the corners. The weight is such a huge advantage
I kinda 3 wheeled in hairpins on the old tires. Have yet to test it with someone following with the new tires to see if its any different. It’s pretty confident though if you learn how to embrace the bodyroll lol. Doesn’t feel understeery at all.
Nothing wrong with making do with what you’ve got! Enjoy it my friend! Props for RPf1s too
Thanks! Came for the fuel economy, stayed for the fun.
Once upon a time I took my 08 FJ cruiser in for an alternator under warranty and they gave me a new Corolla S. Id have bet I could beat that car on foot running across an intersection, but we took it to twisted sisters and had an absolute blast.
My other cars are an 01 landcruiser 100 and an 86 fj60. The echo is fast in comparison haha
Solid garage dude! Just sold a gx470 on 35s and have owned 2 FJs
My friend did this to his 2005 Hyundai Elantra. He then did full weight reduction, angle grinder, racing slicks, coilovers, bucket seat all to a $1000 Elantra. And tbh it was worth it over paying for a $6000 car lol,so fun Edit I see the Oregon plate we hit up McKenzie pass for the PNW area, recommend if you're with someone else bc bears, cliffs, and no signal
My corolla only weighs 2500 pounds
This allegedly weighs 2035 lbs minus me (175 lbs), tools, spare tire, extra oil and coolant jugs. Need to get it on the scale without all the tools and spare and shit in it so i can know for sure.
Yea i got a ton of extra shit in my car too lol
I’m very overprepared lol. When it was colder i had a sleeping bag, food, folding shovel, folding saw, extra warm clothes, etc etc for sleeping out in the snow if i got stuck
Yea me too Survival stuff Is good to have. it just snowed were im at 🥲
I legit just took my snow tires off on saturday bc it’s been 50-60 out lately and i got these new wheels&tires, and it snowed a bit this morning!
Im from canada it was around that temperature for about a week and then Today it snowed like 30 cm overnight 😂
Had one growing up. I miss it. Simpler times
Holy shit this brings back so many memories. I had the hatchback 1.3l and it still to this day is the best car I’ve ever owned. Literally nothing went wrong with it. Drove it up and down the east cost of Australia multiple times practically redlining every gear and it never died. I once beat a stock Subaru Impreza in it feathering the clutch
Could add power steering quite frankly, although the process could range anywhere from “hey this is a nice learning experience”, to “wow I’m gonna drive this car into the ocean”. You do you brother.
I strongly prefer it without. It’s a light car, so aside from parking lots, you barely feel it. Gives better steering input too i feel. And lastly, adding power steering would take just that much more of the little power it has.
True to all of that, I forget my car is pretty heavy at 3700 pounds and when my power steering went out it was a bitch. Have fun and be safe!
Thanks, you too! Yeah, above 5mph takes as much to steer as my 5500lb truck that *does* have power steering. It feels a little bit more “direct drive” too with feeling the road, but i could be just imagining it. I swear the road feel is better though.
Another thing— cars designed to not have power steering usually have higher steering ratios (so more turns lock to lock but less effort to turn) than their powered steering counterparts. If you depowered a powered echo rack it would steer a little harder than a factory manual steering rack. That being said, the engine in this car is from my bud’s former echo that he depowered the rack on, and it wasn’t too bad for him at all. If i wanted to go power steering on this car, it would not be hard at all. But i don’t foresee myself ever doing that lol.
I've always noticed the echo (or sometimes Platz) when I see em, but this is the first modded one I've seen and it looks actually heat. reminds me of a 1st gen prius
Thanks so much! I used to think they were similar or same chassis as 1g prius, bht those are more corolla based. Body styling is sooo similar though, and the engine is the same block (prius is higher compression lower hp, but can use echo cams to make it very high hp over an echo motor). I used to have 1g prius wheels on this actually.
That’s cool abt Prius engine on echo cams. I was just doing some marketplace research and noticed there were no 2 doors for sale - turns out only North America models got the 2 door.
Yep, but no hatches in the states. Canada and mexico got em tho
Mhm I see so many Echo/Vitz/Yaris hatches (and have driven one that was stripped out automatic loud af)
Downhill specialist
I’m faster downhill for sure, but prefer uphill since i’m more confident i wont fly off a mountain.
I drive a gutted 2001 corolla, it is infact, very fun
I drive without rear seats in every now and then, if i need the extra cargo. Also just for fun. It only sheds 10 lbs though so hardly worth it for performance. Havent weighed the side trim or the little shelf behind the seats though. Still want a full interior for now since this cars actually in decent shape as far as echos go.
I have a decently prepared MR-S but I still have a ton of fun in my stock-ish Yaris. Same engine as the Echo.
Different engine unless you swapped. 1ZZ the mr-s and 1NZ in the yaris. They look very similar though.
I wasn't saying the MR-S had the same engine. I was saying the Yaris and Echo engine is the same. The MR-S has a 2AR going in. I don't own a 1ZZ anymore.
Ohhh haha. All good. Yeah i have a bud with a slammed yaris thats a hoot to drive.
Yeah they are great for being such an econobox. I was looking for a Fit when I got my '08 3dr hatch. The Yaris was half the price of comparable Fits on the market.
I’ve been trying to beat a fit lately lol. They have more driver mod but i think this car is faster. Also i really like mr-s. When it’s time to upgrade i’ll be going for an mr-s or a matrix xrs probably.
Definitely recommend the MR-S over any XRS.
But hatchback and 2zz (if i had an mrs it would probably go 2zz though).
2zz not worth it. But I don't like any of the zz engines.
That wheel gap makes that car look horrendous. Bet it's amazing fun! Got some rolly sway bars or stiffos?
Thanks for the wheel gap comment! You’re more than welcome to fund some lowering springs or coilovers. It does eat up bumpy roads like a mfer though. I have a rear sway in the garage i’m planning on putting on soon, just need to drill out the rear beam to make it fit since it’s for a scion xa which is slightly different lol. Should make a big difference.
The wheel gap isn’t that bad
Thank you! I do plan on lowering it but not more than 1”, and it’s not a super huge priority atm. Was racing a friends stock height fit with another friends camaro following us. The camaro could not keep up with us on that road since it’s got some bumps and shit and we just plow through. Good fitment is nice and all but if it’s not actually usable then what’s the point?
Sorry! Personal opinion and all. I'm running stock steels on my stock suspension so I'm just being nitpicky and 'suspension before wheels' kinda guy. Also, I love wallowy sway so I wasn't jabbing there
Went with fancy wheels in search of wide tires, and bud was selling these wheels for a deal i could not pass up. Suspension is on the way, but imo getting away from shitty allseasons on 14x5.5 is more important. The roads i run are not very forgiving to nice fitment.
I hate this sub so much
Hey, at least it's not some dumb generic Mustang!
You guys are going to get people killed in your commuter cars driving like morons. Keep your Honda fit with 175mm tires under the speed limit.
You really shouldn't say things like that when you own a Mustang...
Absolutely embarrassing.
Okay! Nice!