[subratasenn]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Upsize would have impact on ride.

Upgrading the right size tires on the same rim size would not have impact on ride.

Go for 185/65-14 on stock rims.

Did you mean 175/65 on stock rims? 175/65 is the right size for Liva GD, not 185/65. However 195/60 on stock rims or on 14 inch alloys should also be fine. Increases the GC too by about 4 mm. Just marginally affects the odo.
Going by the simple formula actually: upside 2 on width, come down one size on diameter. This should be right, don't you think so?

I myself changed to Apollo Accelere alloys and retained my 175/65 stock tyres (MRF ZVTS). Found them better than Bridgestone 175/65 stock, which are noisy. Will change the MRF tyres after 30K/40K km whenever they need to be changed.

I actually didn't quite get the logic of @TSK changing to 185/65 or am I missing something?

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by subratasenn

Did you mean 175/65 on stock rims? 175/65 is the right size for Liva GD, not 185/65. However 195/60 on stock rims or on 14 inch alloys should also be fine. Increases the GC too by about 4 mm. Just marginally affects the odo.
Going by the simple formula actually: upside 2 on width, come down one size on diameter. This should be right, don't you think so?

I myself changed to Apollo Accelere alloys and retained my 175/65 stock tyres (MRF ZVTS). Found them better than Bridgestone 175/65 stock, which are noisy. Will change the MRF tyres after 30K/40K km whenever they need to be changed.

I actually didn't quite get the logic of @TSK changing to 185/65 or am I missing something?

Theoretically what you are saying about GC and odo is right.

But, practically the impact is a little different.

Have upgraded to 185/65-14 from stock size 175/65-14 on three cars and they have successfully done 2lac kms in total.
In between tried 195/60-14 and it wasn't a very pleasant experience, car's dynamics were lost, had to get back to 185/65-14.

Got the new Figo last week, did the same of day 1 and it runs beautifully.

Please note that in all the above cases, the rims were stock, no aftermarket wheels.

[tsk1979]

185/65 will cause very little affect on the GC and odo, but the slightly wider tire gives much better experience w.r.t handling and braking.

[rajneeesh]

Tanveer, I have been enjoying your TL's and the report on the Storme. Guess you have been too busy in the last month or so. How about an update on how the Liva?

[tsk1979]

So in less than 10 months, the Liva crosses 10000kms
We went for the 10,000kms second service.

I took the toyota secure package which costs 4100rs and covers two services. It also means I need to pay just 40rs for pollution check(50% discount).

Anyways, I took the appointment, and took the car for service.

As for problems reported, well there was one problem, and couple of "issues"

1. Front suspension hitting stopper and making noise
2. When there are three heavy people in rear, the rear looks bogged down
3. Some rythemic noise from rear during braking, like ABS rhythmic noise


For 1. Toyota has come out with a new shocker design. These are stiffer. So problem solved
For 2. They said they will put in stiffer Etios springs and new sleeve(under warranty)

3 could not be reproduced. It went away after removing accumulated much from the rear suspension. Due to my office location, the entire underbody accumulates a lot of mud.

I also got the underbody coating, and some door coating(lack of beading can cause rusting later in life of vehicle). cost me around 3200 total for both.

Apart from that a coat of body "teflon coating thingy" which I purchased during first service was done.

Now the suspension noises are gone and no "thak" from front suspension. But ride quality has suffered a little bit. On the bright side, handling is improved due to stiffer front shocks

On the engine front no changes, no problem was reported. So they just changed oil.
The liva is serving her purpose. But the front suspension retro came as a surprise. The service advisor told me not many people are going for the retro as they want the softer ride quality.

Mileage is also same. I get around 22kmpl when I do 80% highway 20% city, and around 16kmpl full city short runs.

Engine is as smooth as before. Even before service there was no roughness etc.,
I am beginning to understand why people pay more for Toyota.

As an owner of two tatas I had forgotten whats it like to visit a service center only once every 10,000kms

As a side note, lot of people had warned me that if I fit in alloys I won't get warranty, but Uttam Toyota did not create fuss. Infact the SA called couple of other guys and showed them the alloys. "Very nice alloys sir, Good you stuck to 14 inchers"

Vehicle was dropped free of cost as part of Toyota secure deal.

The 20,000kms service will be free now thanks to 4100 I have paid upfront for 2 services (10,000 and 20,000kms service)

Coming back to the vehicle, I am using her for all the city runs, and she gets to do very bad roads often. Highway non mountain runs are done in the Liva.
Braking and handling are great, and the car runs smoothly, and there is no fatigue. When I turn the steering left she goes left and when I turn it right she goes right. That itself is a great achievement. No more driving like a 70s hero.

What I miss? Well no rear fog lamps and no tacho. I have now learnt how to change gears with engine sound, which the liva doles out in ample quantity.
The cabin is noisy,and there is no insulation as far as sound is concerned.
Once the snows melt she will see a couple of mountain trips maybe.

[sups]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

For 1. Toyota has come out with a new shocker design. These are stiffer. So problem solved
For 2. They said they will put in stiffer Etios springs and new sleeve(under warranty)

Now the suspension noises are gone and no "thak" from front suspension. But ride quality has suffered a little bit. On the bright side, handling is improved due to stiffer front shocks

I also got a call from the service centre for the solution of suspension noise. I am yet to take my car, as it is now 1200 km old and just back from 1st 1000 km service.

You seem to be happy with your liva "scooter" . Just one question, with the stiffer setup, I understand the ride is little more harsh at low speed. But, is the ride better now at higher speeds due to stiffer setup? I am not so happy with the rear suspension of liva, especially after the "punto" experience. I am on 185/65 Yoko C drives.

I have also gone for Toyota smile package which takes care upto 20K km, but it costs Rs. 3120 in Pune. By the way, did you go for toyota recommended synthetic oil?

[tsk1979]

Yes, now high speed ride quality is more composed. Low speed is harsher, though not by a large margin. The smiles package costs more here(4100 is inclusive of all taxes)
For rear you can ask them for stiffer springs from Etios

[anujmishra]

Wow fantastic ownership of Liva.

How come you people drive so many kms. in all of your cars? Specially this is evident to residents of NCR region. . Even, your Safari closed to 1 Lakh Kms, if I am not wrong.

[sups]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Yes, now high speed ride quality is more composed. Low speed is harsher, though not by a large margin.

Thanks. Thats a good news. Liva has a soft suspension, so going slightly stiffer would only help when going anything over 60+ km/hr.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

For rear you can ask them for stiffer springs from Etios

So, it means that etios and liva had a slightly different rear suspension setup.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

no tacho. I have now learnt how to change gears with engine sound, which the liva doles out in ample quantity.

Just something worth trying out for the tacho. It won't be like an OE tacho but you can use it for rpm reference.

Originally Posted by amalji

For Liva Diesel owners who need the rpm meter, there is a hassle free solution available.
Since, Etios ECU is OBD2 compliant, you can buy the following

1) ELM327 OBD2 Bluetooth Diagnostic Interface ( Costs around 2,200 INR on ebay India and around 1000 INR if you buy it from US )
2) An Android Phone
3) torquepro android app ( Costs 250 INR )

Then connect the ELM327 Bluetooth adapter to your car's OBD port
Pair your android mobile to the OBD2 bluetooth adapter using the PIN - 1234
Start your engine, open torquepro app & wait for a few seconds for the connection to complete. You will notice that the rev meter starts to climb once the connection is made.

PS: It's not just revs that you get, you get numerous other data like coolant temperature, rail pressure, mileage, fault codes, etc.

Attaching a sample screen from torque pro below.

Attachment 1035719
The picture shows instantaneous mileage, rev counter, and fuel usage meter. The dials, size as well as the variable that is shown on the screen can be changed. And you can add as many pages as you want

I would also like to thank my facebook friend - Daniel Gilbert for referring me to a team-bhp post which showed that Etios is OBD2 compliant.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

Wow fantastic ownership of Liva.

How come you people drive so many kms. in all of your cars? Specially this is evident to residents of NCR region. . Even, your Safari closed to 1 Lakh Kms, if I am not wrong.

Safari is close to 1 lakh kms because she is used for long outstation trips. Since my hometown is in Punjab, the Liva sees frequent highway runs on NH1

[amalji]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Yes, now high speed ride quality is more composed. Low speed is harsher, though not by a large margin.
For rear you can ask them for stiffer springs from Etios

@tsk - Glad to find a person with the new suspension setup. I was given this choice, and I had opted against this, since the service advisor told that it will affect ride comfort.

1) By the phrase - 'composed @high speed', did you mean stability or comfort or both ?
2) Even if we drive slowly on bad roads, does it still feel hard ?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by amalji

@tsk - Glad to find a person with the new suspension setup. I was given this choice, and I had opted against this, since the service advisor told that it will affect ride comfort.

1) By the phrase - 'composed @high speed', did you mean stability or comfort or both ?
2) Even if we drive slowly on bad roads, does it still feel hard ?

1. Lane changes and irregularities in the road do not unsettle her much now(not that it was bad earlier). Cornering is improved
2. Well, its just a little worse, not a lot worse. I noticed it only for a day

[amalji]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

1. Lane changes and irregularities in the road do not unsettle her much now(not that it was bad earlier). Cornering is improved
2. Well, its just a little worse, not a lot worse. I noticed it only for a day

I guess you would recommend this upgrade for all Etios users.

I might go for this mod. Thank you. :-)

[automachine]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

..
For 1. Toyota has come out with a new shocker design. These are stiffer. So problem solved
For 2. They said they will put in stiffer Etios springs and new sleeve(under warranty)

I read another post for the suspension issue on different site: http://www.indiagarage.com/thread16381.html. The person mentions that the except for top end models Vx and VxD, the rest of the Etios and Liva do not come with Anti sway/anti roll bar. Is this true? Also any information if the replacement shocker also involves adding anti roll bar?