As if it were Gran Turismo, tinkering with the tuning of your Toyota GR Yaris is certainly possible.
We live in a special time in terms of cars. Where everything used to be mechanical, you can now tweak a lot of things in a car by simply fiddling with the software. The ECU of a car is the brain and almost all settings are stored there, so you can adjust a lot. You see that in cars through, for example, driving modes, adjustable traction control, switching ESP on and off, that kind of thing.
Set up with app
But okay, you can set all that in the car, via the infotainment screen or not. Toyota comes up with something else. In Japan, the brand is launching a special app, intended for owners of a GR Yaris or Lexus LBX Morizo RR with the same drivetrain. And yes, via the app you can play with the settings of your car, remotely. And yes: according to Toyota, your Yaris or LBX will be faster. Making your car faster via a mobile app, it is possible.
Circuit
One of the things that literally makes the cars faster is recognizing when you are on the track. Outside the track, there is a speed limit of 180 km/h in Japan, which all cars are electronically limited to. If you check the app that you are on a track, the app looks at your location and if it agrees, the limit is removed. There are 34 tracks programmed in Japan, including Fuji Speedway and Suzuka.
Other optimizations for the Toyota GR Yaris and Lexus LBX Morizo RR via the app are a bit more marginal, but they might just work. For example, you can set the shift indicator on your screen to capture the perfect shift moments. You can also play with the boost optimization that is different for each corner. Then the car knows exactly when the turbo has to deliver its power. Oh yeah, and the fan, which doesn’t always provide good cooling for track use, is better set for track use.
Granted, it’s not as extreme as you’re used to from your favorite racing games and suddenly downloading 136 Nm extra is not possible either. But it’s funny that Toyota is experimenting with optimizing your car remotely. The future?!?!?
