I know that all of us love our cars, but nothing is perfect. If you could change the way your car came from the factory, what exactly would you do? Don't say "factory turbo" or "300HP", because we're talking changes that would keep it in the same price range.
Me? I think that they should have increased the displacement by .2 or .4 liters in the GTS for a little more torque, and I know that I'd want the automatic to have five gears instead of four. Also I'd want the tiptronic shifter to be on the shift lever like most cars, because it's way too hard to shift when you're turning with where they are now.
I'm just a crosshair I'm just a shot away from you
factory 4wd upgrade. 2.0liters which would make the car have more torque and hp. fixed belt tensioner problem. nicer stock rims and better aftermarket/trd support. thats all i can remember now
I always thought that torque could be altered by the gear ratios? Anyways, I'd change the design of the back of the car. Only part of the car that I had to learn to love. It just looks like they painted themselves into a corner and just said "fuck it" with the back.
With the engine I'd add a little more displacement if not drop in the same straight six engine that the Supra used to have.
Or give the car an extreme weight reduction like the new Lotus. It's got the same engine in it but can go 0-60 under five because it weighs under 2k.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force...number one in the hood, G
1. more power (i don't care how) 2. voltmeter gauge 3. oil pressure gauge 4. solid 'thud' when you close the door (i dont like to hear metal banging) 5. better stereo unit (the factory sucks) 6. a steering wheel that actually has grips (sorry, but my leather wheel is slippery..especially in summer when my hands are wet from sweat) 7. put the little cargo holder on the back of the passenger seat behind the drivers seat also. 8. put the cupholders in the front seat somewhere else (although personally i can't think of a better place..but its very difficult to shift comfortably with a cup there..and 2 cups just makes it worse)
that GTS only comes in a 6spd i depresses me seeing a GTS as an auto, they should have done what acura did with the RSX-S, otherwise i wouldnt' change a thing!!
Last edited by My Sixth Gear; Jan 18, 2004 10:53pm.
factory 4wd upgrade. 2.0liters which would make the car have more torque and hp. fixed belt tensioner problem. nicer stock rims and better aftermarket/trd support. thats all i can remember now
more choices of stock rims AWD with a beefier 4 cylinder(not 6) like a vvtl version of the new scion tc motor
same color gauges and lights (00-02 problem) TRD sus. package (springs/strut/shocks) and rims from dealer, as well as trd exhaust/ new TRD CAI
2.0 liter engine
No AWD, because AWD top end sucks ASS and you really don't need it in a 2500lbs car if you have some driving skill, however a LSD would be nice.
10K rpm redline
Better fit and finish, not so many little annoying rattles. GTS with a stereo system you didn't have to bypass to upgrade, as well as regular screw style speakers, making it easier to upgrade.
I'd like to see a turbo/sc option, but that's not really possible.
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation To know even one life has breathed easier This is to have succeeded.
Factory JL Audio system...Im talkin JL W7s with box and amp.
that would be crazy
but realistically speaking...hav all the lights inside all blue including the gauges... also more horses dont care how jus want it... more aftermarket support... RWD or AWD...
2 liters better antenna (that doesnt look like an rc antenna) rims 7 in wide with 215's a front windshield that doesnt curve outward minimize the space between the hood and the windshield (aka longer looking hood)
1. more power (i don't care how) 2. voltmeter gauge 3. oil pressure gauge 4. solid 'thud' when you close the door (i dont like to hear metal banging) 5. better stereo unit (the factory sucks) 6. a steering wheel that actually has grips (sorry, but my leather wheel is slippery..especially in summer when my hands are wet from sweat) 7. put the little cargo holder on the back of the passenger seat behind the drivers seat also. 8. put the cupholders in the front seat somewhere else (although personally i can't think of a better place..but its very difficult to shift comfortably with a cup there..and 2 cups just makes it worse)
They should've made the gearing in the Auto GTS a little bit shorter. that way, you could time the shifts in M mode to keep it in lift better, only in gears 1, 2 and 3. 4th gear should stay as it is pretty much (as it's the overdrive gear, and the odds of hitting lift in 4th on the auto GTS is pretty much a pipe dream) but being able to rip through 1st, 2nd and 3rd in lift would give a huge boost in performance, by the time you hit 4th gear the tall gearing would bring you up to top speed fairly quick at that point.
On top of that, they should've kept the 2000 model year's redline & fuel cut where it was for ALL model years, the ECU swap is a bitch, and the lower limits did nothing but hurt the performance of the automatics out there.
I think toyota should've shot for a nice round HP number, hell, 200 HP isn't too much to ask, why stop at 180 HP when 200 was easily acheivable under US specs? (Lotus did it with a domestic 2ZZ, why couldn't toyota?) The GTS could've come from the factory with a TRD header, exhaust, performance filter, and matching tuned ECU to do this.
Thicker sheetmetal in the door skins would've been nice, they're about as dent resistant as a soda can!
How about making the rear strut tower brace a factory item guys? the 350Z has a brace from the factory and WOW! not only does it stiffen the car, but it looks cool too (all wrapped in leater... Awesome!)
At the very least, they could've stich welded the unibody more to increase ridgidity.
Lastly, The GTS has a 4-wheel ABS disc brake setup, but it still retains RUBBER brake lines!!! What were they thinking?!? high performance braking needs stainless braided brake lines, or at the very least, steel hard lines. Such an awesome brake system, but with those rubber lines, the brake pedal is mushy and feels cheap, brake performance also suffers.
As with any car, there is room for improvement, however, if there were no room for improvement, there would be no aftermarket for our cars...
Hell yeah, I got my GTS going 110 on I-55 with little effort, and the needle was still going up!!! I didn't even realise I was going that fast until I checked the speedo. The guy in the Grand Prix GTP didn't know what hit him, he just dissappeared in my rearview like it was nothing.
that's the fastest I've gotten in my celica to date, needless to say, I let off the gas and slowed down at that point, the scary part was that I knew for a fact the car could keep going faster beyond that. Even scarier was the fact that my celi didn't even feel like it was going that fast, to me, it felt like it was going about 70 (my last car was an escort though, feels way sketchier, topp speed in that was about 100, and that was after a bunch of engine & suspension mods! When that car was going 100, it was a truly scary feeling!)
The celica handles so nice, and runs so smooth, it's not nearly as scary to drive at speed At least toyota did that part right!
RWD and bigger rims, the stock stero does suck, they should have put the stero from like the avalon or camry in it (my moms got the av, my dads got the cam) Also some better struts and springs would have helped out, and engineered the rear basket area so that it was flat, so sub boxes would be a lot easier! and Rear Hatch shocks that are good in all seasons, the stocks ones suck every morning when its cold
1) Make the graphite exterior color available, same as on the Lexus IS
2) Offer a TRD performance and weight-reduction package. Carbon Fiber hood and spoiler, lightweight Racing Hart wheels, TRD springs, shifter and exhaust.
I'm just a crosshair I'm just a shot away from you
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At least toyota did that part right!
