iQ Tuning

"Do you have an above average iQ?"

Toyota have released their smallest car yet in the form of the iQ.

The IQ platform is shared with other makers from Aston Martins Cygnet to Peugeots 107.

This allows each maker to add their own style but work on a stable tried and tested platform.

The cars also share engines primarily an economical 1.0 unit.

Tuning tips and articles

Engine tuning Transmission tuning Care care Intake & exhaust mods Improve handling Forums

Improving the handling should be your first priority in your iQ tuning project. We suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 30-35mm. Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with sports suspension.

Turning our attention to the iQs engine we need to get a bit more power out of the top end.

The iQ makes a good sleeper as it is small and innocent looking. Add a supercharger kit for some serious fun but don't forget to improve the brakes and suspension!

Toyota iQ Tuning modifications.

Your aim when tuning should be a nice flat torque curve and a wide power band. The car was tuned and built for economy so there is room for a bit of tweaking. A supercharger kit will be one of the best power mods you can do mechanically to your engine.

When it comes to other tuning parts you can't really expect any single modification to make much of a difference to the power. Thankfully though the car will feel a lot quicker with each mod you do because it is such a light weight car.

Ideally you should add some breathing mods, fast road cams and a supercharger for a really fun car.

Uprating the injectors is another beneficial modification and will deliver sufficient fuel. A fuel pump will only deliver a finite amount of fuel, so you may need to uprate this if your injectors are demanding more fuel.

Getting a professionally flowed head with larger valves can fully release the engines power. Your clutch can seriously let you down if it starts to slip and the standard clutches are only ever good for power gains of up to 50%. Fit an uprated clutch to avoid power losses through the transmission. 

Adding forced induction will see big power gains but this is usually too expensive to be cost effective. It is easier to bolt on a supercharger than it is to get a turbo working. With a turbo the boost curve is related exponentially to the engine speed making it hard to map. The nice steady boost to rpm characteristics of the supercharger make them easier to map. To cope with forced induction you will usually need to decrease the compression ratio of the engine.

Toyota iQ Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

The next area for modification is the intake and exhaust. A panel filter should suffice for most applications but if you have done some extensive mods you may need to revise the air box. On small engines you will actually lose low down power so TorqueCars suggest you use a panel air filter instead. Sports exhausts will certainly help air flow through the engine but do not go too large or you will reduce the flow rate. Stick to 1.25 to 2.0 inches for best results.

Toyota iQ Wheel modifications.

Because alloy wheels are lighter they improve performance and they help to cool the brake discs. The downside to large alloy wheels on your iQ is that you alter your effective final drive ratio and this will have a detrimental effect on acceleration and performance. For this reason we would advise sticking to a maximum wheel size of 14 or 15 inches, although we know some of our members have gone larger than this with no problems.

If you would like to know more, or just get some friendly advice on Tuning your car please join us in our car forums where you can discuss iQ options in more detail with our iQ owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Toyota tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

Please Check out my YouTube channel, we're regularly adding new content...

PLEASE HELP: I NEED YOUR DONATIONS TO COVER THE COSTS OF RUNNING THIS SITE AND KEEP IT RUNNING. I do not charge you to access this website and it saves most TorqueCars readers $100's each year - but we are NON PROFIT and not even covering our costs. To keep us running PLEASE Donate here

If you liked this page please share it with your friends, drop a link to it in your favourite forum or use the bookmarking options to save it to your social media profile.

Feedback - What do You Think?

Please use our forums if you wish to ask a tuning question, and please note we do not sell parts or services, we are just an online magazine.

Help us improve, leave a suggestion or tip

Your Constructive comments on this article, I really want to improve this article with your help and suggestions.


Please watch this video and subscribe to my YouTube channel.



3 Responses to “Tuning the Toyota iQ and best iQ performance parts.”

  1. Charles Barrie. says:

    Were can you get parts for IQ to make it LOOK like Aston Martin Cygnet?

  2. jj says:

    Only from Aston Martin!

  3. Jas says:

    Just come across this page. That’s our old IQ haha.

Member Benefits

Join our forum today and benefit from over 300,000 posts on tuning styling and friendly car banter.

You will also have full access to the modifed car gallery, project car updates and exclusive member only areas.

(All car owners of all ages and from all countries are welcome).


BMW 335i - 2021 COTY

We gave the BMW 335i our coveted car of the year award, read more about this awesome car and see why 335i Tuning Guide

Tips for N54 Tuning

Tips for N55 Tuning
Tips for B58 Tuning

Popular articles

Tuning diesels
Remapping ECU
Double Clutch
Induction Kits
Customize a car
Chip tuning
Modified car insurance
Track day insurance cover
Diesel remaps
Work out your MPG
Clearing a DPF
Tuning Stages


Directional Vs Asymmetric

Directional vs Assymetric tyres
Read more...

Turbo Tuning

What is a turbo and how does it work
Read more...

Lambo Doors

Lambo style doors suicide doors and gullwing door conversions.
Read more...

Carbon Vents

Air vents – bonnet and carbon body vents.
Read more...

Rust Removal

How to remove rust and treating rust on cars
Read more...

Tdi Tuning Review

Tdi Tuning box review
Read more...

MPG Calculator

MPG calculator UK miles per Gallon – calculate MPG
Read more...