WOODS RACING YAMAHA YXZ1000R

Testing a fast GNCC-style YXZ

 By the staff of Dirt Wheels — 

WOODS RACING YAMAHA YXZ1000R

Teixeira Tech (TXT) is located in California, so when we heard the aftermarket company had a trick Yamaha YXZ1000R, we assumed that it was a typical desert build—wide and wild with monster tires. We were wrong in a big way. Teixeira sponsors East Coast GNCC UTV champ Cody Miller’s YXZ, so he built something of a replica of the woods racer. As you might expect, the build is quite different from what we are used to seeing!

It is easy to see how much clearance the Teixeira Tech lower front A-arms help ground clearance in the front. They also make the steering lighter.

Yamaha’s YXZ1000R doesn’t love tall tires, but most builds go a little bigger than the stock 27-inch Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tires. Instead of going bigger, TXT went an inch smaller to 26-inch Bighorns, and it chose to use 26×9-14 front tires on all four corners. On top of the smaller tires, TXT selected DWT Sector Zero beadlock wheels that are 0.75 inches narrower with very little offset. GNCC racing is all about changing directions quickly and safely in the woods and, of course, missing trees. A low, narrow car is a bonus.

Teixeira Tech’s new XGC YXZ rear arms are super beefy and strong without adding a lot of weight to the suspension.

GNCC competition is too extreme to allow competitive runners to pit for repairs, so Miller and TXT chose TireBlocks inside the tires. The foam TireBlocks come in sections, but they approximate the function of a foam mousse like GNCC motorcycle competitors run. The tires still have air in them, but there is little downside to getting a puncture. The TireBlocks allow full-speed running with a flat.

SUSPENSION SITUATION

Getting the Yamaha down in the dirt with the tires wasn’t enough, so TXT added shorter Elka Stage 5 shocks all the way around. With the car running low, clearance was more important than ever, so Teixeira made XGC (extreme ground clearance) lower arms for the Yamaha front and rear. In addition to the over 2 inches of added clearance, the fronts improve steering geometry for less steering effort. The rear arms are claimed to be stronger than stock in addition to the added clearance. As soon as you look at the new arms, you will not question their strength! TXT also added its stronger sway bar links front and rear.

Simpson seats with optional diamond stitching and Crow Enterprizes four-point belts were all that the interior required to be awesome and comfortable.

WOODS RACING YAMAHA YXZ1000R

While not actually part of the suspension but involved, TXT replaced all four stock axles with Demon Powersports heavy-duty units. It also added Frap heavy-duty rack ends.

We’ve driven Yamaha YXZs with Elka shocks before, and they always work well. These were set up to minimize body lean and maximize corner speed.

MORE OUTSIDE & INSIDE

Efforts were made to keep the car light, but it did get sliders on the sides and intrusion bars for the front cage opening. The cage was powdercoated Yamaha blue and the aluminum roof was powdercoated white to match the XGC lower suspension arms. Inside the car you will find Simpson Pro Sports seats with diamond stitching and Crow Enterprizes 3-inch harnesses. Mud Motorsports dialed in the remainder of the look with custom graphics.

WOODS RACING YAMAHA YXZ1000R

QUEST FOR TREES

Ed Teixeira asked for a riding area with trees, but the best narrow and twisty trails we have in our area are lined with heavy brush and not real trees. Nevertheless, it proved to be an interesting test. The trails have some very steep and technical rock stair-step climbs. We wondered about the paddle-shift SS-model Yamaha YXZ without any low range, but it did just fine. The shorter tires (and the narrower rears) shorten the gearing a little and allow the rears to spin a bit easier.

As we expected, the Simpson seats are extremely comfortable. We actually enjoy the stock Yamaha seats, but the Simpson seats are a step up. The four-point belts were welcome as well. We appreciated that the Yamaha still had the stock quiet pipe. With the shorter tires, it was plenty responsive and accelerated quickly.

We worried about the stock YXZ gearing on these steep, slow climbs, but there was no problem at all with this SS-model YXZ.

We recently had uncommon conditions for SoCal. It had rained, so we had greasy rocks and slick and muddy roads, a lot like typical GNCC conditions. Elka had set the suspension up to keep the car low but to ride up in the stroke. Initially, the feel is a bit crisp, but when you hit things harder, the shocks do a great job of soaking up ruts, rocks and ledges.

The most impressive facet of the car is its turning. Yamahas already turn well, but with lower tires and suspension tuned to minimize body roll, the TXT GNCC replica handles like a slot car! We generally like to drive in four-wheel drive to keep cars planted. With this Yamaha, we got on the muddy sections and switched to two-wheel drive. We simply let the rear drift, and it was a riot. The car never feels tippy, and it simply rails around turns.

When we did hit fast and rough sections of trail, the YXZ handled them fine, but this machine wouldn’t be our first choice for endless whoops.

WOODS RACING YAMAHA YXZ1000R

We ran into some of the typical 4×4 trails where the big, heavy cars make alternating stair-step bumps that can send the wheels into the air every which way. That wasn’t a problem. With steep ascents, there are always equal descents. Ours were rutted, rocky and loose. We were able to just rail down them in perfect control. We didn’t have a bunch of whoops, but this car is obviously not set up for that. For actual trail work, though, it is an accurate weapon!

CONCLUSION

Teixeira Tech started this project with a clear goal for a specific type of performance, and it totally nailed it. This is one of the best-cornering cars that we have ever driven. Having the TireBlocks in the small tires was interesting as well. You don’t realize how careful you are being in sharp rocks until the TireBlocks make it a nonissue.

You simply hammer through the worst of sharp rocks with no worries. Obviously, in a championship series with a similar car that Cody Miller is driving, this is a package that works in the woods. It gave us confidence we had never felt on flat turns, and that was extremely fun.

Teixeira Tech set out to build a GNCC championship replica Yamaha YXZ. The result is a hunkered-down Yamaha that corners like a slot car.

WOODS RACING YAMAHA YXZ1000R

PARTS LIST

Teixeira Tech www.teixeiratech.com, (209) 833-9160

Front lower XGC A-arms $414 in white

Rear lower XGC A-arms $1375

Front sway bar links $169

Rear sway bar links $169

Elka Suspension www.us.elkasuspension.com, (800) 557-0552

Stage 5 shocks $1349.99 front,

$1349.99 rear

Maxxis www.maxxis.com

Big Horn 2.0 26X9-14 tires $182

DWT Racing www.dwtracing.com

Sector Zero 14X6 wheels $376 each

Simpson Performance Products www.simpsonraceproducts.com, (800) 654-RACE

Pro Sport seats with

diamond stitching $599.95

Crow Enterprizes www.crowenterprizes.com, (714) 879-5970

Harnesses w/ black hardware $88.81

Demon Powersports www.demonpowersports.com

Heavy-duty front & rear axles $205 each

Frap heavy-duty rack ends $54.95 each

TireBlocks www.ridetireblocks.com, (253) 973-5111

26×9–14 blocks $165 per tire

Shoei Helmets www.shoei-helmets.com

Hornet X2 $594.99 for white

Mud Motorsports www.mudmotorsports.com

Custom graphics $450

Valley Custom Powder Coating www.valleycustompowdercoating.com, (209) 858-4800

Roll cage in Yamaha blue $300

White roof $80

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