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Wagons Scion xB Performance Upgrades: Are They Worth It?
25 messages, Last post on Dec 06, 2008 at 6:40 AM
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In the market for a new commuter car and the xB has been marked for serious consideration. Briefly drove one in Baltimore recently where Scion had one of their "road shows." All they had was an automatic and wasn't able to take it out on the highway to really test it. Liked it a lot, though. I do have some questions for those who own xB's with manual transmissions. I figure that little 4-cylinder needs a stick shift to get any oomph out of it. While I would never buy any car without driving it first, dealers may not have what I'm looking for on the lot, so I want to ask those with ownership experience about this. My questions are: --Comparisons between the manual and automatic in terms of "get-up-and-go" --The regular shifter vs. the short-throw shifter--worth the extra dough? --Same question for the TRD "heavy-duty" clutch--worth it? --Same question for the TRD strut/shocks kit--worth it, or are they only of value with the lowered springs, which I don't want? --Same question for the front strut tie bar and rear sway bar--worth it? In sum, do the TRD performance "upgrades" make that much difference over stock in terms of handling and performance to justify the price? Thanks for any and all input. |
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Replying to: dctalk (Jul 13, 2006 5:47 pm) The automatic is one of the best around, shifting well and learning shift points from the driver's habits. The manual has a light clutch and shifting, very good for city driving. The clutch and synchros are a joy to use, but do not hold up to hard, abusive driving. Such people report gear clashing and clutch slipping as soon as 5,000 miles. The stock shifter is fine unless you want a tighter feel and shorter throw, in order to shift faster. Faster shifting will soon cause problems. I had planned to buy a TRD shifter before the car arrived, but after getting the car, I soon decided the stock shifter was just fine. I upshift deliberately and do not apply power until the clutch is released. I don't downshift unless I want to use the lower gear to maintain or increase speed. The stock clutch is fine unless you do burnouts and power upshifts, which will soon cause it to slip. The TRD clutch has stronger springs, but I think the lining is the same. Some people favor competition clutches of Stage 2 strength. My clutch is fine and I expect it to last a long time, but if I was to need another, I would use the TRD. The most important thing to do about the suspension is to replace the hard KYB rear shocks with softer SensaTracs, made by Tenneco and sold by NAPA and Monroe. You can do this for $75 in 20 minutes with the car on the ground, and it will make the rear feel the same as the front. I think the TRD items are merely a little softer than OEM, especially the rears. The front strut bar is useless except possibly theoretically in competition driving over very twisty or bumpy roads. It is supposed to keep the strut towers from flexing and affecting camber which affects steering. Older limber sport cars used these bars, but the xB strut towers are very close the firewall bulkhead and look very rigid. In any case, I feel no difference with my strut bar, and it does interfere with servicing the air filter and brake fluid, so I will remove and sell it 15K miles. The rear sway bar does work and can be felt in daily driving. I got the TRD because it was said to be the least rigid. A very rigid bar will affect the ride of the rear suspension. The sway bar makes the xB corner flatter and also feel better doing it. Without a sway bar the car "oversteers" in a violent turn - the back end wants to swing out and maybe come around. With the sway bar the steering is neutral. I don't favor the loud mufflers. The stock muffler has a nice purr or growl, especially audible with the windows down, yet does not drone at cruising speed. People with loud mufflers eventually want to add lead sheeting to the rear hatch and floor. The single easiest performance upgrade is to use high octane gas. The high compression engine can use it. The 2005 xB was rated at 108 HP on premium gas, while the 2006 xB is rated at 103 HP on regular. Scion was told to rate the power based on the regular gas that was recommended in the Owners Manual. There is absolutely no ned to use premium unless you want that little extra power. I do. |
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Replying to: aatherton (Jul 14, 2006 6:11 am)
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Replying to: dctalk (Jul 14, 2006 6:20 am) Likewise, the manual is good at high speed, having the RPMs and power to hold speed on Interstate hills at 80, where the auto cannot. But at 80 mph, the manual transmission's high RPMs and the car's boxy shape, plus constant aggressive jockyeing, will combine to again push the MPGs down into the high 20's. On the other hand, at a steady 60 in the Interstate, I get 43 mpg. |
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Replying to: aatherton (Jul 14, 2006 6:11 am) The rear sway bar is a definite good thing. The sport muffler is one of preference. It won't give you "power" but if you like hearing the engine a bit more (like for downshifting feedback, etc.), it's fun to have it. I also installed a keyless entry from Best Buy for only $129 vs. dealer ripoff price (without alarm). I don't recommend the short shifter unless you are really doing some spirited driving...the stock shifter is easy to use and shifts softly in heavy traffic. I can just lay my elbow on the arm rest and shift. The manual transmission cars are geared lower but definitely help performance 0-60. I found the automatic xB to be a little too anxiety producing in certain situations. BETTER TIRES -- this is one thing I plan to do with my xA at some point. The OEM tires on xAs and xBx are too soft in the sidewall. SYNTHETIC OIL --- with synthetic oil, premium gas and a manual transmission, my xA really scoots from the stoplight. There is no sense of "not enough power". |
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| Anyone have the TRD (Toyota Racing Design) muffler designed for the Scion xB/xA? The stock muffler on my xA is restrictive, but the after market (Dynomax, Magnaflow, Walker, etc.) ones I have tried so far drone a little too loud for me. The Customer Service rep at TRD claims the tone is lower, but not louder, with the TRD muffler, which is designed for the car and not interchangeable. On the other hand, the TRD muffler costs about as much as all the other mufflers I have tried to date, combined. | |
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I am in the market for a new car, but was planning on purchasing a matrix. However, this little car caught my eye (cargo space and price), so now, it is a consideration. About the CAI...Dealer wants around 300 or so for it. Are there any pros or cons to having it? Will it make this car perform closer to a Matrix engine? Will it improve gas mileage?? By how much? Thanks. |
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I went to the Scion dealership and got approved for an xb. I test drove the Matrix again as well, and found that I liked the styling and the roominess of the xb better. One thing I didn't like about the xb (and the Matrix too for that matter) is the lack of power. Not that I need THAT much, but too me, the automatic was a little sluggish. The salesman is trying to tell me that the CAI will give me 15 more horsepower without gaining gas mileage. From reading the posts on this forum, it seems the opposite is true. Any comments on this... Marion |
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Ask if you can drive one equipped that way. Some CAI systems create a lot more noise, and my concern would be that might get tiring on a long drive. -juice |
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