I cant seem to find if the trd products make the xa handle any better, just posts about lowering the car so the gap between the wheels and body is less.

I know lowing the car does increase the fuel economy, but I want to improve the handling on the interestate when your during 85 around folks who are standing still and when the big semi truck passes you do 120.

I think I already have a front and rear sway bar, does the trd one make much of a difference? Is it firmer, larger in diameter?

What about springs? Besides lowering it, are they firmer?

What about the front strut brace? Seems from the add its more about looking cool like a tuner car vs being functional. I sure do not want to crack my shock towers, but would keeping the car steady at high speeds need something like this?

Thanks for any input. I have entertained taller tires or plus sizing, but thats another car of worms. I definitely want taller tires for off setting the gearing to maybe improve the fuel economy, but I want to make the car a bit more stable flying dpwn the interestate.

 

...wow...so many things wrong with that post...

one semi's can't go 120 mph, i'm pretty sure they are mostely governed to 75 mph.

lowering springs don't increase mpg.

yes, your car has front and rear anti-sway bars. all cars do, but they are made for comfort rather than cornering.

most lowering springs are handling oriented. they lower the car, thus lowering the center of gravity, they are also firmer for better feedback and steering response. get lowering springs and sport shocks for better dampening.

strut braces are not effective means of improving handling according to many experts.

taller tires would reduce handling, adding to a softer ride and reducing feedback.

plus sizing tires would be fore increasing traction. it is more for launching the car, not for better cornering, but with the larger contact patch you can handle better.

so to get better handling, quality lowering springs and shocks (note, lowest are not the best), front and rear anti-sway bars, and possibly wider tires.

you will get better handling, not better mpg. your car will look better in most people's opinion.

any more questions?

 

struts:
http://www.trdsparks.com/displaypart...1&parts_id=311

springs:
http://www.trdsparks.com/displaypart...1&parts_id=313

sway bars:
http://www.trdsparks.com/displaypart...1&parts_id=478

buy all these and install them and you will have one tight xa that is ready for hugging the corners.

 

I drive all sorts of cars for my job every single day, and I am going to say, the xA, is probably one of the more stable cars on the highway when larger vehicles pass (or you passing). I find larger cars and SUVs are far more prone to "swaying" when something such as a semi blazes past you. Even in heavy side winds, the xA seems to not budge nearly as much as a larger car like the Buick, or a Minivan. I don't know if this is in peoples heads or what, but the whole tiny car = blown around easier myth is just that, a myth. Larger vehicles are far worse. My old BMW 525i (four door sedan) would get blown into other lanes nearly. I haven't even seen this happen with my xA yet.

 

if you feel your xA is blown by passing/passed vehicles, you will have to physically change the aerodynamic side profile of your xA to be more aerodynamic. I know my 2006 xA comes factory with side skirts, and they catch the wind instead of letting it curve underneath the car.

 

Just an FYI to draxcaliber...

Tractor-trailer's can drive as fast as they want. Some corporate trucking companies govern their trucks but owner-operator have the right to leave it unmodified.

Rolling through the hills of Montana, my brother said he reached about 110 in his tractor.

 

Thanks guys, wow lots of info and thanks for the links.

I normally pass semis, but there are a few no name ones that blow by me and I usually ride the left lane passing everyone else. Seems about 80-85 the car wants to drift a bit and feels it starts to get unstable. Having own a mercedes 240d, when you break 70mph it starts to hug the road and feel like its velcroed to the road. I know the xa aint a benz, but I feel something can be done to help it a bit.

Anyway, when I pass a semi or one passes me, just the head of the truck can cause me to feel aslight push one way or the other.

The first thing would be to make it handle better at higher speeds. I do want to put taller tires on the car to maybe help the fuel economy, but that will be when they need replacing, thats likely a few years from now.

Ive done springs on vw rabbits and golfs, is it the same procedure? How hard are sway bars?

 

your benz feels more sercure on the road at higher speeds because it is built for the autobahn, so it is engineered to be really stable at high speeds.

 

drax, exactly regarding handling. Seems speed makes the scion unstable, where as the benz just firms up. I almost feel like i need an automatically extending wing or lowering of the car to keep it stable.

You think 1 inch will make that much of a difference? I am still thinking at least 2 inches. Anyway, got the cruise control on order frrom sparks, they tell me I order the last one. I am going to put the handle if possible at the 11 oclock position like my benz as my kees will bump the turn signal and windshield lever if I am not careful.

 

well, i can't say really, i haven't driven an xa that fast before since my gf gets angry when i feed some speed to her baby. but out of all the scions, the xa has the lowest drag coefficient, and lowering it an inch might lower it just a tad more.

if you want to go for two inches then i suppose you'll need tein s-techs if they make them for your car, not really sure if they do, don't put much time into xa research. your car can feel unstable at high speeds for a number of reasons, unevenly worn tires, bad alignment, or even soft suspension. riding in my older bro's 200x isuzu rodeo sport v6 at 90 mph on the interstate, the thing seems to just bob up and down because of the huge amount of suspension traval it has since it is a 4x4 with over 90k on the original suspension.

so lowering the xa with firmer suspension might make it hold better on the road at higher speeds. like i said, the benz was built for the autobahn with high speed stability being its forte. the xa was built as an urban economy car, with focus on nimble low speed city manuevering in mind. so low drag, soft suspension and such a light curb weight means that at 60 mph+ speeds, it will start feeling floaty i suppose.

 

my xA handles perfectly at around 90-100 mph

even though i got most of all the bracing for the xA anyways

dc strut bar, gt spec lower front frame brace, trd rear lower frame brace, trd shocks and struts, tanabe NF 210 springs, poly end link bushings and sway bar bushings, rear sway bar...

i find it pretty fun feeling that vacuum that the front of the semi creates kind of feels like its sucking me into their air vortex...

 

Thanks, so toyota is building ghetto cruisers??? Just kidding.....

It does handle way better than a few other cars I tried and one difference I love from the benz. The benz would steer on a bank,follow the road or as the car started to roll. So, if I took an off ramp at 65mph, I would need to turn slightly to get over to the off ramp, then as it started to pitch it would start to steer in the opposite direction and I would just straighten out the wheel. To straighten it out of the turn, I would turn the opposite direction or slow it down or where I wanted to go next.

THe xa the more it pitches the more you need to steer into the corner. Makes for a smoother transaction, but can be a bit scary not knowing if you are scrubbing the tires or not. Sometimes I would take the benz too far and it would slide straight then grab as I slowed to turn.

That day in Richmond with the 45mph cross winds, I found the best bet was to tail gate someone in an suv about a car length or two to ride in their wake.

After driving the world slowest production car mercedes had to offer in the US, the scion is a real relief with similar handling charastics. If you think the 240d is slow, try a 220 or 200d. Very few of those were imported into the US and all were ment to be taxi cabs. not ghetto cruiser with marathons on the interestate from time to time. It would do and keep 85mph, but it took 3 minutes to get there.

 

toyota doesn't build ghetto cruisers, it builds cars specifically engineered for its intended market. japan is crowded highly urbanized country with a high population density and extremely limited parking spaces.

anyway, can we stop comparing your xa to your benz? it is apples and oranges.

one is a compact gas 4 cyl, front wheel drive hatchback, and the other is a 4cyl diesel rear wheel drive sedan that probably weights twice as much as your xa and is old enough to drive itself, vote, drink, and die for its country. they are obviously going to have distinct handling differences. the only thing they have in common is the number of cylinders.

so anymore questions? you should talk to duck_dodgers since he actually has an xa and would be far more helpful on it than i am.

 

Look up the thread on Energy Suspension front swaybar bushings. $15 and 20 minutes will improve handling a lot (along with the other things mentioned).

 

good luck finding a the trd rear lower frame brace they are a bit of a hard item to find