Racer_RS_X

My wife and I have owned the Xa RS 1.0 for about 6 months now, and like it, but we have a few handling issues.
The car is great at low speeds, but at high speeds it gets a little unstable.
Above 75 mph the car feels light, and the steering feedback is very vague.
The car seems to float.
Also, there is a lot of body roll in high speed turns, such as on-ramps between highways.
Now, I know this may seem like too agressive driving, but we live in Atlanta, and this is the norm here. We are trying not to get run over in our little Scion.
I have looked into swaybars, and springs. A post I read said that the swaybars help, and to just get the rear swaybar. I know this will help corning, but will it help the 75 mph+ stability. I know springs will help, but I do not want a softer ride, so the H-techs might not be an option. If I can solve the light steering feel and floatiness without springs that would be great. My wife is not too keen on lowering the car.
Also, are there any bushing kits for the stock front swaybar. I have looked, and not found any yet.
And last, what are everyones thoughts on lower frame braces. Do these help. The Scion is a small car, and I figure the frame should be fairly tight, but who know a brace might help.
Currently, we have a front Strut Tower brace, but this was only a minor improvement.
Let me know your thoughts.

PandaIst

You should look into a 4 point chassis underbrace from trd, gt spec, or cusco.

Oni-Haya

I know exactly what you are talking about ... I also own an RS1.

I installed Gold-Line springs. They made a significant difference in ride control. You will feel more of the bumps, but that is the price you pay for having low profile tires and stiff springs.

You can also stiffen the chasis with braces and reduce roll with a sway bar system.

Another option might be a UBS (Under Body Spoiler). It will help get the air out from under the car and help handling at hiway speeds. The UBS creates negative air pressure under the car, or you could think of it as creating more down force (at least less up force :D )

I hope this info helps.

LeeD

Lowering the car will help reduce air traveling underneath, hence reduce the floating feeling at higher speeds. Of course, given the right springs/struts, they'll help reduce roll too. Progressively wound springs (Ebach? seems to be the only ones supplying) or dual spring setups are ideal because the roll resistance increase the more the springs compress.

Yes, rear sway bar alone won't help body roll much.

Another problem with the RS1, and is likely for non-RS1s, is there is almost no caster. I tried to find something quickly on the net explaining caster, but couldn't so I quickly through this together.

Our cars pretty much have NO caster.
Good: better gas milage.
Bad: less highway speed stability
Bad: no auto centering feel of the steering wheel
Bad: no negative camber increase when turning to give more turning traction.

How to fix?
Haven't figured out. There's no caster adjustment on our cars, and nothing in the aftermarket... I've been trying to figure something out, because I think it'll sell well.

Racer_RS_X

Thanks for the feedback:
I ordered springs (Hotchkis) and a rear swaybar (Progress) to go with the front strut tower brace. I hope that helps.
LeeD, thanks for the write up on Caster. If you ever figure out how to get some in our cars, let us know. Do you think there are upper mounts that we can use?
We are installing the parts this weekend. We'll see what happens.

Racer_RS_X

I installed the Progress Rear Swaybar two days ago. Wow, it made a huge difference. Steering input is better, and the there is less floatiness above 75 mph. I really like the improvements. Also, the install was a piece of cake.
Springs go on this weekend.

LeeD

After you get the springs installed, can you take pictures and post them?
(In case you don't know, http://www.photobucket.com/ allows you to host your pictures there, and just link to them from here.)

I've been looking for pictures of lowered RS1s out there as I've been looking to drop mine.

Glad the sway bar helped. I've got it in mine, but I'm still not happy with the highway stability and easy with which the car "drifts" to the other lanes and that you always have to keep your eyes on the road.

Cheers,

Racer_RS_X

I'll snap some pictures when we get it done.
I hear you on the "drifting" at high speeds if you are not paying attention.
The swaybar helped, but it is still there.

Racer_RS_X

I installed the Hotchkis sprigs this weekend. Wow, what a difference.
The issue I started the thread over is gone.
First the install. It was a pain. Make sure you mark your strut spring assemblies before taking everything apart. We did not mark the first one and had to use the other assembly as a reference. Luckly, there are some marks (part numbers, holes, etc) on the strut and components to help. Other than that, the back was easy, once we figured it out. A little different than an indenpendent suspension.
Next, the ride. The ride is great. The ride feels like stock, except with a lot more precision. You can feel the road through the steering wheel. But, the soft ride is still there. Pot holes, rail road tracks, etc, are a little harsher, but nothing compared to a lowered Honda, or my Evo when I had the Tien H-Techs on it (The Evo has the stock springs back in it. Lowered Evos look good, but the springs screw up the handling).
The Xa's handling is now incredible. At 80+ the car feels locked to the road. It tracks perfect, and lane changes, high speed connections between highways, corners, etc, are a lot more fun. This car is so much fun to drive now.
The mods to do this:
Front Strut Tower Brace
Rear Progress Sway Bar
Hotchkis Springs

I'll post pictures soon