JCUBED

So the Monroes can match up with lowering springs ok? thanks!

swartzautoman

iTrader: (3)

perfect, no problems

cobb

Do those work on an xa? I know you can trade them in for replacement if they fail, however the local stores require you to give a vehicle as their parts are vehicle specific vs asking for part numbers at the local part stores. What year echo or scion xb do I need to ask for?

I am getting some lower springs and want to get these better sounding shocks from what Ive read to go with them.

THanks

swartzautoman

iTrader: (3)

i think its the 02 echo

JCUBED

Hey guys, are the Monroe's really all that? I wanna soften up my xB's ride too, but when I checked on the Monroe's with a local speedshop/Monroe distributor, he laughed at me and said that I should get coilovers...??? I plan to lower on Tanabe NF210 springs also. What do I do?

bB2NER

The speedshop guys laughed cause they want to sell coilovers.
The Monroes will work fine with the NF210s.
People always laugh about stuff that they have no clue.
Asking them about Monroe shocks would be like going to a sporting goods store and asking about a tuxedo.
If you want the best of both worlds get the Konies but they will cost ya.
It all depends on what type of ride quality you want.

Minttoast

Hey guys, I have H&R lowering springs on the B and after about a month I think I blew out my front driver side strut. Every time I hit a bump the passenger side sounds normal and the driver side makes a thud. If I order the monroes for the echo, they will work fine with my drop and everything? Also do I have to adjust anything because of the extra weight or can I just throw them right on the car?

Mint

kewlbox

Make sure the nut holding the top spring assembly did not losen up, that happened to mine once nut was only about a half a turn loose and every bump sounded like it was about to fall apart or bottoming out.

bB2NER

Kewlbox nailed your "thud" sound. You didn't "blow" a strut. The upper nut coming loose is a common problem. I've had it happen a couple times before I found out about double nutting the dang thing. Tighten the nut then add a second one on top of it to keep it tight. No more thud or blown strut. Problem solved.

swartzautoman

iTrader: (3)

couldn't you just use lock tight?

bB2NER

You could but good luck clamping vise grips to the strut shaft when it comes time to change springs. This way it is very simple to just remove the top nut first.

swartzautoman

iTrader: (3)

you got a point there

Minttoast

You sir, are the MAN. lol

Thank you so much, I was about a hour away from ordering the monroes for the front.

vintage42

SensaTracs are made by Tenneco and sold under the Monroe, Sears and NAPA brands. Tenneco is a US company that has their shocks made in factories around the world.
In 2006 I bought SensaTrac front and rear for my xB, and noticed that the boxes said where they were made. I think one was made in Spain and the other in Brazil. Apparently a Japanese factory now has the contract for the front. Look at all the countries with Tenneco Ride Control factories in the link below.

BayAreaScion

Just a question, why Monroe Sensatracs? I mean, my mom had a set on her '89 Grand Damn... Price, quality?

bB2NER

The key here is the softness. The stock struts/shocks were way too stiff. They made for a terrible ride. All the bumps were driectly transmitted to the vehicle and passangers. I had to constantly email Monroe to get them to bring a better suited set up for the xB. First we dealt with using an Echo rear shock and that helped. Finally they came out with a product that directly fit the xB. Now my xB drives and takes bumps the way it should have when new. The suspension actually soaks them up and allows for comfort. Thanks Monroe for making me love my xB more.

vintage42

The Echo shocks fitted and worked fine. I think there was a difference with the front strut spring cups being a 1/2" lower, which some people liked. But I see there are now specific part numbers for the Scion xB. For instance...

At Shock Warehouse, http://www.shockwarehouse.com---
2006 Scion xB:
5601 Rear
72245 Front
2002 Toyota Echo (which we used for Scion xB from 2004 until recently):
5987 Rear
71575 Front

Perhaps the new part numbers for xB mean the front spring cup height is now the same as OEM, and maybe the valving is tuned to the higher weight of the xB.

bB2NER

^^ Exactly right Allan. I'm running the direct replacement #72245 and #5987 in the rear. I didn't want to use the Echo struts up front because of the 1/2 inch lower stance.
Now with the stock springs back on I can drive with complete confidence and comfort.

smokeydadog

Anyone know the difference between the 5987 and the 5601? I switched to the 5987 before they had anything specifically for the xB.

bB2NER

That sounds like a good question to email Monroe about. They may give you the complete specs on both.