Hello,
Another newbie question. I just got my new 08 xB and have the TRD 19" wheels on order. I dont know if I should go with the factory TRD or Tadabe DF210 springs? I've been told to go with H&R springs but dont know if they're available for the xB yet....any opinions?
Also, do I need to get new shocks for anything lower than a 1.5 inch drop?

More than likely yes, the stock ones won't last very long after you drop it more than an 1.5".

Sorry for thread jacking, but does anyone know if the Shocks are covered by the standard warrenty with Scion?

Just curious, but why does lowering a car cause premature wear to the shocks? Using less than the available travel wouldn't do it. The only thing I can imagine is that the shock's rebound damping isn't matched to the stiffer spring rates and results in the perception of worn shocks or actual degradation of the rebound valving in the shock.

To the original question, if you want better handling, appearance, acceptable ground clearance and compatibility with stock length shocks, I'd recommend TRD. If the TRDs just aren't low enough for you and you can live with the negative aspects of a lower drop, the DF210s might be a better choice for you. I don't know anything about H&Rs.

FWIW, after installing the TRD springs I've noticed a few things I have to watch out for. I have to be more careful about opening doors when parked next to curbs, stop short of curbs and wheel blocks and take extra care with sharp grade transitions at driveways, etc. As good as the DF210s make the car look I don't think I could live with my car being an inch lower than it is now. I couldn't even open a door next to a curb without it scraping. I'd have to let curb side passengers out before parallel parking.

Just curious, but why does lowering a car cause premature wear to the shocks? Using less than the available travel wouldn't do it. The only thing I can imagine is that the shock's rebound damping isn't matched to the stiffer spring rates and results in the perception of worn shocks or actual degradation of the rebound valving in the shock.

Thats exactly why. Shorter springs have less travel to work with, and they need to take the same loads without bottoming out. So, they have to be stiffer. The more drop, the stiffer the spring. Stiffer springs will overwork the shock/strut, causing heat buildup and accelerated wear.

Thanks Bigfieroman. That makes perfect sense. That being the case, I imagine that even before the shocks wear out their performance is less than ideal too because they aren't designed to match the stiffer spring rates.

hehe you guys sound so noobish..sorry i wasnt trying to be mean..tanabe NF is also an option isn't it? personally i am leeryof a large drop. on my previous car i tolerated the ride but a 2" drop really punished my undercarriage and front-end parts.

i made a thread about the same thing. i'm going w/ TRD

Tanabe DF's will give you the largest drop. My cousin has them on his xB and they look and handle awesome.

Hello all, new to Scion and new to the site. Just bought my '08 xB a few weeks ago. Hate the fact that the rear end is jacked up so high. I'd like to get some springs to drop it a bit, but this is a daily driver that I put about 600 miles a week on, so ride quality is important. I'd like a good look and better handling, but don't need a stiff 2" drop.

I was originally planning on TRD, but I'm wondering if the Tanabe NF210's might be a better choice. Has anybody put them on yet? Any pics? I tried the "search", but didn't have any luck.

Thanks for any help and insights.

I went with TRD mainly because there wasn't anything else available at the time. FWIW, I like them a lot but if I were buying now, I'd get whichever name brand 1-2" drop springs are the cheapest. I don't think you could go too far wrong with TRD, Tanabe, Tein or Eibach. Anything would be a vast improvement over the stock springs.

Thanks Fred,
BTW, I ordered the Autolumination Wedge Matrix III back-up bulb with 36 LED's. It should be here next week, then I'll report back. Hopefully it'll work great and I'll only need to serve as a guinea pig once.

FWIW, theres a guy selling used TRD springs over at ClubXB and I've seen new NF210s for $175.

http://www.clubxb.com/forums/f65/15043-fs-gen2-xb-trd-springs/

Good luck with the LED. I've got my fingers crossed.

Thanks Fred,

I've seen NF210's from SSuperStore.com for $169. It's a fantastic price, and I will probably order them, I was just hoping to find somebody (anybody) that actually put these springs on to see how compliant they feel compared to DF's and others. As I said previously, my xB is a VERY daily driver that I want to look good, handle well, and be comfortable.

My next question is will 18's be good for a daily driver on a spring as supposedly compliant as the NF210 (Normal Feeling), or would the extra sidewall on 17's be the way to go? I like the look of 18's, which is why I thought the NF's would be a better choice than the DF's or TRD's (for my needs); I'm just trying to do the preliminary research so as not to buy springs or wheels that I want to replace right away to achieve my goals.

Sorry for the paranoia, but I'm a child of the skeptical late 70's (I missed the carefree drug ages), and I remember when the Chevy Vega, Ford Pinto, and Plymouth "K" car were all "the next great auto's".

I don't have any first hand experience with the NF210s but going by manufacturer claims and hearsay, I think they would be a very good choice for what you want. I read somewhere that TRDs are 20% stiffer than stock while Tanabe claims only 10% for the NFs. I can't verify these claims so take them with a grain of salt.

I can tell you that I do feel a difference with the TRDs. The ride is noticeably firmer but I wouldn't call it harsh. As for 17 vs 18, IMO it shouldn't make too much difference in ride quality. I have 16s on mine but if/when I replace them, I'll be going with 18s for sure.

I never owned any of those Detroit gems but I did borrow a torque convertor out of a vega for my 68 Camaro SS 396 convertible.

I'm surprised that a torque converter from a 4 cylinder Vega would work in a hipo 396 big block V-8, but maybe it was just a quick fix. I really want to thank you for your input regarding suspension and wheels. I'm going to get the NF210's for the most compliant ride, combined with 18 wheels to get the "look". I'm expecting this to be the best combo. Now I just have to pay for it all...

At the time I couldn't afford a hi-stall B&M so the vega TC was a cheap alternative to get a higher stall speed. It was all a big mistake swapping in a AT in anyway but I couldn't afford a M22 to replace the M21 that I broke. This beast actually snapped the main shaft in the M21 and even bent the subframe with G60 bias plies! The engine was built to about 450whp.

I'm glad to help but want to emphasize that I'm no expert on this stuff. All I can offer is my semi-educated opinion. I really don't think you'll be disappointed but a big part of maintaining a compliant ride will still depend on the tires you choose.

I had the TRD's on my XB when I first bought it, looked good and rode just about as good as stock but I wanted a lower drop. Swapped in a set of DF's but was worried about a crappy ride (been there and done that).

I was surprised how nice they rode on par with the TRD's. If your worried about a crappy, choppy ride with the DF's no worries they ride great!

I was surprised how nice they rode on par with the TRD's. If your worried about a crappy, choppy ride with the DF's no worries they ride great!
Just want to get your opinion since you are one of very few (only one so far maybe?) that have tried both the TRD's and the DF's on your car.
Could you elaborate a little more. Are you saying there is pretty much no difference in the ride of the DF's compared to the TRD's?
Could you tell which ones are installed from the driver's seat?
Thanks.

I was surprised how nice they rode on par with the TRD's. If your worried about a crappy, choppy ride with the DF's no worries they ride great!
Just want to get your opinion since you are one of very few (only one so far maybe?) that have tried both the TRD's and the DF's on your car.
Could you elaborate a little more. Are you saying there is pretty much no difference in the ride of the DF's compared to the TRD's?
Could you tell which ones are installed from the driver's seat?
Thanks.


The only difference I noticed is my car is lower now! The ride is identicle (maybe a tad stiffer but maybe just a tad).

This is my daily driver and I had a Mazdaspeed MP3 with Skunk coilovers and it rode like doo-doo. This is by far the nicest ride I've had on any of my lowered cars. Near similiar to stock.

The tad stiffer and lower stance is a marked improvement in corner ability over the TRD's having both and knowing ride quality is very important to me, I would have no problem saying go for the Tanabe's DF's

TRD's

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5203/xb2mx4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Tanabe's

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/502/sxbzn8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

why doesn't everyone just save money and cut their springs with hedge trimmers???

The only difference I noticed is my car is lower now! The ride is identical (maybe a tad stiffer but maybe just a tad).

The tad stiffer and lower stance is a marked improvement in corner ability over the TRD's having both and knowing ride quality is very important to me, I would have no problem saying go for the Tanabe's DF's
Thanks birdy233!
Your car looks great and that is pretty impressive for the ride to be that close to the TRD's with that much more drop.

Thanks for all your opinions...I ended up getting some tanabe df210's to go with some mmr hr2 wheels but have yet to install them. Know anyone in socal who does spring installation? Or is it so easy, I should just go get a jack and do it myself?

Here's the install instructions for the TRD springs:

http://www.trdsparks.com/install/PTR07-52080inst.pdf

I'm guessing the Tanabe's are about the same, but you can probably email them for confirmation:

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/springs/df210.asp

[quote="CIONIDE"]Hello all, new to Scion and new to the site. Just bought my '08 xB a few weeks ago. Hate the fact that the rear end is jacked up so high. I'd like to get some springs to drop it a bit, but this is a daily driver that I put about 600 miles a week on, so ride quality is important. I'd like a good look and better handling, but don't need a stiff 2" drop.

I was originally planning on TRD, but I'm wondering if the Tanabe NF210's might be a better choice. Has anybody put them on yet? Any pics? I tried the "search", but didn't have any luck.

Thanks for any help and insights.[/table]

[quote=CIONIDE]Hello all, new to Scion and new to the site. Just bought my '08 xB a few weeks ago. Hate the fact that the rear end is jacked up so high. I'd like to get some springs to drop it a bit, but this is a daily driver that I put about 600 miles a week on, so ride quality is important. I'd like a good look and better handling, but don't need a stiff 2" drop.

I was originally planning on TRD, but I'm wondering if the Tanabe NF210's might be a better choice. Has anybody put them on yet? Any pics? I tried the "search", but didn't have any luck.

Thanks for any help and insights.[/table]

Look on page one of this thread for pics, I had both and prefer the Tanabe's.............

Thanks again for all your input...I went with the tanabe df210's with 19" mrr hr2 wheels
http://sanghas.org/images/PB161012_rm.jpg
http://sanghas.org/images/PB161014_rm.jpg

Looks nice!!! I like those wheels, sharp!

Do you think the tanabe would be a tad too low for the winter season (snow)?

Do you think the tanabe would be a tad too low for the winter season (snow)?

It might be a tad too low for snow.

Could you measure how low the front lip is? Thanks. Sweet ride.