I have an '06 xB with an automatic. It currently has around 23k miles. I am considering installing a S/C next spring. I do not race and do not intend to. My reasons for the possible install are to give the car more power primarily when ascending hills. When I drive the Interstate the hills kill this car. Even small grades will tax the car, especially when my wife and child are with me, which is quite often. My normal driving is back and forth to work where I have been achieving an average of 33-35 mpg. I drive conservatively.

I love my xB and the only real issue I have is the lack of power. Therein lies my conundrum: Do I sell a car I love dearly or do I install a S/C to add power when I need it? I know the kits are around $2500 to $3000 which is much less expensive than buying a new car.

My question for others who have supercharged their xB: How has your fuel economy been affected when driving the car "normally" (as in not hard), and have you experienced any problems or durability issues? How many miles on your car since installing the S/C? Do you think a S/C install is a good remedy for my problem?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

While I haven't S/C'd my Box, I've had boosted similar cars (4 cyl.) in the past, so let me toss in my $.02.
If you can manage to "keep your foot out of it", your mileage shouldn't be affected much. I'd guess on one of these fairly economical cars, your MPG might drop by maybe 2-4 on average just due to the additional drag of the belt/pulley system strapped to the engine.
As far as durability, that will be inversely affected by the amount of boost the blower is stuffing into the engine. The lower the boost, the less heat and stress imparted onto your internals, and therefore lees of an effect of the durability of its parts. Obviously, this allows a lesser amount of added horsepower, but I'd guess you could still add 30-40HP with a conservative boost.
I'm not sure what the compression ration of these engines is, but I'm assuming they're not particularly low - which better suits a blown engine - so a lower boost pressure would be in order anyway. As I said, I'm not an expert on these particular engines, but I'm just offering up some generalities as basic info for you.

You'll find a lot more in-depth info here:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=89874

Good luck!

 

JIm, I have an 04 xb with a blitz supercharger and auto trans. Installed over a year ago and never a problem. I keep the sc'er set at medium (comes on at half peddle) so that I can run around town most of the time without even using the sc'er and when I need some boost, just a little more pressure on the gas pedal and instant 40hp+. Blending into traffic on the interstate and climbing hills is so much easier now. The blitz sc'er is a great setup for those little 1500 cc motors. Go for it.....

 

Barry,
Thanks for the reply. A few things: Did you install it yourself and if so, how long did it take? Is it cockpit adjustable or underhood? Does it have parasitic drag when not generating boost to negatively affect fuel economy? And lastly, where did you purchase yours?

Thanks.
Jim

 

Jim, I got the sc'er and had it installed at Titan Motorsports here in Orlando. They did a great job and a very clean install. (polished up all the parts)

The blitz sc'er has a 3 way control adjustment (inside cab):
low = kicks in almost immediately
Med = kicks in at half throttle
High = kicks in only at full pedal (passing gear)
and of course off

It has no ill effect on the engine when not in use and run like a stock XB. I still get 26-30 mpg depending on how I drive. With the sc'er you find yourself hot rodding alot and the mpg's could be better if I were a little more sensible.

Although I had Titan do the install I hear that it can be done at home without any major problems. You do need to have one of the air conditioning hoses made a little longer to keep it from rubbing.

To bad you are so far away or I could let you take it for a drive to make sure you knew what you were buying and how it was going to perform.

 

Barry, I wish I lived closer too, and thank you for the offer. I would consider doing the install myself but would probably defer it to a professional, preferable a shop with some experience installing superchargers.

Your information is just what I was looking for and I thank you.

Jim

 

Wow, I did not know that it didn't run all the time. Thanks for the info Bro! Now I hope they will still be available when I can afford one.

 

Yep, they only operate when necessary.