Okay well i have the TC2 and its basically all stock, and i want something that going to give me a boost in power and responsiveness that will not void my warranty and will be fairly cheap. Let me know what you have in mind! BTW i have a low budget! haha

define "low budget"...

Springs.

Light-weight crankshaft pulley (risk involved with this -- might take a year or two to know for sure what negative impact it might have on engine reliability, caveat emptor etc.)

Front strut bar

Weapon-R I-Throttle

and I'll let others contribute as well.

as in i can only spend a few hundred.. :/

Springs.

Light-weight crankshaft pulley (risk involved with this -- might take a year or two to know for sure what negative impact it might have on engine reliability, caveat emptor etc.)

Front strut bar

Weapon-R I-Throttle

and I'll let others contribute as well.

Are you aware of anyone else with this upgrade? because i was reading its description on a site and it looks quite affective.. Just wasn't sure how affective.

Which upgrade are you talking about? :P

If you're referring to the NST crankshaft pulley, I think only one prototype is installed that we are aware of. There are no long-term analyses done on second generation tC's. The stock crankshaft pulley in the tC2 is much heavier than the tC1 pulley, so . . . I would theorize maybe there's more risk for the tC2 in a light-weight pulley vs. the risk (or lack thereof) that existed with the tC1's. I'm still signed up for the group buy, I don't want to rock the boat or do anything that would lead it to fall through, but I'm a bit leery of actually installing it.

Since I'm installing a turbo soon-ish, I probably won't really need it anyway.

smh.. lol the Weapon-R I-Throttle

Yes, many positive testimonials. Some pretty surprised people, too. One would think that pressing more quickly on the gas would accomplish the same effect, but feedback from skeptics who order it seems to be quite positive. For example, it seems to reduce input->output lag markedly in a way that's pretty hard (if not impossible) for the human driver to do on their own.

honestly, you can't really add any horsepower without voiding the warranty. also, you're 16, and this is your first car. 180 horsepower is more than enough for you. trust me, save your money. do some fun worthwhile upgrades like sport springs and sway bars. maybe an intake or exhaust if you want some more aural enjoyment.but anything that adds any serious horsepower (i.e. a turbo) is going to be beyond your budget and driving skills.

i throttle controller makes the car more fun to drive. i dont turn it on a lot though cuz i tend to burn through gas, lol

honestly, you can't really add any horsepower without voiding the warranty. also, you're 16, and this is your first car. 180 horsepower is more than enough for you. trust me, save your money. do some fun worthwhile upgrades like sport springs and sway bars. maybe an intake or exhaust if you want some more aural enjoyment.but anything that adds any serious horsepower (i.e. a turbo) is going to be beyond your budget and driving skills.

I can say 180 hp isnt enough.. lol it seems SOOO slow in like 4th gear... like a CELICA blew past me today on the highway, it isnt as fun to drive as it could be at this point.. haha

i throttle controller makes the car more fun to drive. i dont turn it on a lot though cuz i tend to burn through gas, lol

wow so you must have it installed, so is it alot more responsive and faster in the high gear range?

honestly, you can't really add any horsepower without voiding the warranty. also, you're 16, and this is your first car. 180 horsepower is more than enough for you. trust me, save your money. do some fun worthwhile upgrades like sport springs and sway bars. maybe an intake or exhaust if you want some more aural enjoyment.but anything that adds any serious horsepower (i.e. a turbo) is going to be beyond your budget and driving skills.

And how would springs and sway bars make the ride more fun? Just curious.

...

Better handling on the car makes it somewhat more fun to drive?

sigh..... as for the throttle controller from weapon-r....

All throttle controllers are effectively the same. It alters the voltage that is produced when you press down the gas pedal.

The reason for this is because of the DBW (drive by wire) which causes the unresponsiveness. There is a position sensor that senses how much the gas pedal is depressed. The voltage increases as the gas pedal is depressed more.

Now, if you you graph the throttle position (from 0% open to 100% open) on the y-axis of a graph; and you graph the amount the gas pedal is depressed (0% depression to 100% depression) you will obtain an exponential curve.

What the throttle controller does is modify the voltage output which is why the throttle controller needs to be "tuned" when you first hook the thing up. It alters the voltage that the position sensor reads and ultimately corrects it so that the graph is more linear (more like that of a cable throttle).

That is all it does. There are many throttle controllers out on the market from Blitz, weapon-r, TWP, etc etc.



Also.... for a few hundred bucks, you're not going to get any significant performance gains. An intake, brand new will set you back a good couple hundred. Same with the exhaust. And those won't even net you that much of a gain.

take it from somebody who has done everything this his tC except audio system. you don't get any significant gain in horsepower without spending thousands of dollars, with the exception of nitrous oxide.

trust me. start with suspension, and learn how to drive car. I guarantee you it is more car than you can really handle. there is no reason for a celica to blow past you unless you don't know what gear you should be in to be in the optimal power band. 4th gear being so slow, sounds like you short shifted and were too low in the power band. I don't know the tC2's max speed in gear, but considering 3rd gear in the first gen tops out at 77 mph, i'm going to guess you upshifted too soon, and that is why the celica blew you away.

also, don't race everything on the road, your car isn't that quick, and your driving isn't that good.

take it from somebody who has done everything this his tC except audio system. you don't get any significant gain in horsepower without spending thousands of dollars, with the exception of nitrous oxide.

trust me. start with suspension, and learn how to drive car. I guarantee you it is more car than you can really handle. there is no reason for a celica to blow past you unless you don't know what gear you should be in to be in the optimal power band. 4th gear being so slow, sounds like you short shifted and were too low in the power band. I don't know the tC2's max speed in gear, but considering 3rd gear in the first gen tops out at 77 mph, i'm going to guess you upshifted too soon, and that is why the celica blew you away.

also, don't race everything on the road, your car isn't that quick, and your driving isn't that good.

^This.

He's right. You won't see any significant power gains with a couple hundred dollars in bolt-ons. That's just how it is. Companies can post dyno results all day for a bolt-on cat back exhaust, but at the end of the day, you're probably going to lose hp somewhere in the power band. Pretty sure this has been discussed.

Get to know the car that you've had for less than a year. Take it to the track bone stock. Stock class AutoX is super fun, imo. You'll be able to hone your maneuvering skills there. Take it to the drag strip to get some times, and try to improve your reaction time and launch technique. Know every gear's feeling at every rpm and I guarantee you'll take that Celica.

Putting power in the car for an easy win isn't as fun as you think. It's like racing a car you know you're going to beat. Boring.

Also, aftermarket items won't void the warranty outright. If there is a problem with your car, they have to prove that aftermarket part is what is causing the malfunction. However, if you do start modding your tC2, keep all the stock parts. If something goes bad, and you have to take it into the dealer for some "Warranty" work, put everything back to stock and lie through your teeth that you never modded it.

Okay i am one of the people that has everything done to their car pretty much. I have a manual tc and i have the current upgrades. hks axle-back..injen coldair..weapon r headers..weapon r throttle controller..trd short shifter..torque solutions motor mount. I spent a total of about 1200 on everything with labor and all. Didnt get much peformance out of these mods but i can give you numbers really quick to show what difference i got as far as 0-60..0-80..0-100..top speed! im basing these numbers off of car and drivers track sheet and take into consideration that they did theirs on a track, i did these on the street and got these numbers off of my edge performance monitor. car and driver numbers(0-60 in 6.9)(0-80 in 11.6)(0-100 in 19.2)(top speed 133)..My car numbers(0-60 6.68)(0-80 11.05)(0-100 17.05)(top speed 150-151) im sure on a track i wud do alot better!but all that money spent i really didnt make that big of a difference. Mods that made a difference were motor mounts(before motor mount 0-60 was like 7.4 sometimes 8 secs) ...quick shifter(was a night and day difference when it came to shifting)...weapon r throttle controller(which gave this car a +10 fun factor like if vtec kicks in lol)! the bolts on gave the car a little more pep and an aggressive sound but i probably net about 10-12 hp if that with bolt-ons....i will say that the tires suck on this car and that should of been my first upgrade

alright guys thanks for the help.. im just going to stick to cosmetics and might do intake and exhaust(not sure which one) and i really dont want to do suspension untill i can get some aftermaket rims and tires on there.

Light weight wheels and better tires=best bang for buck. The crank pulley is a solid investment as well. It's on my list next along with a throttle controller.

Concur also with the wheels/tires. If you think spinning your tires is a great way to impress people, stick with stock. If you actually want performance, however, better tires are a must. These will grip better and thus you can accelerate more quickly, corner better, stop in an emergency better, etc. But now we're talking about $$$.

this is probably the only MOD that will get you HP fast and on a super low budget...

http://www.importequipment.com/images/Toyota%20Matrix/335-this-sticker-adds-5hp.jpg

Lmao ___ of that the sticker...but seriously if i had better tires(thinking of getting the continental dws got the best rating on uhp allseason) and put them on my motegi 19lb rims with the lightweight pulley i can put down 0-60 in 6 secs flat and 1/4 mile in 14.7secs which is what im aiming for..im trying to match up with a gti when it comes to the track and ill be happy with my car! then ill start suspension and cosmetics

Lmao ___ of that the sticker...but seriously if i had better tires(thinking of getting the continental dws got the best rating on uhp allseason) and put them on my motegi 19lb rims with the lightweight pulley i can put down 0-60 in 6 secs flat and 1/4 mile in 14.7secs which is what im aiming for..im trying to match up with a gti when it comes to the track and ill be happy with my car! then ill start suspension and cosmetics

Go autox. It's a driver's race so if you're good you'll beat much faster cars. Harder than drag but much more rewarding.

I wish my parents bought me a brand new scion for my 16th bday...I had a '91 Buick Riviera

Yeah guys i want rims and tires but thats alott of money. That i dont have maybe at the end of summer i might, but idk.. And im wanting to get a Weapon r secret intake with the ram air.yeah i was fortunate to get this car.. haha

I waited until i needed new tires before i sprang for new wheels to go with them. get your money's worth out of the stock parts.

this is what i did with my ram kit and i have to say it made a hell of a difference.http://img.scionlane.com/photos/1/20/73461_07d9823d35.jpg...i removed the cover from the foglight and stuck the tube out in the open..when ur hitting 60 and you punch it and all the air is sucking up into the intake the car feels alive, its almost scary lol... and the good part is if it rains i can put put the foglight cover back on and no worries! I havent ran numbers yet but im sure im hitting 80 in the 10 sec range and 100 in the 16 sec range now.

this is what i did with my ram kit and i have to say it made a hell of a difference.http://img.scionlane.com/photos/1/20/73461_07d9823d35.jpg...i removed the cover from the foglight and stuck the tube out in the open..when ur hitting 60 and you punch it and all the air is sucking up into the intake the car feels alive, its almost scary lol... and the good part is if it rains i can put put the foglight cover back on and no worries! I havent ran numbers yet but im sure im hitting 80 in the 10 sec range and 100 in the 16 sec range now.

Dude i had the same idea!! i was just thinking about doing that like 10 minutes ago before i got on the computer! how ironic!! OMG lol im defintately getting this you made me want it even more!

Can you possibly post pics tommorrow during the day?

sure....ill try and get some numbers up too and see what i get it

I can say 180 hp isnt enough.. lol it seems SOOO slow in like 4th gear... like a CELICA blew past me today on the highway, it isnt as fun to drive as it could be at this point.. haha

Then you should have bought a Civic Si instead, or a slightly used RSX-S. Yea I know, the Scion looks better though...I hear ya.

u dont start feeling anything till about 50-60mph and when all that wind is being forced its like holy crap..put it this way i had a cel come on from the headers when installed it and when i put this on it automatically disappeared and never came back on. I can only make cel go way with cel eliminator, and i took it off cuz i had feeling with the air coming thru it wud go away and sure enough it went away so this little mod did something!

Then you should have bought a Civic Si instead, or a slightly used RSX-S. Yea I know, the Scion looks better though...I hear ya.

I didnt have a choice.. lol it was a birthday gift. and every time i ask my mom about getting a mod shes like be thankful for what you have!! And if i knew you were wanting to mod it this much i would have bought you a 1970's pinto.. im like geez mom what do you expect me to want to do! im 16 and have been passionate about cars since i could walk! and i have money so HELL YA im going to want to mod it! So yeah i may trade it for a civic si or rsx-s if i could..

Well... I'm not going to lie... if you're 16 and she bought you the car, you should probably just drive the car from point A to point B. The car is under her name and her insurance.

If you want to have a car you can mod without your parents telling you what to do, then it's pretty easy. Get a job, get your own car and do whatever you want with it.

As soon as I turned 16, my father told me to get my own car. I paid for it myself along with the insurance. Being from Naperville right outside of Chicago, it was hard watching kids at my high school show up in 5 series BMW and the Infinitis and Lexus (Lexi) cars. But, I learned that value of a dollar quick. Went through my undergrad and graduated with no debt and now I'm in my masters program.

You have a brand new car. Drive it and take the whole process slow. "Only" having 180 hp is not going to kill you. This is the car industry. You have to pay to play. Do it right the first time so that you don't waste the time and money on things that break or don't work.

Well... I'm not going to lie... if you're 16 and she bought you the car, you should probably just drive the car from point A to point B. The car is under her name and her insurance.

If you want to have a car you can mod without your parents telling you what to do, then it's pretty easy. Get a job, get your own car and do whatever you want with it.

As soon as I turned 16, my father told me to get my own car. I paid for it myself along with the insurance. Being from Naperville right outside of Chicago, it was hard watching kids at my high school show up in 5 series BMW and the Infinitis and Lexus (Lexi) cars. But, I learned that value of a dollar quick. Went through my undergrad and graduated with no debt and now I'm in my masters program.

You have a brand new car. Drive it and take the whole process slow. "Only" having 180 hp is not going to kill you. This is the car industry. You have to pay to play. Do it right the first time so that you don't waste the time and money on things that break or don't work.

^ I couldn't agree more.

I/H/E and suspension. Also maybe try losing some weight. Those cars are kinda heavy.

So as a surprise, my girlfriend found a place with a dynopack and decided to drive my car out and do a dyno on my car as a surprise! I wish i was there to see since it wud be my first time to see my car on a dyno. Ne way she said the first pull was 174.4hp and 161.7tq and the 2nd pull was 176.8hp and 168.8tq which i guess is alright i was hoping i put down more.. i have hks axleback/weapon r headers/injen coldair/..temperature was 68 for those that wanted to know..ill put up sheet once she hands it to me...at least my girlfriend is thoughtful

this was a dynopack back in march so im guessing around same temp..it was really humid today so i dunno if that can mess with numbers.. i gained about 9hp and 16lbs of trq which is pretty cool...http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2204/scan001mt.jpg

Just put a nice AFE intake on and enjoy the beautiful sounds it makes :D

If you want to go FAST, consider a descendant turbo kit.

Honestly though, Hotchkis springs and sways will completely change the way the car feels, in a good way:D With hotchkis springs and sways, my xb2 is a COMPLETELY different creature when it gets twisty. They are definitely worth picking up as far as the "bang for the buck" mod goes.

Well... I'm not going to lie... if you're 16 and she bought you the car, you should probably just drive the car from point A to point B. The car is under her name and her insurance.

If you want to have a car you can mod without your parents telling you what to do, then it's pretty easy. Get a job, get your own car and do whatever you want with it.

As soon as I turned 16, my father told me to get my own car. I paid for it myself along with the insurance. Being from Naperville right outside of Chicago, it was hard watching kids at my high school show up in 5 series BMW and the Infinitis and Lexus (Lexi) cars. But, I learned that value of a dollar quick. Went through my undergrad and graduated with no debt and now I'm in my masters program.

You have a brand new car. Drive it and take the whole process slow. "Only" having 180 hp is not going to kill you. This is the car industry. You have to pay to play. Do it right the first time so that you don't waste the time and money on things that break or don't work.

Yep.. i totally understand. And i actually have a job. At McDonalds : / but its still a job.

Yep.. i totally understand. And i actually have a job. At McDonalds : / but its still a job.

At least you are working, keep at it.

For the car, just drive it back and forth. Get used to it, see how it drives, see what you would like to improve on. There are many simple things you can do that do not cost an arm and a leg and will help.

More horsepower? Not going to happen on the cheap. You've heard what folks have said on here, listen to them.

...and just be glad you have a brand new car. $#@% when I was 16 I saved up every penny of $1700 to buy a 1985 chevy cavalier and was damn happy with it!!

At least you are working, keep at it.

For the car, just drive it back and forth. Get used to it, see how it drives, see what you would like to improve on. There are many simple things you can do that do not cost an arm and a leg and will help.

More horsepower? Not going to happen on the cheap. You've heard what folks have said on here, listen to them.

...and just be glad you have a brand new car. $#@% when I was 16 I saved up every penny of $1700 to buy a 1985 chevy cavalier and was damn happy with it!!

yeah man i am.. i just wish i could upgrade it man.. ive been passionate about fast cars and having one since i was a kid!! but my time will come. I've been keeping up with the fast and furious since it began!! But ill just save some money for now.. i think im just going to tint the tails ( if you know of any good methods for tinting the tail lights a smoke color NOT blacked put let me know!) and do my fog lights 300k HID.

Why not just put a 50 shot of nitrous on it?

Contrary to popular misbelief, Nitrous doesn't equal a blown up engine.

Just like a turbo, proper tuning is everything.

Why not just put a 50 shot of nitrous on it?

Contrary to popular misbelief, Nitrous doesn't equal a blown up engine.

Just like a turbo, proper tuning is everything.

because nitrous is a one time use, turbo is like constant

top speed through gears.
1st gear: 28
2nd gear: 58
3rd gear: 80
4th gear: (idk. never topped it out,but i think the fastest I've been is 110, and was till in 4th)
5th gear: book says 125.
6th gear: unknown to me

top speed through gears.
1st gear: 28
2nd gear: 58
3rd gear: 80
4th gear: (idk. never topped it out,but i think the fastest I've been is 110, and was till in 4th)
5th gear: book says 125.
6th gear: unknown to me

sounds about right.
6th gear is 135.... but i still had 1,300 rpm left to go but i started running out of road. someone on here claims 150

I highly doubt 150 since the gauge tops out at 150. Idk, you said 140 in 6th gear. Oh well. How fast does 5th and 6th gear climb mph wise?

because nitrous is a one time use, turbo is like constant

If you manage to use an ENTIRE bottle in ONE shot...yes...you will blow up your engine.

Just get a flywheel and a rear swaybar, you will be happy. Don't get a huge power adder until you are comfortable with the car.

yep i got the tc2 to about 150 when the rev limiter kicked it! With the bolt ons i was able to hit 130 pretty quick and then it took a few to even get to 150 but i was going down a hill so im sure that helped in getting me to 150! i tried to make a video or at least take a pic but when i hit about 140 the car started shaking pretty good and the video and pictures came out blurry

I installed the Torque Solution motor mount and have only good things to say about it -- from a performance standpoint, things are improved as the engine spends more of its energy turning the wheels than twisting itself in the engine bay on the stock jello-like motor mount. The engine being more connected to the vehicle also transmits more noise & vibration into the cabin. I consider myself pretty sensitive to noise & whatnot, so since this doesn't bother me, it probably shouldn't bother any of you. The noise also changes in character and sounds so much more masculine. Anyway, just sharing -- I definitely feel a performance & handling improvement.

I installed the Torque Solution motor mount and have only good things to say about it -- from a performance standpoint, things are improved as the engine spends more of its energy turning the wheels than twisting itself in the engine bay on the stock jello-like motor mount. The engine being more connected to the vehicle also transmits more noise & vibration into the cabin. I consider myself pretty sensitive to noise & whatnot, so since this doesn't bother me, it probably shouldn't bother any of you. The noise also changes in character and sounds so much more masculine. Anyway, just sharing -- I definitely feel a performance & handling improvement.
I should see improvements even on an auto, right?

Positively, yes.

I dont consider myself to know much about modding, but do recommend a few things:

-I would def. not recommend HID Fog lights, if you search an HID FAQ, you'll find that they do not do well in reflector housings, and you will blind all the drivers around you. (maybe search audi DRL mod, this looks so much cooler, about 40 bucks for everything and doesnt take too much know how)

-Get a motor mount for sure, I just installed one and it is so much fun! I actually drive slower now because I'm not revving the engine so hard to hear it, its loud even at ldle. Also, it feels so much more connected like everyone says. Only bummer is when you start off in first, you definitely get some feedback. I got mine on here for 70 bucks shipped and takes 20 mins to put in.

-The TWM Base and Shifter bushings are super easy to install and feel amazing, if you have a stick. cost 25 each and take about an hour to install total

i wonder how the motor mount will feel with coilovers and a deep drop?

If you get the GGP motor mount like I got (If Nurspec still has any left) mine was 70 bucks shipped and it came with a softer and a harder, one for street and one for track I guess. I have my track one on right now for the street just because its loud and fun, but I might try the street just because it only takes about 15-20 minutes to install. I bet the softer of the two would be allright if you were lowered.

Worst case scenario, Geoff would probably take it back if necessary, he is super cool and has great customer service.

he is on this forum and his name is Nurspec

http://www.scionlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=197007&highlight=nurspec

He is on that thread

http://www.scionlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=197007&highlight=nurspec

He is on that thread

Thanks for the link and your thoughts on the motor mount. Ive been looking into getting a motor lately, anyone know the differences between this and the mount by torque solutions?

Torque solutions mount has 75A durometer bushings and is 119.00,
GGP has both 70A and 88A durometer bushings which you could switch out yourself and is around 75.00 shipped (if he has any left).

Here is a sound clip from the inside of my tc with the motor mount. This was a slow takeoff from a stop light, up to about 45 or 50, but this will definitely give you an idea of the sound.

http://www.wikiupload.com/R02RRR3INH4GMLT

Can you post it on YouTube? Link didn't work for me

If you click on that link and hit the download this file button, it doesnt work? mine keeps working :-( any ideas on how to post a .mp3 file on youtube? or a site to post mp3's to? I tried and even converted it to avi, but it says there is no video so it wont let me use it. stupid youtube.

If your 16 and have a brand new tc as your first car first of all, count your blessings. Your very fortunate to have financially stable parents to buy that for you, and pay the insurance. My advice, don't spend money on your car at all, because you won't make it all that much faster with a couple of hundred dollars. Enjoy being 16, spend money on girls, and stash away some money on the side so then you can buy a nice, fast, cool car when you're older.

On the other hand, you can spend some of your money modding/upgrading your Scion tC, if you find the process and result to be enjoyable and worth the money. I suggest at least doing some minimal mods, to get a feel for working on your own car. I find the experience rewarding . . . even though it's an economy/value car.

These types of threads tend to turn into psycho-analysis. There's a place for that now and then, but the substance of replies should be more focused on answering the original poster's questions and less weighted towards psycho-analysis. That's my opinion, anyway.

psychoanalysis!
this is the last place i would have thought to see that word lol
just did an english project on that.

but on topic i got my tc when i was 18, had a 1986 jeep grand wagoneer before. made me appreciate a working car. also the fact that i paid for it myself was a plus. If i was you i would lower it and do exhaust, maybe sway bars if you have the money. Like they said, it would make the car alot more fun. an alternate route you could take would be wide rims and coilovers. would be nice to see fitment on a 2nd gen. whatever you do though, people on here will be willing to answer your question