Does anybody have the cruise control kit that are sold on ebay? The kit made by Rostra? Is that the kit that Toyota/scion installs into the scions if you wanted that option?
My main questions are:

1. How do you like it?

2. Does the engine stay pegged in the high RPM's when cruise is on around 70mph or so? Just like most 4bangers...Or do the RPM's jump super high when accelerating?

3. Did you install yourself?

4. was it a pretty straight forward and simplified install?

5. where'd you get it and for how much?

The Rostra kit is the one available from Scion. Mine was installed at the Jacksonville port. $350.00 option.

It works well, but the control stalk is on the left, side of the steering wheel, and is too low IMO. It is too close to your left knee, i've almost broken it off. If you're under 5"10'or so it shouldn't be a problem. If you are self installing you may be able to locate it better.

If your rpm's are 4k @ 70mph without the cruise control, it will be the same with it.

The Rostra kit is the one available from Scion. Mine was installed at the Jacksonville port. $350.00 option.

It works well, but the control stalk is on the left, side of the steering wheel, and is too low IMO. It is too close to your left knee, i've almost broken it off. If you're under 5"10'or so it shouldn't be a problem. If you are self installing you may be able to locate it better.

If your rpm's are 4k @ 70mph without the cruise control, it will be the same with it.Mine too! It works fine for the most part but on steeper sections it helps prevent kickdown if you help gas it prior to going up hill. It holds speed fine on the flats and only goes 5mph over for a short while after going up a hill.
The stalk was readjusted by me by turning the angled spacer around so the stalk now points upward more and doesn't interfear with my knee anymore. It's a very helpful thing to have on all my long distance roadtrips and would not do without. Now if Scion would get their heads out their A$$ and make it an option for everyone instead of just the South East Port. :clap:

I have it, no problem with the height of the arm, and I am not so short.

It's a great cruise.

Keep in mind that the Rostra control, made in the US, is the one that the SE Region importer will install at the port, but it is NOT a Toyota/Scion part, and does not carry a Toyota/Scion warranty.

In another part of the country, other than the southeast, this is simply an aftermarket accessory and is not covered by Toyota, Scion, or other dealers. (Beware of "Toyota Warranties" and such from SE Region Toyota dealers - often they are not genuine "Toyota" warranties, but distributor warranties, and are not recognized out of the region.)

Rostra makes an excellent cruise control, but it has a rather flakey "control stalk" in my opinion.

It would be nice if Toyota/Scion actually came out with an optional cruise control for the Scion xA/xB with controls more ergonomicly integrated into the vehicle. Even the Rostra cruise control with nicer human interface would be a plus.

(The position of the control stalk for the current Rostra depends on where the installer drills the hole in the steering column shell - there is no "factory" location. There is a "suggested" location in the installation instructions from Rostra, but it depends on the installer...)

my only gripe is that often when you set the cruise say at 70, it will often drop to 67 as you slowly release the accellerator. it will slowly accellerate up to 70, but if anyone is fairly close behind you, they will go around you and glare. i like it, i just wish it would immediately engage as soon as you set the button.

When setting cruise I usually click the button to set it, then hold the button to accelerate - when I can feel the cruise just starting to take over from the pedal i release the button and back off the gas...

That way I eliminate the drop while the cruise sorts itself out. http://tijil.org/thinking.gif

my only gripe is that often when you set the cruise say at 70, it will often drop to 67 as you slowly release the accellerator. it will slowly accellerate up to 70, but if anyone is fairly close behind you, they will go around you and glare. i like it, i just wish it would immediately engage as soon as you set the button.

I've found this to be true with most four cyl. cars that I've driven. I have the dealer installed cruise and it's fine. I don't use it in traffic because of the slowdown/speedup issue. In fact, I don't use cruise at all except on long trips because of all the dipsticks who drive in the left lane, etc. It's pretty useless to try to drive one speed here. :doh:

I bought the Rostra kit from eBay, $200, and installed it myself. It was more difficult than I imagined, mostly due to the extremely cramped under-dash work. It took me about 7 hours, and I'm pretty handy with cars. One problem was that I found the mounting bracket wasn't really right for the application. I had to move the bracket to an odd spot on the control module to make it fit right.

I had read others' account of problematic stalk locations, so I placed mine where it wouldn't interfere with my knees, especially since I'm so tall. The only trouble with where I placed it is that I can't see the thing at all with the steering wheel straight.

It functions OK, but not nearly as precisely as many other cruises I have driven. It drops about 2 mph on a hill, but then recovers in a little while.

I'd say that overall, I'm pleased with it.

I found those Rostra Cruises for sale at $189.50 plus $10 shipping and handling. This is the way to go because the "other" brand out there is vacuum operated not electric. The vacuum ones really loose alot more speed climbing hills. So I guess you could say the vacuum ones suck! LOL. Stay with the electronic one.

to order contact Custom Auto. CustomAutoRadio@comcast.net

I didn't put the control stalk where the instructions recommended. The good part is that I won't hit my knees on it. The bad part is that I can't see it while the steering wheel is straight.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/gslippy/Scion_xB/P5070911.jpg

Here is the control box nestled under the strut tie bar. I had to use only one screw on top of the control box to attach to the bracket provided with the kit.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/gslippy/Scion_xB/P5070916.jpg

Here's another view of the control box:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/gslippy/Scion_xB/P5070917.jpg

Here's a view of the additional bracket you have to add to the throttle body:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/gslippy/Scion_xB/P5070918.jpg

Here's a closeup of the same bracket:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/gslippy/Scion_xB/P5070919.jpg

Good luck!

Nice pictures, gslipply. You did a great job !! I want cruise also. My question is, why couldn't you have mounted the stalk BEHIND the turn signal lever?? From the pics, it looks like it might work ??

its hard to see it now if you put behind the turn signal you wont be able to see it all. I would have been nice if they made it to fit on the steering wheel itself.

Nice pictures, gslipply. You did a great job !! I want cruise also. My question is, why couldn't you have mounted the stalk BEHIND the turn signal lever?? From the pics, it looks like it might work ??

Thanks. The tough part is the under-dash work. I found the access very difficult for not a lot of wires to hook up (12 V power, clutch, brake, speed sensor, and control stalk). I'm still healing from it after a few weeks.

jethro b is right; there really isn't a good place for the stalk. I even considered making it some sort of "box" mount, but that would have looked too JC Whitney or something.

I've got the Rostra Cruise control from Ebay for sale. Had to get rid of my Xb and get a truck and never got around to installing it. If anybody's intrested in it, let me know. I'll give them a good deal. I wasn't about to give it up with the box. I'm in N.J. and will ship it if you'd like.

I've got the Rostra Cruise control from Ebay for sale. Had to get rid of my Xb and get a truck and never got around to installing it. If anybody's intrested in it, let me know. I'll give them a good deal. I wasn't about to give it up with the box. I'm in N.J. and will ship it if you'd like.Throw an add up in the classified section. Someone will surely pick it up. Good luck with your sale.

I have one in my 04' RS1 XB w/man. trans. and it works great for highway driving

Posted: 6/17/06 9:49PM Post subject: Report This Post to Mods Reply with quote View Printable Version
stevedawelder wrote:
I've got the Rostra Cruise control from Ebay for sale. Had to get rid of my Xb and get a truck and never got around to installing it. If anybody's intrested in it, let me know. I'll give them a good deal. I wasn't about to give it up with the box. I'm in N.J. and will ship it if you'd like.
Throw an add up in the classified section. Someone will surely pick it up. Good luck with your sale.
I'd like to but ya got to have 50 posts in order to post there.
Steve

i just instaled my rosta cruise control 2 days ago. I got it from the dealer and it came with good directions. my only problem with it is that it accelerates way too slow when i hit and hold the buttton. im just use to other cruise controls that get the car moving when you hold down the acc. button. owell i guess with this brand when they say cruise they really mean it.

I'm 6"3 and havnt had ne problems with my legs hitting the cruise. I had the factory install my cruise, and i havn't used it once yet...... Just hit 1000 mi. as i pulled into my garage last night. Damn break in period.

I've got the Rostra Cruise control from Ebay for sale. Had to get rid of my Xb and get a truck and never got around to installing it. If anybody's intrested in it, let me know. I'll give them a good deal. I wasn't about to give it up with the box. I'm in N.J. and will ship it if you'd like.

I just want to post that I sold my C.C. to one of your members. Sorry to all the others that sent me a note.
Thanks again, Steve

If you have a delay from the time you hit the resume/set button to when you get the car to accelerate/hold the speed. You may want to check the slack in the cable where it connects to the throttle. If there is too much slack, then it will take some time for the cruise control to take up the slack before it will accelerate. In the manual, it states there should be 0.06 to 0.10 inch of slack in the cable. I'm not sure how you will measure that, but I just adjusted it to where there was minimal amount of play in the cable. Works pretty good for me overall.

Cruise control for me is my foot in one place. :rofl: That's all I could get.

I didn't put the control stalk where the instructions recommended...
Here is the control box nestled under the strut tie bar...
I ordered my Rostra CC from AllScion, who provided a local installer who had done dozens for the dealers. Since I am very tall, I used your photo to show them where to install it. I had been using a DC Sports strut bar for the past 5000 miles, but I took it off for the CC installation. The installer took an hour to install the CC while I waited, and charged $150.
I had not been able to tell any difference when I put on the strut bar, and no difference after I took it off, so I just left it off. It interfered with installing the CC, and servicing the air filter, the brake fluid and the power steering fluid.

Cruise control for me is my foot in one place. :rofl: That's all I could get.
Yeah, I'm pretty used to that as well.

Cruise control for me is my foot in one place. :rofl: That's all I could get.
Yeah, I'm pretty used to that as well.

I drive to LA to San Francisco every couple months, and in the xB, I can make it all the way to San Jose without stopping for gas. On long trips like that, I'll tell ya, I'd love one of those cruise control gadgets.

I have the cruise, port installed for $275. I thought that was easier than doing it myself. That was the posted price on the dealership's price page. It works great with my standard tranny.

had the dealer put cruise on both boxes .. Rosta's work as advertised..
:clap:

I have the cruise, port installed for $275. I thought that was easier than doing it myself. That was the posted price on the dealership's price page. It works great with my standard tranny.
It is cheaper and better to get cruise control that way and at that price, if you can. After 5000 miles I bought from AllScion for about $200 with shipping, and got a good deal on local installation for $150 while I waited. A local nstallation is often higher.
For those who think they can buy CC and install it themselves, be advised. The parts lay out before you very simply. The instructions are pretty good. And the difficulity is about the same as connecting a fancy stereo. It would be a piece of cake if it was a stereo. But you need two physical qualities to do the installation yourself:
1. Small size and agility to work up under the dash.
2. Good close vision without glasses.
I installed my fog lights, and my age and size made it difficult. But what made it most difficult was trying to see stuff 4 inches away with eyeballs pointed upward under the dash, where bifocals don't point. In the case of fog lights, there are only a couple of things to see, and they are not too bad. In the case of cruise control, there are many under-dash tasks and connections, and I simply could not focus on them. And it was physically brutal just trying. After studying a dry run at home, $150 and an hour's wait was welcome to me.
The cruise control works perfectly. But compared to our full size car, once the right foot is freed from the gas pedal, there is not much room to move it around in the xB's litle footwell. Still, CC is a great relief to have on an Interstate trip.

^^ I can see your point with the glasses, but I am 6'2" and 385 and I installed mine with little difficulty. I also got the rf package and don't have to worry about the placement of the stalk.

i dont know if its worth the $$$... how often do u guys use it to make it worth it?

... The instructions are pretty good. ...
As a total noob to mechanical/electrical auto work, I must beg to differ. I thought the docs were effin' awful. Only a careful re-reading of the forums here saved my sanity during the install, and I'd thought I'd done a pretty thorough job of checking things out beforehand.

OTOH, the local dealers all wanted $549 (or more!) for cruise+installation. Seeing folks in other parts of the country mention dealer installs for $300 (or less!) just about makes me weep. Even with all the difficulties I had during installation, it was well worth the saving nearly 400 bucks (that includes 8.8% tax on $549).

If anyone in the Puget Sound area wants help with installing a Rostra, let me know. I'd love to try doing the definitive writeup, or at least definitive enough to save other noobs like me from excessive wailing and gnashing of teeth, bruised ribs, &c. &c...

being out here in the east and from seeing where the locations are i guess not too many regions offer cruise control.we sell a kit for the xa/xb but im not sure if its from rostra.we get it from our electronics supplier and its hell to install.so far no problems or comebacks.

love my cruise it was port ionstalled which was fine with me because i do a looooot of loooong trips and must have cruise on my vehicles. including my motorcycle

I bought my unit off of e-bay and installed myself. It's not for the newbie.

I found the location on the instructions to tap into the power was just too difficult to get to. And that's with the top of the dash removed. Tapped into another power wire.

I had previously installed aftermarket audio equipment and ran the powe wires through the gromett in the firewall and mounted fuses, etc right where the control module mounts. I also had to relocate my horn for my alarm. It was a tight fit with the added wires.

But it works great and is worth it if you do any long, freeway driving.

The installer took about an hour! It took me about 8 hours! Poor instruction manual, minimal room under the dash, and the wrong engine compartment Module mounting bracket. Hey, If your installer used the Rostra supplied mounting bracket, it is wrong, wrong, wrong! It interfers with the throttle cable, bending it way down. I talked to the engineering manager at Rostra and he took a "well look at the problem" attitude. He told me that they sell about 1000 per month and no one has complained! That's hard for me to believe! I think we've got a bunch of lazy small town North Carolina guys down there. When I asked the manager to explain a couple of steps in the instructions, he couldn't figure them out either. Had to get back to me. If I had to do it again, I would R&R the top of the dash as described in "Installing a Toyota Navigation System"

I've been eyeing the RF cruise that someone sells. I remember someone put the remote in the center console and can reach it easily when needed. I would assume the RF model is much easier to install then the non-RF model.

The installer took about an hour! It took me about 8 hours! Poor instruction manual, minimal room under the dash, and the wrong engine compartment Module mounting bracket. Hey, If your installer used the Rostra supplied mounting bracket, it is wrong, wrong, wrong! It interfers with the throttle cable, bending it way down. I talked to the engineering manager at Rostra and he took a "well look at the problem" attitude. He told me that they sell about 1000 per month and no one has complained! That's hard for me to believe! I think we've got a bunch of lazy small town North Carolina guys down there. When I asked the manager to explain a couple of steps in the instructions, he couldn't figure them out either. Had to get back to me. If I had to do it again, I would R&R the top of the dash as described in "Installing a Toyota Navigation System"


Now that you mention it, I do remember having to bend the bracket so the unit didn't press on the throttle cable.

...When I asked the manager to explain a couple of steps in the instructions, he couldn't figure them out either. ...
:rofl: I literally barked with laughter when I read that! I am absolutely unsurprised.

As far as the mounting bracket goes, my unit points up at an angle rather than being parallel to the ground. If I tried to make it parallel, it would indeed press down quite hard on the throttle cable. So far it works like a charm, which is a tremendous relief after the tremendous pain of installing it.

In re the RF version: I don't think that it would necessarily be any easier to install than the version with the steering column stalk. All my teeth-gnashing and hair-pulling bits had nothing to do with the stalk. By the time I got to the stalk I felt like I was walking on air, since I knew I was about 95% done at that point.

If you take a close look at the instruction manual provided by Rostra (the manual on line has much clearer photos) you will notice that the bracket used in Figure 7 is different from the one in figure 8! Figure 7 is the one that is one that Rostra is supplying with the Scion Kit. The bracket shown in the parts list, Page 2, is the same as shown in Figure 8. Mind you that the Module drawing on page 2 up-side-down in relation to its actual mounting configuration. After discussing the descrepinces with their manager, he was unaware of these differences, and again said that he would check into it. I told him that I wanted the bracket like the one on page 2 and in Figure 8. Then he said that he would send me a universal bracket that I could bend up and make the module fit! So, I have to kluge up a bracket on a kit that is custom designed for a Scion! What's going on. I may be being picky but come on Rostra! Acknowledge that you have a problem and take timely corrective action. How could they sell 1000 Scion units per month and never had complaints. I'm an Engineering grad with 40 years on the job. Maybe a few more calls to Rostra from all of us DIYers will get some action. If this situation is an example, no wonder our American manufacturing and auto industry is in the toilet.

Got mine from ALLSCION also. It took about 2 hours to install. The instructions call for pin connections for an 04-05 model. My 06 had the same color wires but different locations in the connectors. A call to Rostra cleared that up. Works great. If you do not have the cables, both acceletator and CC, adjusted correctly you willget some fluctuation in speed. This is true for any cruise that I have ever had. You want to adjust them with only the slightest bit of slop in the cable. BTW the cablaes will strech after a while. I had to adjust both cables after about 6 months. As previoulsly stated you can adjust the position of the stalk to get it away from your knee.

The installer took about an hour! It took me about 8 hours!... and the wrong engine compartment Module mounting bracket.... It interfers with the throttle cable, bending it way down....
I studied my instructions, removed my strut bar to make more room, and tried to get to the various connections under the dash. That's when I decided it was worth $150 to let the installer do it. The installer said they had done about 75 installations for the local Scion dealers in the past 3 years. I think they put one guy under the hood and another guy under the dash. My bracket points upward and bends the throttle cable only slightly. The throttle cable makes a worse bend coming out of the firewall.

I'm thinking about getting cruise control in my xB. I can't afford to get any more tickets (points-wise) and for long trips I think I could make use of it.

bump

Yea, no.

mine was port installed

holy old thread

When setting cruise I usually click the button to set it, then hold the button to accelerate - when I can feel the cruise just starting to take over from the pedal i release the button and back off the gas...

That way I eliminate the drop while the cruise sorts itself out. http://tijil.org/thinking.gif

I do that too. Touch the accel button once after releaseing the set button. and speed doesn't drop off.

Both of you guys need to adjust your cables. You have too much slack in the cable. this is an adjustment that is required if you want to have the cruise control set properly and hold the speed immediately without having to hold the accelerator button.

The RF version. Took about 2 hours to install and drink 3 beers. I'm picky.


http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc224/az842/02.jpg


http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc224/az842/01.jpg


http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc224/az842/03.jpg[/img]

mine was port installed, and I've gotta take it back to the dealer for a few days to have it replaced, it doesn't work, and there might be 20k on the cruise, of the 56k on the car

I looked at this post and it doesn't have anything in it about my problem.

Thanks

So can anyone that has done the installation tell me if the power wire that I clip onto is the fat white wire with the little black strip or the smaller black wire with the even smaller white strip ?

I have found that the location of the pins in the pic's are not as they are on my 06...

Sorry forgot to add, of corse Rosta is closed and if you can help please call me.

213-379-1195

Doug

I suggest that you call them on monday and talk to their tech support. The installation manual had bull S**t photos. Have them e-mail you the original photos. They did it for me a couple of years ago.

Thanks for the call from the 661 great information.

It is done, with no help from the instructions. I will post some pic's to show where I installed the control arm.

mine was port installedMine too!

HELP!!! Got it in my 04 and now it will not work, no green light on stalk....anyone done an install that could help?

mines gotta go back, its not always shutting off

Fishhate, if yours is the common "Rostra" unit, the install manual should be in the Scion Docs link in my sig...

GOT ER DONE!!! B means blue wire not brown!!! Works like a charm!!!

Great!

(One of these days I need to get one of these in my box...)

It does work nice once the sensitivity is set right. :shock:

had mine since 100,000 miles and I bet I havent used for 1,000 miles

had mine since 100,000 miles and I bet I havent used for 1,000 milesCongrats on hitting 100 K. It a shame you don't get to use the cruise more. I us mine mostly during long 6-7 hundred mile road trips.

Does anybody have the cruise control kit that are sold on ebay? The kit made by Rostra? Is that the kit that Toyota/scion installs into the scions if you wanted that option?
My main questions are:

1. How do you like it?

2. Does the engine stay pegged in the high RPM's when cruise is on around 70mph or so? Just like most 4bangers...Or do the RPM's jump super high when accelerating?

3. Did you install yourself?

4. was it a pretty straight forward and simplified install?

5. where'd you get it and for how much?


1. I like it pretty good, comes in handy on my trips back north carolina from texas

2. whatever you put it on is where it stays usually for mine,

3. naw ordered it from the factory that way

4 simple, order it and wait for it to come to you....easy as pie

5. I don't know how much i paid for it, but it came from the factory that way. The cruise broke 45 minutes after I picked up the x-box ...a quick visit to the dealer 3 days later and it was fixed...no problems with it ever since except when i drove 18 1/2 hours straight back to north carolina non stop except for gas. I guess it got to hot and decided not to work.

had mine since 100,000 miles and I bet I havent used for 1,000 milesCongrats on hitting 100 K. It a shame you don't get to use the cruise more. I us mine mostly during long 6-7 hundred mile road trips.
tks In just tend to get road hypnosis with it

I was planning on getting one, but I did 6 hour trip over the summer and it was fine without.

I just got a SCS one installed in my 06 and whoa...I wouldn't have it any other way anymore. It works really good.

had mine since 100,000 miles and I bet I havent used for 1,000 miles
I put mine on around 5,000 miles. After 25,000 miles, I bet I only used it for a few hundred miles. That was on the one trip that I got it for back in '06. I soon afterward I got a Forester for long trips. And in comparison to the Foresters factory CC, the Rostra CC in the xB is very non-intuitive, compounded by being invisible behind the steering wheel.

1. I love the kit. Only complaint would be the stalk, looks like it's from the 80's or something. Very easy to get over though, since I now have cruise.
2. The engine holds it RPM's very well. This freaking car revs so high, how could it not.

3. Yep

4. It was pretty easy, now that I know what I'm doing. Instructions sucked for the pics part of it. Everything else about them was good though I think. I wouldn't suggest using the T-Taps connectors they give you though. I've never liked those cheap things.

5. Don't remember, sorry.

Hope that helps you out a little. Good luck.