Whenever I get the xB this will be my list of things to do first....most likely in this order

Now take into account I am not someone or even comes freakin close to a "show" person I enjoy driving my car....


Hotchkis sway bars
Upgrade to a nice set of 16 or 17 inch rims
Lowering springs either Tein or another high quality company that is around 1.5 inch drop ( I never want to worry about bottoming out EVER)
Braces ( aka Strut tower and lower tie bars and x brace to such as Tanabe)
Blitz Intake
Blitz Nur Spec Exhaust or the RS*R Exshaust
DC Sports Header....or if possible if it works...the Tommy Kaira Header that is made for the 1.5 Liter Vitz engine

The Header is a big iffy....not something I am to terribly worried about


So dontcha think that is a awesome list or what?
Again this is in order

 

Anything on the inside?

That is a good starting list, my looks something like that too...


Doc

 

I really dont know about the outside....if I did I would splurge and go for the Veilside ground effects (Tim Allen manly arf)


Possibly carbon fiber hood

The only thing that might stop me is I am getting married in August...

 

Well thats easy, don't get married, then the ride will get all hooked up!!!


Doc

 

Nice list. That's some expensive stuff you got showing.

 

What about one of those little chain steering wheels? Or the red dingle-berries that hang around the roof w/leppard skin seat covers? That's what I think about when I hear "******* wagon."

 

LOL

after a week or so your gunna get tired
of looking at the stock hubbies so i would
imagine your going to get the rims first
but that is a nice list good luck

 

make sure you break you car in first before adding performance parts.

 

:?

 

Just an FYI:

If you are deciding to do so much in suspension mods, why just do the springs?

At the least a shock/spring combo.

It would be a waste to do so much with sways, and strut towers, and skimp on the real suspension mods.

My advice:

Do a coilover setup, you have as little as a .75" drop and as much as 2", but you can get custom and put it at 1.67" if thats where you feel comfortable, and still not bottom out.

Plus you will be getting more ride quality than just stock shocks, and lowering springs.

Juts my .o2 ¢

 

That is SOOOO wrong

 

Hmmmm....I really dont think you know what your saying.....There is a reason I said sway bars first......I want the car to corner better......see lowering the car does make the car handle alittle better....but sway bars make it handle the best......I made this mistake with my eclipse....I thought oh I will lower it first and it will ride on rails....it handled pretty good that was till I put on the sway bars and then it was all over....sway bars should always come first in making your car handle better....and as for coilovers...I would love a set...but I think lowering springs would go over with the wife so much faster....and as for "dressing up" my car there will be very little if none...thats not my thing...I want everything on my car to be functional....everything else to me seems so mundane...I guess you can say CF hood is dressing up...but there is functionality there because its lighter and stronger....but anyways...thats my list in that specific order....i impress myself

 

It's not like the xB doesn't have the bars on it now....my Impreza had no rear bar stock and that made a big difference when I added one. A performance spring set will do more for handling than the bars will and a shock/spring set would be the best thing to start with. The springs will do more to eliminate any body roll. Also, you don't have to get springs that drop you 2"+, just get some that have higher rates and a small drop.

I would love to get some coilovers, but the xB is the daily driver, so I'm just going with the TRD struts/springs.

 

LOL.

Go ahead and do it your way.

I understand your dilemna with your wife, but with stock shocks and aftermarket springs you are going to be more bouncy then 90% of the coilovers out there.
My best friends wife thought the same myth until she added coilovers to her car.. And she was sold, superior ride, and superior handling.

A coilover setup will have you cornering way better.

Not because you are lower, you dont have to be lower to corner better.

Coilovers offer superior handling over almost any spring/shock combo, and will be way superior over your budget minded way.

To say I do not know what I am talking about, fine just take a look at my sig, and see the cars I have built the last 4 years.

Secondly, coilovers offer a matched spring and shock combo that is far superior than your lowering springs and STOCK shock combo.

I have been in the auto aftermarket business for 4 years, and I have NEVER seen a STOCK shock, aftermarket spring combo handle better than, at the very least, an aftermarket spring AND shock combo.

Your stock shocks will wear way too quickly once the car is lower and has tighter coils.

But hey, my experience dealing with 100's of customers, versus what you know is nothing in comparison.

OH and BTW.

Have you ever heard of overdoing it?

I have experienced many customers who overdue the suspension mods in sway bars, and strut bars, and then skimp on a quality, tight spring/shock combo or coilover setups, and the suspension cant handle the mods, and the car flips on hard corners.

This was especially prevailant when people were adding shine racing equipment to their MK2-MK4 VW's a couple of years ago.

But hey, I dont know what I am talking about. I guess autocrossing for the past 4 years and track racing warrants me no knowledge of what a real suspension can do for your car...

Oh look!
There is my VW Wagon at Willow Springs raceway, wonder what would have happened had I been on aftermarket springs, with low spring rates, and stock shocks.


Oh and look is this me autocrossing in the same wagon?

Oh and check out these videos of me on Laguna Seca Raceway:
http://www.sfbavw.net/albums/Track/laguna_Seca_Lap1.mov
http://www.sfbavw.net/albums/Track/Laguna_seca_Lap2.mov
Here are some clips from Willow Springs raceway:
http://www.sfbavw.net/albums/Track/WillowSprlap1.mov
http://www.sfbavw.net/albums/Track/WillowSprlap2.mov
http://www.sfbavw.net/albums/Track/WillowSprlap3.mov
Oh and check out these rallye clips, this would have been fun on a lightweight suspension:
http://www.sfbavw.net/albums/Track/Rallye1.mov
http://www.sfbavw.net/albums/Track/Rallye2.mov

Now I am not trying to be a D*ck
I am just simply stating that sometimes people give you advice for your own good, and for you to gain knowledge. If you dont want to have opinions, and advice being given to you, dont post on public forums trying to brag about what you are going to do to your car, and not expect some advice or criticism.

I was just trying to help dude...

PS- YES sway bars are the second most important upgrade, and upgrading sway bars are the second best suspension mod after your suspension itself. about 5 years ago I was never a believer in sway bars until I ran a mountain run without them, and did it again with them... What a difference.

 

Oh I totally know about the spring strut combo is a nessecity.....but until someone actually makes a strut that can handle lowering springs i.e. Koni ( will only buy Koni cause I have them on the Eclipse and I am sold in terms of struts) you can only do a spring only install....as for sway bars i understand sway bars and what they can do and how you can over do a sway bar if they are to big for the car your putting them on if the car doesnt have the actual bracing for it to withstand can totally screw up things underneath


In terms of Coilovers and the soon to be wife...getting her to understand buying coilovers is kinda like getting a atheist (sp?) that there is a god.....its almost impossible for her to except


But like I said in terms of lowering springs I am not going for anything lower then 1.50 or possibly 1.75 inch drop...anything lower is pushin it for me

 

Hmmm.

Maybe its time for your wife to go for a ride in a few cars with coilovers ;)

Thanks for understanding my post, I was just trying to help.

Good luck with the project, and hope to see you at a GTG soon!

 

whys that

 

Dude that is cheap. Headers for my GP run $700, one sway bar is $200, $400 for the set. That's one reason I like the aftermarket for the scion, inexpensive compared to other new model cars.

 

you know, a Randode Racing lighting kit would really look nice with all of those mods.

 

Whats a Randode Racing lighting kit???

Is it something that goes underneath the car for a show effect???


if it is refer to what i have said a few times.....I am not into dress up things for my car....I like functionality and purpose

If its not one of these things please explain yo self fool hahahaa