I'm going to start by saying I'm sorry you guys have to look over this question that im sure as been posted a million times. My current deployment makes it hard to be able to check forums on a regular basis, website searches are next to impossible, and it has taken me 3 days to get enough online time to set up this account and get this post out. So please be somewhat understanding. I promise when i get back from themy deployment, my posts will be much less noob looking then they are now, i just need some help.

For starters, I'm the owner of a 2006 Scion tC. I have always wanted to mod the car, but have never been certain on where to start. I obviously want power, but i want it as a daily driver, and i want to do this will the least possible chance of breaking something as i can. So here is my questions:

1. Where can I go to find information on the car and what has worked best for other owners?
2. Are there any recommendations that you could share that you have learned from your experiences?
3. Any products that give better results then others that i could check into?

basically im looking where i could go to find out the information and learn myself... but with the lack of internet that we do have (maybe 15-20 minutes a day if im lucky and all on satelite connection), I'm finding it impossible to simply take the time to look into things.

Thank you for any help, and I hope this doesn't bring in too much flaiming

 

- start off with a drop, TRD Springs are good if you dont want to go too low

- next, id say go with the TRD Sway Bar, makes a huge difference in handling

- Not sure exactly what else your looking for, maybe some VRD Fog lights / HID headlights? If you tell us what you are looking for, then we can give you some good companies

-Im not sure how much money your willing to spend, but id say to definately change your antenna, pedals, and shifter. It really does add a nice touch to your car, for a low amount of money.

 

im more looking for preformance, as far as how far i want to go... fast lol. I have always wanted to build a car up and be able to tell someone everything about it because i did it. im looking at going forced air, prefer turbo, but not really sure what would work best nor if its the right decision for a daily driver. also dont know what would need to be changed out, what would be best to do before i go turbo, etc, etc. the one thing i did hear is that the front end is a bit weak once you get around 300HP... not sure if that is true, but would be nice to read into. as for the amount of money I'm willing to spend... im looking at about $4-5 by New Years.

 

there is a basic rule when it comes to a car that applies pretty much 95% of the time:

- going fast
- cheap/affordable
- reliable

pick two.

doing your suspension would yield the most gains without losing on the reliably scale, at least imo

 

^^clever

 

I hope you meant $4-5 THOUSAND for mods by New Year's...

That puts you in the running for a basic turbo setup... but another $1K would put you in a better position (from what I've heard around these parts).

 

high HP + tight budget = no good

 

I wouldn't say boost it right away, but if I was to do it again i'd be boosted ASAP. Forget the new wheels, tails, headlights, HID's, tint, grills, fogs, etc etc.

I got decent amount of mods and sadly my car still has under 200whp. I wish it was more stock, except pushing 350 or so.

Buy yourself a short shifter, some coilovers, then save for the big round of mods

Turbo kit w/ management & exhaust (and the 1k worth of stuff to go with it, including tune, gauges, misc) upgraded clutch, and tires.

I don't think 4k is enough to get 300whp... unless you can install/tune yourself, plus you will have no gauges to monitor everything, nor will you have enough money to get a better clutch or tires to put it to the ground.

I'd say probably $5500 for clutch and kit with tune (doubt that'll cover install also, but maybe) then you're looking at 150/piece for OK tires. I want some drag radials for the front myself. Thats $400. You're looking at probably 6grand to be properly boosted, tuned, with all the gadgets. At least thats what i've figured.

Front end doesn't get weak as far as axles and stuff till you start getting up to like 450hp from what i've seen. Only popular upgrades for 300hp are clutches, and motor mounts/engine stiffy because the motors tilt bad with that power. Hell, they tilt bad stock.

 

I ahve to say buy good stuff for your car......don't go cheap on things like suspension and brakes.......

Stereo items add up quick so make sure you have a plan......SQ or LOUD........hard to get both.........well not really but it cost money up the wazzu.......

For motor mods buy the good stuff.......try not to go cheap there.......in the end it never seems to work........

Make a list and a plan........

For instance my stereo stuff now is at near $3000 and I am only hitting about 120db.......but it is all quality install by myself with good equipment......

Tires and wheels also do not go with cheap stuff........good tires and wheel sgo a lot farther than cheap stuff that you never end up happy with.

 

Well, good news and bad news... goods news is i will be able to spend more money then i thought. bad news is i have another deployment that i start in the middle of dec sometime and have no idea how long it will be! Thanks a lot for all the help you guys gave. i will look into some of these things and see what comes out of it.

@ RCZDesigns - are there any brands you would recommend, or at the least, any brands you could give advice to stay away from?

@ BZinn1 - Sound is the one thing i have covered... kenwood indash dvd player KVT-915 if i remember right), RF punch 800 amp, and 4 12" RF subs. payed around $800 for everything, do the basic installs myself, and hit a 155 at the last dB drag i went to :D. but i think i might just keep that stock for now... i really dont want the weight that puts on my car in there just yet. maybe when i get a bit more power.

 

For me, the stock speakers and HU work just fine. Add in my iPod Touch and it does everything I need it to do.

Besides....all that stereo equipment is HEAVY and counter-productive towards performance. It'd be like carrying a passenger with you ALL the time.