Hey guys my name is mike and I'm pretty new to this site. I have an 07 scion tc which i absolutely love. Little back ground info about the car. 5 speed, 88000 miles, ted axle back exhaust, and an injen cold air intake. My question is, what are some mod that I can do without affecting reliability too much. Also trying to stay around 1200 dollars. Ive been told fuel injectors due to more fuel equalling more power. Im definitely looking for some more low end however power throughout wouldn't be bad either. Heres a picture of my car.

 

Injectors won't do much because your cars only gonna take in so much air. More fuel only makes power if you have enough air for it to combust efficiently

Header and cat back exhaust? Lightweight pulleys?


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It won't add power but you can free up a good amount of power with a light weight flywheel. After I installed mine I really felt the difference all throughout the power band.

 

Whats a good weight and brand to get

 

For 1200, if you are patient you can find a used Turbo kit in the classified section.

 

^ that or get a nice set of coil overs

 

I'm worried about reliability with the turbo. And not lookin to drop my car. Upstate New York sucks haha

 

Fidanza is a great brand and what I have. I believe it's a 9.5lb flywheel.

 

As long as you just pay a little bit more attention to maintenance you will be fine. And just make sure you get a good tune. It will be cheaper that bolt ons and a lot more fun.

 

what are your views on a supercharger?

 

The 2azfe is a proven engine when it comes to boost (7-10 psi). Theres actually a used greddy kit for sale in the marketplace for around $850, its a GREAT deal. For the money, you could either safely boost it and make 240 whp, or (For the same money) buy an intake, header and axleback, and gain 20whp.

 

I'll look into that. Thank you. I'll need to buy a new header, and engine mounts for a turbo though, am I correct?

 

No, the turbo kit comes with a manifold, and you only need engine mounts if yours are worn out. In which case, you would need them anyway.

Here is the kit, I would literally jump on it myself, but I just picked up a different kit.

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=216244

 

Currently talking about it with him. How about pulleys. I hear you can free up some power with different pulleys as well and they're pretty cheap

 

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Here is the real question - how much money do you want to throw away in your car? Your usually lucky to get 40%-50% back on your parts when your done, IF they are in great condition. (Like that turbo kit the guy is trying to sell for $850? He spent a lot more on it than that.

What I recommend, and am most are going to argue/disagree - save your "performance" money and buy a street bike. It doesnt sound like you want to jump both feet into the speed game, and when attempting to make your car fast - your worst enemy is being cheap/not having enough money. One of my bikes makes 185hp on pump gas. I have been in fast cars (nothing insane, no 600hp+ or anything - but one of the board members for my company has a GTR, and the other has a Audi spyder) but I can tell you that hunting down ZR1's on a new gen CBR1krr is cake.

In life, you always get "what you pay for" and if your only willing to pony up a G or 2, your not really going to get much. I can assure you buying that $850 turbo, will cost you much more than $850 in the long run. And in the short run, it can bank roll you into having no money too, if one or two things go wrong.

Long story short, either do it right, or dont do it. You bought a economy car. Most cars are economy cars, so there is nothing wrong with that at all. Lots of forum members are 10k deep into their motors, and those guys run into road blocks too...

Wasnt there a forum guy on here that allegedly spent around $80k at ptuning and was trying to sell his car and couldnt even get 25k for it? Once you make a car that was supposed to come with 160hp, have 600hp, reliability is a fine line between are you a race team, or a street dreamer.

One other thing - if your looking for something to give you a "quicker car" go for weight reduction. Pull out your back seats, all sound deadening, spare tire, jack, extra junk, replace your battery with a light weight battery, change hood for carbon, and go with lighter wheels, AC delete, power steering delete ect.

If you can remove 180lbs, your car will most certainly feel like it has more umph in low and mid range. You might even gain 2mpgs.. While it doesnt add any HP, your increasing your HP to weight ratio..

Dont add big subs, amps, tv's, or hot tubs.

One last word of advice.. from someone who was a diehard scion fan, and promoted the S/C the whole time I had it.. DO NOT waste your money on the s/c. At all.. period.

A) the power isnt there,
B) they EAT motors (see how many people have farked their motors with the s/c unit. This is what i sued toyota for, and WON.
C) YOU will want MORE power once you start adding the s/c, and your pretty capped from the get-go. I never changed my pulley, had a TRD intake for a bit, and went back to the stock box (more responsive). I didnt want to throw my warranty away, and THANK GOD I didnt change the pulley or I would of lost my case against toyota.


If you were to do ANYTHING power wise to your car, as a 7 year TRD s/c owner - go turbo. Turbo's that are tuned, are less hard on the motor, even running a higher PSI. That S/C unit is complete garbage. A "real" supercharger like on other cars is a much better solution. But be prepared to pay to play. If your expecting to bolt on a $850 turbo, and call it a day, you need to wake up. You need a proper tune, you need supporting mods to help handle the power, you need better tires/suspension/LSD. You need mechanical ability to work on your car, or deep pockets to pay a shop.

Other than that, welcome, enjoy your car and report back on your decision(s)!

 

Thanks a lot for that post! Very informational. I feel like I'm too worried about the turbo and don't have the money to do it properly so ill have to stick with bolt ons. I've been reading that the hks exhaust is very good so ill probably do the catback system. Have found some for cheap. Also planning to do the nks pulley system. Not sure if I should do all three or just the crank pulley. And last but not least, headers. Gonna have to do some research so I don't get the rasp. If I decide to put more money into it then its definitely going to suspension. I appreciate all the help guys.

 

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Your just as likely to be in a severe auto wreck... Also, even at red lights, the bike rider should pay attention, and have an escape plan if someone were to be an intoxicated, inexperienced, or just stupid driver. And yes, that means paying attention 360 degrees...

If you live your life for what "could, may, or might" happen - than I can assure you your not living life. Every day you step outside of your door you could be killed. You can be killed going to the movie theater apparently.

I for one, wouldnt give up streetbike riding for anything. I have been riding motorized vehicles since I was 5, and I am turning 32 next week. If you cant handle the associated risk with anything, you shouldnt do it. I however, am not going to let something that "didnt happen yet" scare me away from riding.

My .02 cents.... But what do I know. I just know I like to shoot guns, play with *****, listen to hardcore metal, ride world class superbikes and mod cars... Personally, I feel I am safer riding if someone who isnt sure if they should or should not even be riding a bike in the first place is off streets I ride on . Its most likely a good thing you dont ride.

 

LOL that is all.