I'm looking at buying a tC, and like all I've read about it so far with the exception of two things. One that the front headroom isn't all that great if you're 6 foot or over, and secondly that the steering isn't as sharp as it could be. I have no idea how true either of these claims are since I haven't visited the dealer yet to see for myself.

I'm wondering if the handling is up to taking on something like autocross sucessfully or if it's not really ideal for stuff like that & occasional track driving?

Thanks for any info on this.

 

Your first statement about lack of front seat headroom: I'm 5'9", and with my helmet I have to alter my seating postion to a degree that I'm almost uncomfortable (I have to recline to an almost gangsta-lean position instead of the upright racing posture I normally drive in). If you are 6' or taller take your helmet to the dealer and sit in the car before you sign the dotted line...you may be better in an Si.

As far as turn in cripness: I have no problem in my RS1 (with 18s) on autox courses or on the track. Yes, it could be better—coil-overs, 16s, an RSB, and a more aggressive alignment will improve turn in drastically.

 

No problems with headroom when Im on track with my helmet and Im 6'1". Steering feel is good too.

CLICK FOR VIDEO

Right click and choose "save target as"

 

Thanks guys, sounds like I really need to check out the headroom thing carefully then.

Glad to hear the steering is pretty good, from reading a bit more of this board it sounds like the handling can be improved quite a bit by adding some decent suspension components.

One other thing I've just seen that I didn't know was that the tC can feel top heavy with a bit of body roll. Is this considerably improved by stiffer suspension too?
The other car I'm looking at is the mazda3 which seems to have great reviews on it's handling, but I like a few other important things about the Scion just that bit more. If you can make this car handle pretty well with a few upgrades that sounds like good news to me.

Thanks again for the help, movie clip was great. Was that a cooper S in front of you or the regular mini by the way?

 

I had the TRD shocks, springs and rear sway bar at my first track day and the body roll was noticeable. Ive since switched to Hotchkis sways and it is fantastic. Along with a good set of tires, you will be very happy with the handling.

Oh yeah...a decent set of brakes doesnt hurt either

The Mini Cooper was an "S" by the way and actaully had an upgraded S/C pulley. You can hear the whine as he pulls away at the start of the video.

 

Impressive video. Even more impressive driving. I wish the video shot could be from further behind, so you could been seen driving, but also what was going on out the windshield could be visible too. Also it would be fantastic if you could get rid of the wind noise too, so the engine could be heard clearly.

 

Well I got a wide angle lens for the camera and I put some extra foam over the mic to reduce wind noise so we will see the results after this sunday when we go to the track again.

I had the same complaints about not hearing the engine over the wind noise and limited field of view from the camera. Not sure how much better it will be but its a step in the right direction,

Im also thinking of fitting this axlback:



Its really loud as can be seen in this video:

CLICK FOR VIDEO

 

Does your car understeer, oversteer, or is it more or less neutral now with the suspension modifications you've made?


Also, what did the car do before the suspension upgrades?

I can't tell myself because I'm stuck in New Orleans and there's nary a curve to be found around here. I used to live where there were mountain roads and knew how to drive. These days, I don't know what I'd do if presented with a curve? Probably crash. However I'm hoping to get out of here soon and would like to have a decent handling car in the tC if/when I do.

 

Also, any idea what your max lateral G is?

 

 

Right now the car is more on the understeery side since I have the rear bar on the softest setting. I have gotten slight amounts of oversteer if I push it too hard but its minor and very contollable. As I get more used to it I will be stiffening up the rear bar to allow for more oversteer but all in all it is very nice to drive at or near the limit of the tires.

 

Is that the Bell SR Pro you're wearing?

 

Nope...Its a G-Force Force 1

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

 

^^^ Thanks!

 

No problem...its a great helmet and you sure cant beat the price

 

that link is for snell m rated.. for motocycle.. you'll need the snell SA rating and the g force pro force 1 will run you about 250... i just did some helmet shopping early this week ahhahaaa

 

i'm only 5'7'' and i think the driving position is too high even at the chair's lowest setting. i do like to sit more upright than laying down but still. i drove my friend's eclipse and the new civic coupe and si and they all had more head room even though the tC is the tallest of the bunch.

i don't take my tC to the track, but i definetly can feel body roll. my friend with a eclipse gs-t really hates the body roll of the tC. i'm not too impressed with it myself.

as far as steering, its slow. meaning it takes more turns on the steering wheel to get you pointed in the direction where you want to go.

 

I don't know if it's just on the RS1 (with 18s and a FSTB) but I am surprised by how little body roll the car has. Everyone that has seen the car run at autoxes or on track has commented to that effect too.

Instigator, nice vids. A couple of comments: Things sure are different out on the west coast! At Watkins Glen in order to pass the passie points you by, but the passer must go off line, that way you will always know where the passy will be. And, We aren't allowed to wear short sleave shirts. What organization are you running with? NASA/SCCA out here only allow passing in turns at the highest level (Class 4/Red).

Car sounds nice BTW. What brakes/pads do you run?

 

The event was run by www.speedventures.com . They say to wear long sleeves but they dont really enforce it...hard to do that when its 97 degrees. Pass-by's are also pretty informal but everybody is good about being safe and only passing on straights.

As far as brakes, its our StopTech 4 piston setup with Hawk DTC-70 pads up front and Axxis Ulitmate in the rear with slotted OE replacement rotors.

 

What kind of helmet rating is acceptable all across the board. As in at any track or event.