I'm new to Scion with my '11 tC. I wanted to reduce my monthly payments and get back into something sporty, and since I needed a big enough back seat to get my 18 month old in/out of, the tC fit the bill.

So far, I'm really enjoying the car. My last car was automatic (the only one I've ever owned) and I'm glad to be back in a manual. It has some nice features, and what it's missing, I can live without (auto climate control, sunglasses holder, off-road ability) or can change (2nd reverse light). Once the dealer gets the XM radio tuner, I'll have the XM, bluetooth and window tint installed, which will complete the deal.

I do have a question. Any suggestions on mods to get 0-60 mph under 6 sec? The car is fun, but 7.5 sec just isn't going to cut it. I want to keep solid reliability, gas mileage & warranty (this is supposed to be a PRACTICAL car! ) but be able to get up and go when I want.

Thanks!

EDIT: I should say, I'm not looking for upgrades just to look or sound cooler. I'm looking for actual/usable horsepower gains. I'm a bit of a sleeper car guy. Thanks again.

 

First off, Welcome and congrats on the tC! For the whole 0-60 under 6 sec question...prolly wont be possible unless youre going force induction route.

 

...just count slower...

 

Thanks, krazyliltc. Forum seems active, which I'm very happy about. Car forums are hit and miss, but I'm happy to say this seems like a good one.

And I think you're right about adding the forced induction. Just based on power to weight ratios, I think I need 220-240 whp to get under 6 sec. Assuming 159 whp stock (saw the dyno on here somewhere which seemed about right), I need 60-80 whp.

Based on what I've seen from on tC1 mods and my experience with 6-cylinder engines, intake, exhaust and headers will only give me 20-30 whp. A decent ECU and injectors could squeeze out another 20, if I'm lucky, but I'm still short.

Since I want to keep my warranty, guess I'll just have to hope the supercharger TRD comes out with can provide enough juice to get me where I want to be.

 

You're just so helpful, Superpickel!

 

I think your best bet is going to be a midsize turbo like a T3/T04E,

even a cheap kit running 8-10psi is going to put you close to 300whp, and that will put you quite a bit below 6 seconds.

From all that ive seen on this forum in the past 5 years about the supercharger on the tC1 i would advise you to stay away from SC kits.

Turbo, Turbo, Turbo!

 

I've seen what you're talking about with the supercharger, and I agree. Anything smaller than a V8 should really have a turbo, but won't a non-approved turbo void my warranty?

 

yes a turbo kit will void the warranty,

But most people either wait till the 3 year/ 36,000 mile warranty expires or just bite the bullet and do it early.

If you spend money on a really good quality kit and a conservative well setup tune, i wouldnt be worried about warranty issues anyways, these cars love boost and most people never have a problem

I personally had a turbo on my tC1 for over 30,000 miles without issue

It basically makes the tC a whole new car