I just got my xB a month and I'm starting to get tired of being the slow guy at stop lights. It just seems like I can't get my xB moving. I've seen on ebay they have some kind of chip that gives the xB an extra 22hp for around $15 but I don't know anything about engines or cars period for that matter. I was thinking of getting a turbo or supercharger but to be honest I don't know what those are really for. So what can I have done to my automatic xB to making it faster and have more pickup without spending $3000. Thanks

 

id say start w/ air filter... my recommendation is K&N Cold Air

 

and that growl

 

k, there's a ton of stuff out there, it all really depends on what kind of target you're looking for in your xB.

firstly, forget about the chips, those don't work and will crash your ride. ok maybe not crash, but they definitely are just a bunch of BS.

next, do you want to do naturally aspirate or forced induction ? you mentioned turbos and superchargers, which are both forced induction. this means you are forcing more air/fuel into the engine to produce more power. this will require you to use premium gas all the time and your mpg will go down a tad bit.

naturally aspirated is just that. the engine breathes by itself without any extra charger systems. it usually consists of an air intake, upgraded headers, upgraded exhaust system, and a lightened crank pulley. of course, there a ton of other little tiny things you can do on the engine to improve response, but those are the major modifications that will make the most amount of difference on our cars.

if you're saying you don't want to spend $3000 bucks, then you are looking at an NA setup. turbo/supercharger kits themselves cost almost that much, plus installation and maintenance costs. naturally aspirate you can do for $1000 easy.

also, upgrading your wheels to lightweight ones with sticky rubber will definitely help your car response. it will seem faster and more fun to drive. wheels/tires usually cost from 1 - 2 thousand.

i also seriously recommend just browsing some of the forum topics to get an idea of what may be your personal approach to the xB. because we're talking about go-fast-goodies here, look at the parts section and see how much is out there.

cheers.

 

You're probably running the A/C most of the time in FL? From what others have posted, it sounds like adding an intake or header would give an equivalent power feeling of not having the A/C on when it is. You could also get your front windows tinted so the A/C compressor doesn't run as much. Lighter wheels/tires should help too. Just be sure to check the weights since alloy doesn't mean it's lighter and tire weights can vary a lot.

All these bolt ons will only give you a small power increase. And most of it is in the upper RPM range. So get used to being slow and not racing anyone at stop lights.

 

Intake: Fujita F5 Short Ram ($150)
Header: Monster Motor Works 4-2-1 ($300) (Helps Bottom End)
Exhaust: Magnaflow Cat-Back ($475)

 

Trade in your xB for a faster car.

 

I got very light VSR racing wheels which only cost me $340 after having them put on. It made a little difference.

And yes I am running the A/C all the time. Florida is extremely hot and getting a black xB wasn't the smartest idea, but it looks nice.

You all have helped alot. My only problem now is finding someone to install everything you all suggested. Local shops see people like me coming from a mile away and charge me as much as 5 times what I should be paying. When I had the wheels put on all they had to do was swap the tires and put them on the xB. The toyota dealership said it would be around $45. Another place said it would be $80, then I tried acting like I was completely stupid at the nest place and they said it would cost $190. So I can only imagine what I'd be charged for engine work.

 

Black is good. If you'd gotten white, it'd be blinding in the FL sun. The other colors are so dark (except for the light gray and white), it probably wouldn't make much difference.

$45 is a good price if it's for all four. Some shops would charge almost as much to rotate the tires. $15/tire is a fair price to mount and balance if you're not buying anything. $80 sounds like one hour of labor at an independent garage. Not unreasonable if it's a small shop and they don't have anyone else besides the mechanic to do it. Stay far away from the place that wanted $190- they either were trying to rip you off or weren't interested in your business.

It sounds like it'd be best for you to have the Toyota dealer do the work. They'll just look up the hours in their book to see what it'll cost. Installing a header should be like replacing the stock exhaust manifold. Installing an intake should be like installing their CAI. Make sure you get the stock intake parts back- many places (like Carmax) won't want your xB with an aftermarket one when you go to sell it.

 

What size tires are you running? If you go to a tire with a smaller outside diameter, you'll get slightly better acceleration at the expense of higher rpms and worse mileage at speed.

 

Turbo. Ask ProshopxB about his auto.. ;)

We're actually buying him a t-shirt that says "Ask me about my xB"

 

that's it right there.

 

You all talked me into an intake an it wasn't even my thread! Fujita short ram on order...

 

they are 15" with the factory tires. I didn't want to go with low profile tires for fear of nails

 

Nails are less of a problem for higher-profile tires?

 

^ nooo .... nails are still very bad for high profile tires. nails are always bad for tires haha.

 

I can't beleive I missed this post.... Where's my shirt?

Sinkingmyself I think Intake/ header/ Exhaust/ light weight pulley is a good place to start for you... I started the same way when I first bought my auto xB... the nice thing is you can always add a turbo setup in the future and get the most power out of your auto toaster as possible and really turn some heads at stop lights... Let me know if your ever in Daytona.. I'll be more than glad to give you a ride in a ZPI Powered Turbo Auto xB..

Just becareful because modding and speed become very addictive..

 

heres your sign

 

it's a shame really, the xB is even a tad slower than the xA because of the wieght. i used to drive my old camry, and let me tell u, that thing has got more power than my xA will ever get lol... but really we buy the car for the MPG and the cheapness. i like my xA stock and i wouldn't put anything on that POS, it gets me where i want to go, and it's ok... next car? i'm buying a mazda miata. the xA is starting to get on my nerve cuzz after 65mph it's really a pain in the ___ to get to 80 and pass people on the high way.

 

If you are still searching to make your car go faster. Here is what I have on my auto xb and what I would suggest you start with to make your xb faster:

Strup header and axleback ($475)
K&N air intake ($175)
Agency power pulley ($130)
Total $780

After that you can try to eliminate some weight with getting a carbon fiber hood.