check it out..

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h17727448

i think steven ****(bBist) should produce these lil puppies and make some
money and make a few scion owners happier.. looks cheap to make and might
serve a good purpose

 

well exactly what does this peice do? is it to promote ridgity? or is it to make sure the exhause fall out? HAHA that last one was a joke...it's interesting to say the least

Jeff

 

good question

 

Circuit Sports makes this one for the xB. I have one on the way and I'll let you all know if it works.

 

is doesn't seem like it can do too much. i don't think it could that much effect on the car.

 

I still want to know what that thing does. I tried the site and it asks for a login and password, besides it is not in English...

 

Rear Lower Subframe Tie Bar

Just another tie bar to try and resist flex.
Heres a bigger pic.

 

But it doesn't tie together any part of any "subframe", it just bolts to the unibody on either side of the exhaust hump. I don't think it does anything either.

 

i guess in their eyes it does. but we'll see, Minsk99 has one on the way.

 

Perhaps your right. I'm not expecting much, but thought I'd give it a go and see how it works. In terms of it not tying anything together, neither does my rear Hotchkis saw bar and it is very effective. The rear sway bolts on either side of the rear axle beam, but doesn't actually tie it to anything else. Anyways, I'm not expecting a marked improvement in handling but its not that expensive and worth a try IMO. Also, not that this means much, but the xB service manual refers to the part that is being replaced as the "floor panel brace". So, I'm assuming that its function is in fact to "brace". If the Circuit Sports one has less flex and is stronger, then perhaps it will make a slight improvement.(?)

 

Got the Circuit Sports rear lower subframe tie bar in today. Took about five minutes to get in on. Well, I took it around the block a few times and I'm still not sure if there is any difference. I haven't really put the Box through any high speed cornering with it in yet, so perhaps there will be more pronounced and noticeable rear stiffness when I do. My cursory evaluation is that it looks cool, but any increase in suspension stiffness under normal driving conditions is barely noticeable. I'll get back to you when I take a drive up in the hills and hit some nutty turns.

The black bar is the stock brace

 

The stock sheetmetal strap is very strong in tension (pulling) but would flex in compression. The billit aluminum looks cool and would be stronger in compression but as stated it bolts to sheetmetal and will not increase chassis rigidity any noticable amount. Think of it a "jewelry" for your car....

ken

 

well, i have NO idea what it does, and i think NONE of us should speculate
anything until they;ve tried it, or have proof of weather it works or not..
same goes for a strut bar, pillar bar, sway bar. u know?

i remember back in the day when people starting to BS advice
on intakes and the only person i respect is scionic(mark) for actually
dyno'ing them all to show us straight up...

it sure SHUT a lot of people up..
but then brian(besk one) dyno'ed his car to show us what the SPFR can do...

people always said./. oh yea AEM, blah bla bla.. or WEAPON-R ALL THE WAY..
or K&N to the max.. u know?

 

Real suspension parts (sway bars, springs, struts, bushings, etc.) will always do something, but you don't know until you install them whether it will be desirable or undesirable. Various add-ons (strut bars, chassis braces, suspension braces, etc.) will often do nothing, but, depending on the part and the vehicle it is installed on, they can have positive effects.

Since the xB already has a brace installed, replacing it with a slightly stiffer brace could make a difference, but I'm guessing it's more for "dress-up" than anything else.