OK, by no means am i saying just because a car is on a game that its a "race Car" . What i am saying is that you have to look at power to weght ratios and be able to tell if a car has potential or not. I tell you what, you need to pick up a SIPHON magazine and read because you obviously do not know about the type of Racing that is going on. Like i said there is more racing going on than drag strips. Educate yourself my friend before you talk down on something thats been going on before you even knew about it. Why do you think they compared the XD to the fit. Do you even know of what other cars that could be in this same class of racing? If you didnt know, which you probably didnt its the Versa. You would have known that if you picked up a SIPHON magazine. Do your research Before you REPLY.

 

See, kids? Wanna race, get a tC.

 

I'm sure this has been mentioned, but it's late, I'm tired, and I don't want to read all three pages of responses to check.

If it has been mentioned.....well, consider it a reinforcement of a valid point.

First of all, this is a small, light weight car. On all cars, the front brakes generally take the brunt when it comes to stopping. That is why you will often see on cars that have disk brakes all around they put bigger disks and more pistons calipers up front versus in the back. You also have to keep in mind the POWER of the car. It's a 128hp vehicle......it doesn't need full discs all around. You WON'T have problems stopping the car.

As others mentioned, it is common to see in this vehicle class that manufacturers put drums in the rear.

My last point is that.....Scions are GOOD cars with a lot of things standard that other companies would charge for as options. Yet, they are still cheap (monetarily)....cheaper than a lot of people would expect for everything that you get. You have to realize that money has to be saved SOMEWHERE in the manufacturing process for them to keep Scions cheap. Drum brakes are less expensive.....and if they get the job done for the particular application.......why turn it into a more expensive car just for disk brakes in the back?

So yeah, seriously......if you are looking at the xD or cars in its class, rear drum brakes should be the least of your worries. Now, if you were to be in the market for a high power sports car, and found out it came with rear drum brakes......I'd tell you to run like the wind from that particular vehicle........but as far as I know, you won't find that on modern cars. STOPPING power is more important than GOING power....which is why I hate it when I see people pump all kinds of horses worth of mods into their car, while completely ignoring brake upgrades.

Anyway, hope this helped

KiL

 

Dude I just wish it came with disc brakes because they are easier to maintain that way.

 

I agree. All performance and cosmetic benefits aside, disc brakes all around is the best set up just from a maintenance standpoint alone.

 

While that may be, you won't be spending enough extra maintanence money on these drums vs the rears to compensate for the extra price of rear discs. And on a car of this caliber, that's what matters, right? ;-)

 

KingLou i do understand what you are saying. you make a lot of sense when you talk and like i said i understand your stand point. The only thing that it came down to justifying is that these cars IN FACT CAN be productive racing platforms, due to the light weight and hp ratio. the car is leading the pack in the b segment cars. (Honda Fit, Scion XA, not sure about the toyota Yaris beecause its lighter) but it is a competitor and thats how manufacturers make their sales, by competition. The car can do some things on the track if tuned and modified correctly.

 

BRV, thats the whole point - "IF TUNED AND MODIFIED CORRECTLY." If someone is willing to tune and modify it properly, they can do with it what they want. But in stock form, even if the xD had discs in the rear, it is NOT a track car. It is a fun, spirited grocery-getter/people mover.

 

^ seriously.

 

I see what you are saying, but if you are truly buying an xD for track purposes, then keep in mind the very last thing you said (and I am basically echoing what offroadinfrontier just said):

"The car can do some things on the track if tuned and modified correctly."

So, if track performance is your thing, then "tuned and modified correctly" should involve you ponying up for an aftermarket upgrade to disc brakes all around.

You must, however, keep in mind that Scion has not developed or positioned this car in the market as a compact track/racing vehicle. They are designed and marketed as fun and funky, yet economical vehicles. That being the case, they are looking to save money in areas that they can, while still providing impressive standard features for the general consumer without breaking the bank.

KiL

 

I wasn't talking cost so much as ease of maintenance from the mechanic's standpoint. I don't think there is a cost benefit for disc brakes. If anything, disc brakes probably cost more to maintain.

But I prefer the design/engineering of disc brakes over the design/engineering of drum brakes.

 

Disc brakes are much easier to work on, that's true... hell on some setups, take off the tire and 2 bolts and you have full access to pads, rotors, and calipers.

OK kids, take notes. Tornado has a legitimate argument!! Ease of maintanence is an important factor, NOT the color of the brake parts.

But again, the Econobox factor still wins.

 

I believe what offroadinfrontier meant was that it costs the manufacturer more money to equip a car with disc brakes than it does drum brakes.

As for the maintenance, at least on the rear, I am expecting to do maybe one brake job over the life of this car, well, maybe 2. Most cars I've ever owned didn't need rear brakes until 50-60,000 miles.

Jim

 

ok im out

 

I suppose that's true. Or at least we as consumers have been conditioned to believe that is the case. 4-wheel disc brakes are still considered an "upscale" feature, and as such it would not really be appropriate as standard equip on an entry level model. They may just be rear drums on the xD to differentiate it more from the xB.

But Scions are "monospec" so it probably saves Toyota something to equip all cars the same. If rear disc was optional on the xD, it would definitely cost them more. But if rear disc was standard on xD, it might be a negligible cost factor for Toyota. I'm just guessing here.

For example, as you see more and more cars with power windows standard these days, manufacturers have gotten to the point where in some cases it would be more costly to make the crank windows.

Some things are just the way they are to differentiate brands. How much more do you think it costs Toyota to make a Lexus ES than a Camry? Probably not much. And definitely not as much more as it costs to buy a Lexus ES vs. Camry. I'm guessing there is a lot more profit per unit in the Lexus ES for Toyota.

 

well put ....thank you........ having abs standard is huge PERIOD.....

ona 15K car WGAF about drum brakes. in the long run they'll be cheaper to work on.