Hello,
I am thinking about buying a brace or two for the xB to tighten up the handling a bit and to cut down on the body rattles that I know will develop after several years of driving around on our crappy NYC streets. I am mainly interested in preventing the body from flexing itself to death, especially since I plan to lower it sometime soon.
Thanks!
David

 

there are about a billion different braces out there for our boxes. first off, you can start with the the front strut brace. greddy, cusco, tanabe, hotchkis, trd, DC, c-one, beatrush, megan etc ... all make braces for the front.
there is a possible front chassis underbrace, made by cusco, beatrush, c-one, tanabe, megan, gt-spec, etc ...
there is a possible rear chassis brace by greddy, etc ...

you also might want to look into front and rear sway bars to stiffen the chassis.

energy suspension bushings are also another popular mod to improve handling.

to actually soften up the ride and make it more "cushy" you can look into monroe sensatrac shocks for the rear, which is a very popular mod to make the ride more sedan-like.

and you mention you want to lower soon ... that should help as long as you combine the right spring/strut combo.

hope that sets you in the right direction.

 

Thanks for the help! I am thinking I'll go with Tein H-techs or TRD springs, a Progress rear sway bar and those Energy bushings everyone raves about. My question was whether braces for the box are worth the money and if so, which type (strut tower, front/rear subframe braces).
Thanks again!
David

 

braces are my forte, lol

I have the progress rear sway, cusco lower arm bar, greddy rear brace, front and rear strut bar and the poly sway bushings.

Def invest in the progress rear sway and the poly sway bushings. I would say for city driving that would be all you need. I dont ever take my box in the city I take my mom's suv lol. And the h-techs give a nice drop but arent too low. I have s-techs so i recomend tein.

 

The Progress sway is a must. I'm planning on doing the poly bushings once it warms up.

I also have a Hotchkis strut bar, but the difference wasn't as substantial.

 

I have the GT Spec front frame brace, DC Sports tower brace and TRD rear frame brace. This combination of chassis braces is the best ive seen so far out there.

The front brace and tower brace work equally as good no matter the company, but the TRD rear brace is one of a kind, no one has made a brace quite like this one. The problem is trying to get your hands on one.

 

haha i have that same exact set up with progress rsb and poly endlinks and front swaybar bushings along with the one ton rear shims

and your right about the trd rear frame brace, and i was one of the lucky ones when the guy had a blow out sale on 'em paid only 150 + s & h

 

I as well have the Progress RSB, but being an xA i can't fit the poly bushings for the front sway bar. What are the poly endlinks though?

 

all of the brands of braces will provide you the same result. its just what you like the look of . The strut brace is basically worthless(and yes i have one) because the shock towers are so close to the firewall, there isnt much room for the body to flex. The chasis brace is more important. I have both pieces from APR and like the look of them, the under brace is aluminium and the brackets are real beefy.

brent

 

heres what i have as far as bracing:

dc strut bar, apr 4 pt brace and mid chassis brace, progress rsb, and energy suspension front sway bar bushings (the universal, $12 ones). i also have swift sport mach springs with stock shocks.

the crazy part is – i never once felt anywhere near satisfied with my suspension until i put on those energy suspension bushings. those were the most recent mod for me, and the most noticeable. best bang for your buck mod by far at $12! (plus another 5 or so for extra hardware). go find that thread in the diy section here

 

I take it you never came across my thread.....https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...969&highlight=