Lovin' my new xA. I've read conflicting reviews about the handling. I think it feels great, but you gotta understand, I used to drive a '66 VW Bus, so anything is gonna handle better than that!!

Does it actually handle well? What can I do to improve the handling/ride? I understand springs (like Tein H.Tech) should help the firmness, but what about the dealership not doing an alignment...

Thanks!

 

I think mine handles great. Mine's not lowered at all, but one thing that did make a noticable difference is my new tire & rim setup. I went to a 16"X7" wheel with a 205/60R16 tire and I can tell a pretty big difference in how well it holds the road and in steering response. I figure the two biggest factors are:
A) The new tires (Falken Ziex ZE-512) are simply a better tire. And..
B) This new size tire/wheel combo is wider than stock, so there's more tire-to-road contact.
I don't drive my car like I'm in a race everywhere I go, but I think it handles real nice.

 

I really enjoy driving the xA. Depending on how much $ you want to spend there is a lot you can do to upgrade the handling. I did springs and 17x7 wheels with 40 series tires and I think it made a HUGE improvement. It isnt the fastest car around, but it's a blast to drive it quickly!!! Have fun~

 

moved....
will get better responses here.....

 

I think the xA has a good chassis and is very light, which helps.

I also think the xA has the worst tires to ever grace a car, and needs to be lowered badly.


Which is why I'm saving up for new wheels, tires, and coilovers.

 

I know my xA is not the same as most folks (RS1), but let me say that new springs (Gold-Line) will make a HUGE difference. They dropped it a little, added some stiffness, and made it so much fun to drive in corners.

I have had cars nearly ride my bumper as I enter a particular exit ramp. By the time we finally merge to the new road they will be 80-100 yards behind me. They had to brake and I didn't. Sooooo much fun.

 

My xA has good handling after lowering springs were installed. I went with Tanabe DF210 springs which lower the car 2". Now it handles like a champ. :D

 

xA stock = so so.. bad tires, high center of gravity, soft suspension.

Add some springs, low profile performance tires, and sway bars and it will corner like a mini :D

 

I agree. The RS1 handles very good by itself. The Stability Control helps out some too. Lowered or with only a rear sway bar, it handles even better. For example, https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...608&highlight=

 

Thanks for the responses. I can't wait for the roads to dry out so I can hit the back roads...

 

Mine handle pretty well after I got my alignment and new tires. I still need to get used to it though with the new tires and my car is lowered. I think sways will deff help the car a little more.

 

Rear sway bar install was very easy for me. If you've got no mechanical background whatsoever, it may be tougher, but still pretty easy. I'd put it on the difficulty level of changing brake pads and rotors.

Lowering it, although I've never done it, I wouldn't recommend for somebody who isn't mechanically inclined, but should should be fine for somebody who's motivated and has time. I'm comfortable to do it alone, but I've seen some people who aren't mechanically inclined suprise me with what they try to pull off and end up breaking...

 

For lowering...Have a few Friends help you and read the DIY thread somewhere in the forum. Should take about 3 hrs for someone that never done it before. It took me and my good friend an hr to do mine and the Scion is by far the easiest installion I've done. If you can lower the car, sways shouldnt be all that hard. But, if you decide to go to a shop, expect $75-120 dollars for springs.

 

well i have people that offer to do it. I am part of another car club, and they all know how to do it. I was just wondering if I should buy the springs from TRD or somewhere else. Any ideas?

I am new at what kind of stuff to get, but I am learning about how everything works. Thankx for the info!

 

don't want to be rude, but also trying to be helpful... You question has come up many times before. Just before I made this comment I did a search on this database for "springs" and was actually suprised to find how accurate the search function is(it wasn't this good in the past). If you do the same, you should come up with more information than you need, including info on Goldlines, H&R, and others.

 

o ok.. thankx. I didn't even think about that seeing how we were just getting into the topic here. I will do that