This is a brand new car, but I would like to improve the ride I don't know a lot about auto suspension or vehicle structure in general. I went to Tire Pros in Walnut & was told that they did not have Monroe part #'s for the 2006 xA SensaTrac shocks & struts. Will putting shocks & struts designed for the Echo 200+ violate my warranty? Also, what is the function of the struts? The guy at Tire Pro told me that I should change my struts to match my shocks. Will changing the both the shocks & struts improve the ride? I am uncertain about changing the springs at this time. I don't really understand what the springs do for a car, so I am reluctant to vary from stock.

 

The monroes are actually for the Toyota Echo and not the Scion so you might have them look for Echo shocks instead.

Here are part #'s for Monroes:
front - 71575
rear - 5987

 

Thanks for answering my post. Nice car.

 

The comment about the Echo shocks and struts is correct. Many people find that simply switching out the rear shocks is sufficient enough to improve the ride. Others found it necessary to change out the front struts as well. Just be aware that the front strut change will lower the front of the car approximately 1/2".

My recommendation is to swap the rear shocks to start and see how you like it. Then if you still aren't satisfied swap the front struts.

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

 

Michele,
I'm in the same boat with the ride being too rough (guys just don't understand lol). I've decied to buy Tein h-tech springs to lower the car a bit and then I'm going with Monroes all around. The h-tech springs don't lower the car as much as I'd like but they're a softer spring. The Monroe shocks & struts will lower the car a bit more and provide a much softer ride. From what I've heard this is the best way to lower your car and have a ride that is smoother than the stock ride.

 

I have Hotchkiss lowering springs on my Xa and at first the ride seemed fine. Now, maybe from comments I have received from passengers (my son calls it a barfomatic) I have become convinced that the ride is way too rough. If I added Monroe struts/shocks for the echo on the car would I still have good handling with a better ride? The secondary roads in SE MIchigan are horrible for the most part.

 

The Hotchkis have a relatively high spring rate compared to other drop springs. Adding the shocks will help, but they will still ride rougher than if you had Tein or Tanabe springs.

 

Hi Scarlet,

Will you post your expierience with the Tein H-Tech springs, and the Monroe shocks and struts? I'm going to do the Monroe shocks & struts in the next few months (want to make a few payments first). I don't really understand what the function of springs are on a car. I don't really need to lower my xA, it more of a cosmetic thing. My car would still clear the speed bumps in my neighborhood if I lowered it 2", but I'm not sure I will do it while it's still under warranty. If gas goes to over $4/gallong in CA, I will probably have buy an alarm system before spending the money to lower it.

 

Sure I'll definately let you know how it goes!

 

In the simplest of forms an automotive suspension is comprised of two parts a "spring" and a "damper." A spring can take many forms, as can dampers. For the xB and xA we have coil springs front and rear with struts up front and shocks in the rear.

The coil springs job is essentially to hold the car up. The spring rate and design of the coil determines how it will act when acted upon by an outside force. The higher the spring rate, the less the spring absorbs the outside force, and the more it translates to the rest of the vehicle. The dampers (shocks and struts) are in place to dampen (hey what a concept huh? ) the affects of the outside forces on the spring as well as the springs reaction.

Think of it this way...

If you hit a bump in the road and didn't have dampeners your spring would compress and then rebound with very little resistance. And it would continue this compression and rebound cycle for quite some time because there is nothing there to slow it down. When you throw the dampers (shocks and struts) in, there is an element introduced to reduce the affects of outside forces on the spring. These dampers offer resistance to decrease the "bucking wagon" effect.

Now if all you had was dampers without any sort of spring, you wouldn't be going anywhere. Because there would be nothing installed to actually hold up the car. And while most dampers have some level of resistance to compression, it is not nearly enough to "suspend" a car. In most cases you can compress the dampers by hand.

 

The H-Tech is not softer. In fact the rears are quite a bit stiffer. I would suggest the TRD springs. I just finished putting mine on and am impressed. The TRDs are only about 10% stiffer than the stock springs. The ride is much flatter in curves now and the ride did not stiffen up. That is what I was afraid of with the H-techs.

I put the Monroe shocks on the rear several months ago which made a little difference. They are for the Echo, as you know, which has (I think) a shorter suspension. With the one inch drop from the TRD springs it puts the Monroe shock operating in the range of travel that it was designed for. Remember the Monroe is soft in the middle and stiffens up as it travels up or down. I did not put Monroes on the front while it was apart though and really see no need to do so at this time. The Monroe struts end up about 1/2" shorter than the Scion struts so you would get a little more drop if you used them up front.

 

RTON,
What do you think of the Hotchkiss springs (that I already have and paid for) with the TRD shocks for the Xa? Do you think it'd be an improvement in ride quality?

Actually, anyone with a thought on this is welcome to respond as I am ignorant with regard to tuning this little car.

Thanks!

 

Seems from the earlier posts and other threads that the Hotchkis springs are pretty stiff and won't increase ride quality, unless quality is defined as "stiff". Not that the stock xA springs are all that soft...

Anyway, this is pretty much a trend with Hotchkis. I know a few guys running them on 'muscle cars' and they tell me that they wish the car wasn't so stiff.

I've heard that a good combination for ride and mild street performance is the Eibach springs with either TRD or Monroe shocks.

Also, this may have been discussed before but does anyone know if Hotchkis is actually making the TRD springs for the xA/xB? Since TRD won't share specs, according to other threads, and Hotchkis did a lot of early development on these cars, it would make sense.

 

What is the ride like then with the TRD Springs and TRD shocks/Struts if the Hotchkiss might be considered to be similar to the TRD springs?

I guess the bottom line is I will live with it for a while, anyway, since I've plunked down some green already for the Hotchkiss.

 

I've heard the same thing as Sikbrik about the Hotchkiss springs. Everything I have heard about them is that they are a very stiff spring. Most of what I have heard comes from the xB side of things though.

 

would the TRD shocks help, keep the same or worsen the situation?

 

The TRD shocks are going to help dampen the stiffer springs somewhat, as RTon20s descriptions outlined...it won't (shouldn't) be as bouncy with the TRD shocks and Hotchkis springs as it would be with the stock shocks and Hotchkis springs. It will be stiffer, though, since they use increased pressure to control jounce and rebound.

I think that's what you're trying to achieve...slightly better performance without totally screwing your daily drive. I think it's probably a good setup that you'll be running. Just slightly stiffer than stock.

 

so, to directly answer your question, the TRD shocks/struts should help.

 

thank you very much. I can draw anything but don't put a wrench in my hand.