http://intensepower.com/trdfrupstbrx.html

Just joined the forums, along with the purchase of my xA. My 04 xA is bone stock, and I have come across this front strut brace, at a very reasonable price from a colleague. I'm wondering, given that all other stuff in my xA is stock, what improvements will I see by installing this? I don't do much hard driving, but once in a while I'll push the car. Is it a difficult mod? I have read that the TRD version will mount over the existing bolts/hardware. I am guessing it also must be torqued to a specific number too. Any help/input on this is greatly appreciated.

 

It should be a very easy install--at least my Hotchkiss was on my xB. Just bolts on.

 

Sirgolf82
Send us a PM or give us a call if your interested in any xA products.

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https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=120460


:D

 

What do you mean by "push" the car? Do you mean going WOT and going really really...uhh..."fast" (we are 1.5L after all) or pushing it on a windy road? If its the first one....don't bother, unless you want it for looks then by all means get it. As it is, the strut towers are close to the firewall and if you were to go really really "fast" then you really won't notice anything, if that at all. But if you run mountain passes every so often, then get it. It definately stiffens the chassis a bit more, keeps the struts from moving independently through hard turning and turn in feels is much more crisper. My 2 cents

 

Yes it will need to be tqed to a specific lb/in

Sorry i don't have the FSM, Hopefully someone can chime in with the exact factory strut bilt TQ numbers

 

Dunno about the xA specifically, but with the xB, general consensus is that the front strut tie bar doesn't do much. The strut towers don't seem to flex much at all, being very close to the firewall.

But for $50, go for it.

For $150 or so, you can have a rear swaybar, which will definitely improve handling. The difference is quite real and readily apparent...

 

keyword, "much at all"...in hard cornering situations that "much at all" like in mountain passes or track days or auto-x, that "much at all" isn't as good as "none at all". think of the front suspension as a box the bottom portion are the tires __ the shocks and/or coilovers are the sides [__] and the strut bars are the top, thus completing the box. What looks better a box with an open top or a completely closed box?? Close to the fire wall or not, if the struts arent linked together and in unison, they will always independtly move. Of course, on can't tell the difference until they really push on a windy road and I mean PUSH. I'm not suprised it's a general consensus though be it xA or xB. Fact of the matter is, is that most scion owners...no offense and with all due respect...are more show than go. "Go" in this matter being that of hard driving through windy roads or tracks on a constant basis. And that to most owners, corner carving is through highway on and off-ramps and dinky sweepers, I know very little if any xA/xB owners that are serious about mountain passes or circuits or auto-x's, and suspension/setup/chassis. Are they out there? Yes, but not here, I mean hell...someone on scionlife got into in aurgument with me stating that despite the fact of being small, light weight, proper suspension setup and holding a small advantage when it comes to tight technical tracks/passes...it means nothing? and that the only way our cars could handle good is to drop an assload of cash and revamp everything? People here know more about CAI and exhausts and headers and power adders than they do suspension/chassis stiffing/setup. Anyway sorry for the rant. I am by no means a suspension guru, but i take the time to learn about it istead of saying bullsh!t like some "handling gurus" here

 

I won't argue, Gnar-de-gwar, that competition driving isn't another world- it is. But that wasn't the question. And the front strut tie bar won't matter at all if the body leans excessively and front end plows so badly that strut tower flex isn't even remotely in the picture... Improving Scion handling doesn't begin with a front strut tie bar, but rather ends there, after the sway bars, shocks,springs, and tires are properly dialled in.

As you point out, Scion drivers aren't necessarily much more than diletantes when it comes to handling- which means that the vast majority of front strut tie bars ever installed on Scions are more ornamental than functional...

 

I installed that exact part on my xB recently. Since I also installed springs, I can't tell you how JUST this part affects the suspension....... you will be able to tell a small difference when you're going around turns at a high speed, but since you're rolling on stock suspesion, you'll still have some body roll. Maybe a 15% reduction??

The instructions were very detailed and had a lot of pictures, but since you're getting it from a friend, they probably threw them away?

Anyway, it's a solid bar and looks nice. Be sure to get the wrap-around rubber for the hosing that this bar threads through.

If your friend doesn't have the instructions, you can locate the strut bar write-up in the tech section, or I can send scans of the instructions.

Good luck!

Oh, and FYI.......... the dealer sells this part for $199