Hi - I'm considering the xA or xB. I'm concerned by the xB's ground clearance esp. in front. I head to new england a lot during ski season and parking lots in the northeast are pretty potholed.

I'm not a modder but would like to know my options. Can I replace the rims with wider (17") ones? Raise the suspension a couple of inches? Are there body mods to replace/reduce the bumper and side 'running boards'? How big a deal is this?

Tim

 

if you put 17s, 18s or 19s, your ground clearance will increase automatically.

 

You can get about an inch by running larger diameter tires, but you lose the ability to run chains on them. Play with any of the popular tire calculators on the web. You might even want to scrounge a set of 14" Echo wheels as you can get a greater variety of tires in that diameter.

The front and rear lips detach. I haven't done it, but it would be tempting if I was anticipating snowdrifts. I'd really like it if someone were to come out with a "short skirt" kit for the xB to give more curb and debris clearance.

However, don't expect to use your xB as a drift-buster in the snow. there are a lot of low-slung fragile components on the front of the car.

George

 

Good point. I wouldn't expect to drive in drifts where an SUV wouldn't have a problem, but I would hate to get stuck in a drift and tear the plastic off the front.

I really need the clearance of the xA and the capacity of the xB.

The feature that has sold me on the scions is the short length. My girlfriend thinks it's funny that the main selling point is its short size but after you drive my neighborhood in brooklyn looking for a spot for two hours, you'd do anything to improve your options.

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but perhaps you'd be happier with a Rav4?

 

That may work. The Rav4 is a little longer than the xB (153 vs. 166") but I'll check it out when I stop by the Toyota dealership in Manhattan this week.

Thanks!
Tim

 

wide wheels is a very bad idea, you'll slide around.

 

Yeah. Wide wheels & tires will float on top of the snow, causing a loss of traction. Skinny tires are better since they will dig through the snow more easily, getting you to the ground where you can [usually] get better traction.

 

Aha - i meant wider diameter but good point.

I have an appt to see the scion dealer in Staten Island on Saturday. I'm pretty psyched.

 

That'd be "taller" diameter.

 

In regards to the ground clearance questions… I have been trying to figure out the same thing for my xB. I want to turn it into a (mild) rally-cross car with better tires and ground clearance so I can drive it (at speed) down dirt and gravel roads without damaging it.

Aside from the customary skid plates, I realize that the front ground effects will get damaged if the suspension bottoms out.

The ground clearance (from the lowest point of the suspension) on the xB is 6.1” which is more ground clearance than the xA (and any average car) and only about ¾ an inch less than the Toyota RAV4. Interesting eh?

The ground effects on the xB are about 8” from the ground all the way around, which is around the same height as the rocker panels of an average car. The xB just “looks” low to the ground because of its boxy shape.

The ground effects on the side will unbolt and the front and rear bumpers are built in sections, with the ground effects attaching with various clips and bolts.

I am planning on removing my front bumpers ground effects and replacing it with a skid-plate that will protect the radiator and engine components. Considering that I have already “rally-fied” a Nissan minivan and an old Subaru, this should be an interesting project.

As for tires, the OEM 185/60/15 tires are of a poor quality and are: too low to the ground, too skinny, and are a made of a hard rubber compound, which I think explains the rough ride. I believe a (205/60/R15) tire, which is wider and about ½” taller will fit nicely, give better handling, and a smoother ride. The larger tires will only throw the speedometer off by 2.1 MPH. I found some excellent tire reviews on TireRack but can’t decide between: Firestone Firehawk Indy 500, Michelin HydoEdge, or Bridgestone Tranza LS-T.

Any ideas?


LINKS:

Tire Size Calculator Program
http://pw1.netcom.com/~sgalaba/tiresize.htm#TireSize

Tire Rack
http://www.tirerack.com

 

That would take a lot of skid plates on an xB! Lots of fragile stuff hanging down under that car!

Very probably. With everything bottomed out, I doubt if there is more than three inches under the skirt (or under the oil pan, etc.)

Yes it is. However, the skirts are much more vulnerable than any point inside the wheel footprint of the car. If the car encounters a "hump" (something like a speed bump, for example) the skirt will pass over it before the wheels get there. Something hanging down under the middle of the car will be lifted by the wheels before it gets to the "hump"

In a perfect world, this would be fine, but I've managed to touch the stock-height skirts of my xB to curbs, parking stops, etc. where I've never touched with any other car. A low skirt in front is much more hazardous to the bodywork than low skirts at the rocker panels.

The problem is that the bumpers don't look right with the skirts removed. The car really needs some "short skirts" to make it look finished.

When you do it, post pictures! I find this a lot more interesting than the "check out yet another slammed xB" mods!

Why not go to a 205/65R15 tire? This will give you about 0.9 inch of sidewall height. I wouldn't worry about the speedo error, as the xB stock speedo reads a bit high. It is interesting to note that the JDM bB uses a 65 series tire, not the 60 series tire of the xB.

It's really a pity that they don't make a 185/75R15. This would give the sidewall height without excessive width. Unfortunately, this size seems to be non-existant.

George

 

The underside of the xB is no more fragile than my old Nissan minivan. I have already made mock-up skid-plates out of cardboard to determine shape and placement and since the vehicle is so boxy fitment should be easy.

I figure that if I can successfully build up a minivan in to mild off-road vehicle, then the xB should be a lot easier.

As for bottoming out the suspension, stiffer shocks or spring spacers might help.

The ground effects (skirts) are indeed a bit too low. I wish they made short skirts instead. Good thing the skirts are removable. I might swap them out with rock-slider type guards like I had on my old CJ-7.
We shall see.

I will take pictures as things progress. Right now I'm still in the planning stages.
As grandpa used to say “measure twice and cut once”

:D