Have had my XB for 3 months and love it.. salsa red and a stick. have looked at graphics and wheels but can't find what I want/ like. Hubbie has shakes when he gets into the toaster.. he is afraid a mouse in the road will total it (he wanted a hummer but at 6'5" he did not fit in the back seat... so XB now and new harley next year...) So here's what I want (but as I am overrrrr 50 and blinked and had time fly by me, I find myself in the dark ages of electronics): (1) I want a GPS rather than satellite radio (??) cuz GPS makes alzheimer's easier to cope with; (2) I want a "softer" ride going down the road (highway driving). I live in central WI and they just found out about super walmarts here... so dealer's around here are of no help. Any help from out there is appreciated... please speak slowly & thanks.

 

A lot of people have installed rear Monroe Sensa Trac NB5870 shocks on their xBs to improve the ride. It is an easy install and doesn't cost much.

 

The Monroe shocks help tremendously and your hubby can install them with only a wrench or two in 20 minutes or so. Pop off the rear shock covers and take off the bolts, remove the bolts from the inside rear wheels, replace shock, done.

 

The Monroe rear shocks mentioned above are exactly what you need to smooth out your ride. As far as adding GPS, I would suggest you direct that question to tha ICE and Interiors forum.

 

Yeah, what they said. I'm one of the grey-haired drivers. The rear shocks are the immediate purchase. Much better ride and a one beer job.

I also put on Tein-H springs. I didn't like the yaw of the box on ramps and such. Since I was doing that, I changed out my struts as well with the Monroe's. The ride is much better than stock and my kids thank me. It is much more measurable from the rear seats.

 

Monroe Sensa Trac NB5870 shocks? Do you have to get ones specially made for the Xb or just any?

 

I don't have the numbers off the top of my head, but they are the ones for the Echo. Do a search on here and the numbers will pop up.

 

Do you have the part numbers for the shocks and stuts??????? Also where did you purchase them???????

 

The part # for the rear is NB5870, do a search for the struts. Ordered mine from shockwarehouse.com for about $60/pr shipped.

 

thanks for the info

 

I would check that number.
The shocks are made abroad for the US company Tenneco, and are retailed under either the Monroe or NAPA brands. The Monroe brand is sold by auto stores like Pep Boys and Auto Zone, by muffler shops like Midas, by Sears, and by online parts vendors. The NAPA brand is sold only by the NAPA auto parts stores. The shocks are a model called SensaTracs, based on a way they sense bump travel, so they can be soft and then become hard at the end of their travel.
The rear of the xB/xA uses SensaTrac #5987. Usually stores look up shocks by "application" = car, rather than part number. The store catalogs used to not have a listing for Scions because they were too new to need replacement shocks. So you may have to ask for the Toyota Echo application, since those cars have been on the road since 2000 and use the same shocks. After the salesperson has found the shocks for that application in the catalog or inventory, then he will be able to see the part number = #5987. A set costs about $70.
Here is a DIY for installing the rear shocks:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=76186
It takes about 20 minutes with a couple of wrenches in the driveway with wheels on the ground, and makes the rear suspension have the same softness as the front.

 

I put the Tein H-techs and Monroe's on my xB. I also put new tires on it as the OEM Goodyears are crazy loud.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to shoot me a PM. I just did a bunch of stuff to make my xB quieter and ride better.

 

Thanks for all the great information.

 

I've had my Box for a month now and I live in the Chicago area. My biggest issue is the "pogoing" that I seem to get on certain concrete roads. The Tollways areound Chicago are particularly annoying. The sections in the road seem to start the Box bouncing and I feel like I'm driving a truck. Most asphalt roads do not seem to effect the suspension and some concrete roads do not seem to phase the car. Will the Monroe's on the rear help smooth this out?

 

pogo-ing means you need a stronger strut, not a softer strut.. maybe a softer bound, but much stiffer re-bound. i have the same problem but i'm also dropped over 2" on Tanabe coilovers. something i've had to deal with, hoping someone will actually make a REAL RACE SUSPENSION for the xA

 

i recently installed bushings and noticed it improved the ride a bit quite a bit

 

another question on the monroes....i know some have said that when you get these they drop the car a little....is that all the way around or just in the rear or what....i am looking in to smoothing the ride out some as i have a little one on the way and i dont think he/she would like the ride back there. so first does it lower it all around or no? also will this smooth out the front as well? also are there any modifications you have to do to the monroe's to get them to fit...i read that you have to modify the fronts slightly....and are the numbers for the front for an echo as well?

 

Lower ~1/2" in front only. Full set will be the most comfortable, no mods required. The shocks/struts are designed for the Echo and work fine on the XA or XB.

To get the most out of the Monroes, you should try to keep the spring rate near stock or less and the lowering kept to a minimum.

 

I'll second that. $15 and 20 minutes = big improvment.

 

what bushings are you guys talking about?