Knowing that the xB was under-powered, I still liked its looks and its ease of entry - sort of step in, and its goofy looks. But as I have a couple hundred miles on it, I know now in my head what my foot new right off.. There is very little horse-power available to blend into some difficult highway situations. I assumed there are after-market superchargers available...Does anyone have this kind of research and experience behind them?
I'd wait til your warranty is up, only due to the fact there aren't a whole lot of xb, or xa's with superchargers on them with a substancial amount of miles. Theres really no way to tell the lasting effects...Though it is a tempting choice for me as well, there are other alternatives to make power without voiding your warranty and putting a damper on your wallet. Just my 2 cents...
I'm waiting to see what 2005 brings since new xB colors will be released and TRD is catching on that there is a market for more speed there may be a better supercharger on the way.
For now I recommend the addition of a DC 4in1 header paired with a magnaflow or borla (little quieter than magnaflow) cat back exahaust and a cold air intake like AEM or Injen.
Bigger rims and performance tires along with a tower strut bar and rear frame connector really makes handling more enjoyable.
Well I modified my intake tonight and it feels pretty good. Makes a nice sound and a little better pick-up to boot. Not the biggest gainer in the world, but a much welcome power increase. I'll post later regarding how my gas milage will be affected...
I guess I just don't see how a $14k economy car that does 0-60 in 8.9 seconds (Edmunds test xB 5 speed manual) is underpowered. It's equal or better than anything in its price class and excellent for an economy car. It's just not as fast as the $20k+ cars these people are coming out of.
That said, if you are really dying for more power, but want to keep the xB, I think the Blitz supercharger would be a good idea.
Whatever you do, don't spend $1500 on CAI, headers and exhaust, red plug wires and other ricer mods and expect big gains. People doing those mods are just looking for a little more response, a louder sound, or don't know what they are doing and have convinced themselves their cars are much faster even though they've probably gained 8-12 hp at the top end of the RPM's at best.
A good CAI alone can give you 3-5 more horsepower, so that's not an entirely stupid investment but the headers and exhaust on the 1NZ-FE do very little according to dyno results. Waste of money.
Does the Xb with a manual really go 0 to 60 in 8.9? Everything I read put it at 10.5 or something like that.
The Xb is underpowered for most Americans, but what do you expect from a country where the average MPG is 20 (or lower). I think everybody would agree that the Xb would be better if they put the Corolla engine in it. But then the Xb would have a higher starting price. Or it wouldn't come standard with ABS, traction control, power windows and lock, and a nice cd player.
And from what everybody is saying, the Xb will only be around for a couple more years. At least in its current form.
So if you really love your Xb, but need more horsies, slap on a CAI and maybe some headers. That should pump you up at least 15 hp and wouldn't cost you too much. Then you'd be in bliss, until Scion comes out with the replacement for the Xb.
The majority of the tests out there are for the AUTO transmission. That's where the 10.5 numbers come from.
Like I said, Edmunds got just under 9 seconds with a 5 speed xB and my results have been similar. That is on par with all other economy cars in it's class and it's the same as or better than most average SUVs and plenty of Americans drive those.
Could it be that people have unrealistic expectations? Expect 7 sec 0-60 from an economy car that comes loaded for $14,000?
What's funny is, 20-25 years ago, a 9 second flat 0-60 was sports car acceleration! Porsche 911s and Datsun 280z's did that back then and it was considered quick.
Economy cars like this made more like 60 hp from 1.5 liters and did 0-60 in 18-19 seconds.
Cool! That's a really good review. One thing to point out is that the Scion they tested had a Cold air intake installed. I know the CAI doesn't add that much performance, but I'm now convinced to go and buy one.
By the way, I checked out their review of the Xa and the Xa with an automatic had a 0-60 time of 10.7 seconds. So I guess it's true. The automatics are kind of slow. I mean the Xa only weighs slightly less than the Xb so the 0-60 times should be similar between the two cars.
I guess I just don't see how a $14k economy car that does 0-60 in 8.9 seconds (Edmunds test xB 5 speed manual) is underpowered. It's equal or better than anything in its price class and excellent for an economy car. It's just not as fast as the $20k+ cars these people are coming out of.
That said, if you are really dying for more power, but want to keep the xB, I think the Blitz supercharger would be a good idea.
Whatever you do, don't spend $1500 on CAI, headers and exhaust, red plug wires and other ricer mods and expect big gains. People doing those mods are just looking for a little more response, a louder sound, or don't know what they are doing and have convinced themselves their cars are much faster even though they've probably gained 8-12 hp at the top end of the RPM's at best.
A good CAI alone can give you 3-5 more horsepower, so that's not an entirely stupid investment but the headers and exhaust on the 1NZ-FE do very little according to dyno results. Waste of money.
Being new at this (and old too) I don't know what "CAI, headers and exhaust, red plug wires" and all that stuff means. I am looking for just enough additional horsepower to stop the xB from downshifting into 2nd gear (and reving into the 5,500 RPM range) when I'm on a hill and must pass or make an amergency move. Any ideas will be really appreciated. On that line, is the cold air induction system Scion talks about one way to do this?
Yes, the Cold Air Intake (CAI) that is available at the Scion dealer is one way to up the horsepower. Scion claims that it will add around 10 HP. I'm not sure it that is true, but it should bump you up a little bit. It is by far the easiest, and probably the cheapest, way to add performance. I don't really think dropping $3000 on a turbo or a supercharger is worth it on a Scion XB. The same goes for headers and an exhaust system.
The Cold Air Intake at the Scion Dealer is made by AEM, and I think they price it around $350. There are cheaper ones out there, and if you are a handy person you can install it yourself and save some money. If you buy it at the dealer and have them install it they will probably charge you for a couple hours of labor. So at the end you'll be paying about $500. IF a CAI bumps you up 5-8 HP, that's probably a little less than $100 per horsepower.
Keep in mind that the Xb really is a Japanese vehicle. Meaning that it was created for the Japanese market. A car with a 1.5 liter engine in Japan is considered adequate. While here in the USA a 1.5 liter engine is pretty much the smallest engine you can get in a fully gasoline powered vehicle.
One thing to think about.... My wife and I traded in our Matrix XRS for the xB. Go ahead and frown now (I sometimes still kick myself), but here is my two cents... This xB (auto) feels just as quick as the matrix did until "lift" kicked in anyway, but by the time "lift" kicked in, it was time to shift. And it was almost impossible to keep it in "lift" between shifts. I know the xB is under powered, but we are plenty happy with it. Keep this in mind too...the XRS 0-60 times were around 9 seconds too. GO FIGURE!!! And with the TRD struts and springs, it handles the same if not better than the XRS. They made a world of difference. I do want more power out of the xB, but I wanted more power out of the Matrix XRS too(at least bottom to mid-range power). I think some people, LIKE MYSELF, are always going to want more power no matter if it's an xB or a Viper...lol.
__________________
2004 Matrix XRS
Radiant Red
Strut Tower Brace
A Couple of "Go Faster" TRD Stickers (I swear I can feel the difference)
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Help for the New xB owner..need HP!
ronxbguest
Being new at this (and old too) I don't know what "CAI, headers and exhaust, red plug wires" and all that stuff means. I am looking for just enough additional horsepower to stop the xB from downshifting into 2nd gear (and reving into the 5,500 RPM range) when I'm on a hill and must pass or make an amergency move. Any ideas will be really appreciated. On that line, is the cold air induction system Scion talks about one way to do this?
Crapmry
Linear Mode
