Scion xB Tuning

"Thank you for reading this Scion xB tuning guide."

One engine that keeps cropping up in emails and questions we get sent, is the xB, and what parts work best on it. so we've created an article which covers our go to modifications that you should tune and outline which modifications we feel are the best.The xB is a great car modification project to execute.

If you do your homework then you can create an awesome xB but don't be fooled there are lots of competition inspired kits out there that will simply not suit it read our unbiased guides first.

Handling/Suspension upgrades

Improving the handling for most drivers, is rated as a top priority mod in your xB tuning project.

Fully adjustable suspension allows you to fine tune the handling of you xB greatly improving your drive.

We suggest that you fit modified suspension and lower the car by 30mm - 41 mm. Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with motorsport suspension.

Adding bigger discs and better high friction brake pads can make for dramatically improved braking.

Note that some performance brake pads can grind and will need to be hot before they start to work.

On a road car the brakes are only applied now and then so won't be all that effective so select brake pads which have a low working temperature.

Top end power should be your overall aim with a nice fat wide peak torque band.

To be completely frank and honest, on the more modest engine sizes you are wasting your time spending money on modifications, so if this applies to you get yourself an engine swap then apply the following mods.

Power mods.

This list of the stages and performance modifications are usually fitted by our members, decide how far you wish to go in your tuning project before you get going.

Getting the correct grade of tuning upgrades for your planned usage of the car is vital. Stage 3 motor sport parts just won't work well on the road making the car difficult to drive.

Please watch our video which covers the 5 principles of tuning your car. Be sure to keep up with our latest YouTube content and subscribe.

Best Engine Mods for your car

1. Engine Tunes - engine tuning/remapping provides the most advantage in terms of cost savings,  aftermarket ECUs, and piggyback ECUs are all alternatives.
2. Fast road cams are one of the most significant mechanical changes, but they must be installed by someone who knows what they're doing and they are not always easy to source but you might find a local firm to regrind a stock camshaft.
3. Intake and Exhaust - Note that on their own these mods will NOT ADD POWER in most cases, but they can help enhance power after other mods by removing the restriction.
4. Upgrades to turbochargers and superchargers - forced induction is the most efficient approach to increase air supply, allowing you to burn more fuel and make more power. It is one of the most costly upgrades but provides the best gains.
5. Head work - The goals of porting and flowing the head are to get air flowing into the engine while removing flow restrictions and turbulence.

Typical stage 1 mods often include: Remap, Sports exhaust, Panel air filter, Lighter flywheel, Alloy wheels, Suspension upgrade (drop 30mm - 41 mm.).

Typical stage 2 mods often include: fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injector, Fast road cam, Ported and polished head, Power/Sport clutch.

Typical stage 3 mods often include: Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Sports gearbox, Engine balancing, Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Competition cam.

Your aims when tuning the engine should be a flat and wide torque output. You don't want all the torque to be at the top end of the rev range unless you are creating a motor sport car.

The aim of our hints is to give a limited introduction of tuning modifications and point you in the right direction, our forum is best place to go if you need more detailed advice and tips on your customized car project, the best modified mods and all aspects of modding cars.A fast road camshaft usually works out as one of the best NASP power mods you can do mechanically to your engine.

The intake & exhaust valve timings play a large part in your cars power band, but be careful here, getting this wrong can upset the idle and make the car difficult to drive in traffic. You'd need to follow a cam upgrade with other mods and finish with a tune/remap to fully release the power gain.

When pushing up the power you will need to increase to the fuelling. More power needs more fuel.

If you find you get flat spots and power surges after your uprated upgrades you should check the fuelling and try a higher octane fuel as well. To get sufficient fuel you may need to improve the injectors on your engine.

If have increased your fuelling with bigger injectors you will also need to get a bigger fuel pump to supply it.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

The next area for modification is the intake and exhaust.  Please note that WE DO NOT FEEL YOU GET POWER GAINS FROM INDUCTION KITS, unless you have tuned your car massively and are finding that the standard air intake has become limited.

Derestricting the air flow into the engine is a primary goal of tuning so get a freer flowing air filter if you find that the car is running lean only if you find the car is running lean. Induction kits can sound great but due to the warm air in the engine bay they will not add noticeable power and more often than not rob you of power on most cars.

Do not go with the widest exhaust you can find this will slow the exhaust rate - the best exhausts for power gains are usually between 1.5 to 2.5 inches. It is the shape and material more than the bore size.

Getting the cylinder head ported and polished will allow you to get more air into each cylinder. This is definitely a job for a pro with a flow bench. A good fast road performance clutch will help to keep that power going where it should. Never skimp or assume a standard clutch to cope. The best mods we recommend for your xB are a tune/remap especially on a turbo, a fast road camshaft and sports exhaust, with a good air intake.

Turbo engines are just asking to be remapped. You will see large power gains on most modern turbo charged cars including diesels making a tune/remap one of the most cost effective and large modifications for your money.Adding forced induction will see impressive power gains but this is usually too expensive to be cost effective. Superchargers are often easier to add than turbos. It is difficult to map fuelling with a turbo as the boost increases exponentially with rpm.

The nice proportional boost and rpm characteristics of the supercharger make them simpler to map. Decreasing the engines compression ratio will allow you to add forced induction, water injection may also help prevent detonation.

Alloy wheel upgrades.

Because alloys are less heavy they improve performance and they will help to cool the brake disks. Pay attention to your choice of tyres (tires) for your car, a good directional tread pattern tire can really enhance your cars handling. Please note although they can look cool on the xB big alloy wheels will actually decrease your performance. The larger you go the lower your acceleration will be - this to the change in your effective final drive ratio.

Due to this aim to keep the overall rolling diameter of the wheel the OEM setup. In all cases we do not recommend going over 16 inches.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss xB options in more detail with our xB owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Scion tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Toyota. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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