[sciondude007]

i just bought an xb for my old lady and i need some help with some Q's i got about it. she don't mind the kinda stock look and feel of it but the point is that i drive it too and i kinda like it. everyone is talking about intakes, is the standard wrap around intake you get at your everyday store as good as those short ram air people were talking about....what other cheap mods can i do without going to far into the engine.......header, exhaust system, etc..........please help........thanks

[ShortBus]

Hello and welcome.

As for the question the general answers are Intake, Header, Exhaust (IHE). Some have put on light weight pulleys that really seem to help (not underdrive). One other fairly new option is a throttle body spacer that is on ebay. If you use the search funciton most of these topics have been discussed in much detail.

The intake question: Some have purchase the ebay brand for 40-50 dollars and have been quite impressed while some stick with cold air intake (longer and a bit more expensive). One thing to cosider is where you live. If it is California then you need to stick with CARB legal stuff.

I hope that I havent killed you with information. And once again welcome.

[Liesjemt]

I have an auto, and I noticed the most gains from getting a new catback exhaust (not just a muffler or tip). I also have a CAI. I full cold air intake will pull in air away from the engine where it’s colder so it will be more efficient. A short ram still pulls warmer engine air. Though with our little engines I’m not sure if most people would notice much of a difference.

You may also try switching to a lighter weight pulley. I've heard good things about the Perrin brand.

I've also heard that you can tighten any slack out of the throttle cable to get rid of the acceleration lag.

[Resolve]

Hello and Welcome

^^^ like said intake header and exhaust. and lightened pulley

I also have the Throttle Body Spacer (TBS) if you get one get the one with the spiral cuts inside not the straight through.

and to help acceleration a little check your throttle cable most time it is a little loose from the factory you can tighten this up.. do it until its tight but before it causes the throttle to open. that way when you step on the gas it instantly opens the throttle no second or two delay.

[Resolve]

haha Liesjemt beat me to my answer.

as far as CAI not sure if much difference that short ram on these maybe 1 or 2 HP but not much most short rams pull from behind driver side light and drive wheel well so not to much direct air from engine compartment.

also where are you located?

[sciondude007]

i live in southern washington state, so it's pretty much cool all year round. HEI are about the best besides the throttle body spacer and the lightened pulley.........so the wrap around intake is the way to go then huh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,?

[rton20s]

I wouldn't waste your money on a "cold air" intake for the xB. Air temps between the two are virtually identical by the time they reach the engine. And the short rams typically have better response. I highly recommend the Fujita F5 short ram for the xB. They use a better design than most other short rams, and are reasonably priced.

For headers, if you want to go as cheap as possible, I recommend Megan. If you have a few more bucks to spend look around for deals on a Monster Motor Works 4-2-1. If you prefer a 4-1 design and have a few bucks to spend take a look at Strup for stainless and DC Sports for ceramic coated.

For the exhaust I definitely recommend a cat-back. Even if it means picking a muffler, resonator (glass packed round muffler) and tip, then having it installed at your local exhaust shop. If you can afford an off the shelf unit, I recommend the Magnaflow.

[Genesis_26317]

Originally Posted by rton20s

I wouldn't waste your money on a "cold air" intake for the xB. Air temps between the two are virtually identical by the time they reach the engine. And the short rams typically have better response. I highly recommend the Fujita F5 short ram for the xB. They use a better design than most other short rams, and are reasonably priced.

For headers, if you want to go as cheap as possible, I recommend Megan. If you have a few more bucks to spend look around for deals on a Monster Motor Works 4-2-1. If you prefer a 4-1 design and have a few bucks to spend take a look at Strup for stainless and DC Sports for ceramic coated.

For the exhaust I definitely recommend a cat-back. Even if it means picking a muffler, resonator (glass packed round muffler) and tip, then having it installed at your local exhaust shop. If you can afford an off the shelf unit, I recommend the Magnaflow.

Definately go for the 4-2-1 they perform, if even marginally that lower end benefit will add up later on down the line.

Of course if you plan on going with a turbocharger an intake and header is just going to be cash down the drain that could have gone into the turbo system.

[Padanky]

I swear by the Perrin Lightweight Crank Pulley. I'd give up all my other engine mods to keep the Pulley if I had to. I/H/E/P are the basics.

[ThunderGod]

I/H/E/P/TBS/Plugs/Wheels/etc.

SAI for short burst at start.
CAI intake for higher RPM on fwy.
Headers, i have MEGAN and im fine with. DC, STRUPS will do fine too.
Exhaust, theres quite a bit out there. go with good stuff like GREDDY, BLITZ, TANABE, HKS BORLA, MAGNAFLOW. then again, its yur preference.
Pulley, NO UNDERDRIVE go with PERRIN or AGENCY POWER PULLEY. thse are great for uphill climb.
TBS, i have the Chaos Design TBS. i dont have it installed yet, but will soon. others here on this site attest to it.
Irridium plugs are great too. i have the ND.
Light weight wheels. 15in. or 17in. should suffice. 15 for get up and go, 17 for rollin on fwy.
Grounding kit may help on the idle.
Coil packs, not sure if this will help much? anyone?
Engine Dampner, i have the WEAPON-R. keep that big boi in its place!
Oil, AMSOIL and other brands.
Fuel rail and injectors, anyone?

[sdsnybny]

good responses but....
no one mentoined perrin short ram i have this and it out does the trd cia i had easily. also i have an OBX 4-2-1 racing header that greatly increased low-mid range response and for 150.00 shipped its a good product



here is a pic of TBS and the thread http://www.clubxb.com/forums/f28/5049-tbs-box/

[Genesis_26317]

Originally Posted by sdsnybny

good responses but....
no one mentoined perrin short ram i have this and it out does the trd cia i had easily. also i have an OBX 4-2-1 racing header that greatly increased low-mid range response and for 150.00 shipped its a good product



here is a pic of TBS and the thread http://www.clubxb.com/forums/f28/5049-tbs-box/

That is a sh%t ugly header but it looks like it works.

Why the hell are the welds so damn ugly and why the hell are the angles so sharp and not smoother? It doesn't look that bad considering.

I also can only see the picture at a weird angle so that may exaggerate the shape/welding a bit. It just looks like the piping on the outer flanges actually flow directly into each other...

Anyway how much were they- ugh was it? Oh duh, $150 shipped, damn good deal!

[rton20s]

Genesis... the header looks like crap because it is OBX. Widely known as one of the worst importers of cheap Chinese made products in the country.

I wanted a 4-2-1 design for the wife's xB, so I ordered the MMW/Weapon R. Now, I am not a fan of this company either. And my lack of faith in them was proven when I got the product. It was a decent design, and attention was paid to detail where it was easily visible. But when you got deeper into it, you could see where they cut corners. The 4-2 merges were sloppy (slag and lap).

In the end, I still think their design is superior to OBX. And if I had to do it again, I would probably order another MMW, assuming I could still get the same price. The welds are clean, the flange is nice and straight, the tubes have nice smooth bends, and the fitment is pretty good.

[Liesjemt]

You should probably check into the local laws before you go too far. We here in CA have A LOT of restrictions. Whether you choose to obey them or not is your choice, but its good to know what kind of tickets you might be in for. Of course, if you intend to keep the outside pretty stock and don’t have to loud an exhaust you’ll probably get away with more under the hood.

[Mopline]

I guess I would like to add to the noob questioning.. I have been pondering about doing a few mods. But before I go piece by piece I am trying to get all the info I can then have a specific plan and purchase that way. But someone mentioned something being a waste with a SC and just going turbo. That brings me to my question. Which one of the two has a better over all HP gain. I have heard after market turbos aren't nearly as good as factory and have issues. And let say I bought some headers and a nice catback system, and then a CAI and was planning to get a SC but then changed my mind and leaned twards the Turbo. Would I have to redo my exhaust again?

[staredecisis]

I just bought a 2005 Scion xB with about 53k on the odometer. I gave the car a tune-up - not that it needed it or anything... - I Changed the oil to Mobil1, Drained the transmission and filled it with Royal Purple, replaced the spark-plugs to NGK Double-platinum and swapped out the stock air-filter for another of the same model.
Anyhow, the car still feels a little anemic in the way of acceleration. I was trying to figure out whether an SRI would knock the air/fuel ration too much out of whack. Also, how badly would an SRI affect the mpg? Any input would be greatly appreciated by this Toyota/Scion nOOb... Also, would a plain-jane K&N airfilter make any appreciable difference? Further, are there any mods that will both increase performance and either enhance, or not affect, gas mileage?

[frisbeeforchrist]

has anyone else used a different header than the OBX ones

[chrisdesil]

Originally Posted by staredecisis

I just bought a 2005 Scion xB with about 53k on the odometer. I gave the car a tune-up - not that it needed it or anything... - I Changed the oil to Mobil1, Drained the transmission and filled it with Royal Purple, replaced the spark-plugs to NGK Double-platinum and swapped out the stock air-filter for another of the same model.
Anyhow, the car still feels a little anemic in the way of acceleration. I was trying to figure out whether an SRI would knock the air/fuel ration too much out of whack. Also, how badly would an SRI affect the mpg? Any input would be greatly appreciated by this Toyota/Scion nOOb... Also, would a plain-jane K&N airfilter make any appreciable difference? Further, are there any mods that will both increase performance and either enhance, or not affect, gas mileage?

An intake alone will not do much for acceleration. The shorter pipe will make the engine sound meaner, but really, its not any faster. As for MPG? It'll drop maybe one mile per gallon.

If you want to feel gains off the line, a lighter pulley is the way to go. It feels like you've taken 100 lbs out of the car.

If you're wanting more power on the top end, you'll need intake, exhaust header, and at least an axle back exhaust, and its not going to make you fast, you'll just sound better and it wont be quite as slow.

its an xb. Its like driving a brick wall into oncoming wind, don't expect major gains unless you're going forced induction or engine swap.

Originally Posted by frisbeeforchrist

has anyone else used a different header than the OBX ones

Lots of people use the Strup and the megan exhaust headers. Most stay away from OBX in general. If you use the search feature, I'm sure you will find many opinions about each one and what gives the most bang for the buck.

Since I'm turbo'ed, I have a different exhaust manifold, so I can't comment on any one of them being good or bad.