finally test drove a scion, finally! have few questions

Get used to driving the car normally before trying to dog it out.

Even then, if you want it to last for the length of the loan, don't dog it out.

also, i've heard bad things about the paint job on scions, that the paint is thin and chips very easily. i didn't get to test out the sound system in the car, how is it? i'm going to add a sub amp and tweeter amp.

finally test drove a scion, finally! have few questions

so, i finally dragged my mom with me and i test drove a scion Xa. i've had my heart set on it, since it came out a while ago. the girl had to get the stick shift model out of the back of the lot and get all the snow off of it, so she let me take the automatic for a spin while she was doing that. it was ok, but it had about the same amount of balls as my corolla does, well, my corolla when i got it 3 years ago. the automatic scion was not all that great. first gear revved pretty high, but when second gear engaged, the rpms dropped alot. i wasn't impressed, and i knew i wouldn't be, most people say the auto is anemic.

so, we got the stick shift, i'm not fully coursed in using a stick shift, i still use the e-brake on hills and it makes me a little nervous. this was a way better improvement, it was actually fun to drive. only thing i didn't understand was this:
i stopped in a parking lot, revved it to about 2500rpm and let go of the clutch, to see how it would handle the force. well, it spun the tiresfor a half second, but then it did something wierd, it almost seemed like the brakes were engaging. it thumped alot...can anyone explain this?
using the clutch was a little tough too, if i wasn't careful and gentle, it would bump when i shifted everytime. also, i didnt test the ebrake, does it lock up the rear wheels if you pull it hard enough?
heres what i like and dislike about the Xa:

likes:
styling and 5 doors
sweet blue color. hopefully won't show dirt
i can use my xm radio with the cd player.
hatchback has a cover in the back to hide stuff, subs amps
nice headroom
ABS brakes! woohoo
has less power than my corolla, but my corolla is weak now, so it's much better
cool lighting in the center area
little bit more room in the backseat compare to my corolla
finally i would have turn knobs for climate control
the seats are comfy and black, won't show dirt
power mirrors and locks and fender mounted turn signals
heat and A/C works well
better turning ratio than my corolla
great gas milage and good price in my range

heres what i don't like:
seat seems very high, i'm not tall, but i'm used to my corolla's lowrider seat
no keyless entry without having to buy the scion security or putting in my own
putting in a system with the factory system my might a pain in the butt
i would like a center mounted domelight, not just one in the front and back
center gauge cluster takes a little getting used to
engine is so quiet that a couple of times i didn't know if i stalled out or what. i guess i could get an intake
financing through toyota would give me a 4.5% apr...i would like to find something a little lower
can't tell wether your getting fresh air or re-circulated air when it's dark (needs a backlight in the slider)
i'm a little concerned about the life of the clutch, i'm a new stick shift driver, is the clutch covered under any warranty?

let me know what you think or if you have any answers for me thanks

that shuddering was wheelhop i'm guessing..

i can answer all those questions. your clutch will be ok if you dont' do hard launches all the time. your clutch isn't warranted after 10K.

the seats ARE high. it takes getting used to (or a couple hundred dollars and a MOMO like i did lol)

the car needs wheels or at least better tires to even feel remotely stable at highway speeds.

any questions you might have, direct my way jeg@hydraulic-supply.com

www.scionlife.com/?CivicEater

Hms... traction control with the spinning tires? The step from auto to manual always brings a lot of questions.

i don't think the xA comes with traction control. only xB.

I think the problem with your wheel spin was lack of experience drivning a stick. I dont mean to be insulting, but when driving any new car it takes a while to get smooth and comfortable at its clutch. When I got my XRS I found it hard to launch smooth, and managed to stall it after a few days. But now that its been a few months its very easy.

Mark

wheel hop, yes, thats what it was, i didn't quite know how to describe it, but thats what it was.
the Xb has vehicle stability control not traction control....i guess it helps with turns and stuff but not traction off the line

Haha I learned stick on a Spec V, MAAAD WHEEL HOP sucks. I'm not sure but that car feels maaad heavier than the XRS. THe XRS drives sooo welll I soo want one, but yeah baaah sorry to disrupt the subject.

I wouldn't mind an xA for tuning it.

The sound system is stock. Nuff said.

the paint is thin. i have chips.

put a clear bra on the edge of the hood and you'll be fine.

the ebrake will lock the rear wheels, but you can't push the pedal while pulling the ebrake handle. ABS will OWN you if you try.

the sound system is ok. i dumped the stock deck the first week i got the car (got 275 for it lol) and put in a KD-AR3000. i'm running the stock speakers off it, an RF 360.2 amp and 2 10" Xtants.. bass is there..

Gosh dang. Is it all FWD have bad wheel hop or is it only toyota's? I sware in my corolla if i reved it past 3k it would have horrible wheel hop. JUMP rpms lower to 1k and go. lol

All light front drive cars can suffer wheel hop. I find my XRS is pretty good, iv never had it wheel hop, nor did my Celica really. I had a 1992 Saturn SL1 that really had a bad wheel hop problem, but that car was a pile, and also had very poorly designed engine mounts. To prevent wheel hop, DONT dump the clutch..its pointless, and should not happen if you feather the clutch quickly.

Mark

thats wierd that it has so much wheel hop. i used to drive a 95 ford aspire stick shift, the thing had to be at least 500 lbs lighter, and it never hopped, it sure did spin the tires good though, till the clutch was paperthin and i junked the car, well worth it to learn stick on

Yeah. That definitely sounds like wheel hop there. My brother's Spec-V, if you launch at like 2500 RPM's, then there's wheel hop. But if you launch at 1800 RPM's (best launching RPM's for that praticular car), then you're good to go.

Inder

any car that you DROP the clutch on will usually suffer wheel hop.

oh, got another question for ya civiceater...i have xm radio in my car now, i bought the universal tuner that has the fm modulator on it and also has a connection for an ip bus cord. since i have a pioneer head unit, i can use the ip bus cord. can i use the ip bus cord to connect to the stock head unit in the scion?

absolutely yes!