Project Scion TC - Tech
Part 5: Pro/Celebrity Status
By: Jay Chen, Mike Kojima, Photography by Jay Chen, Joey Leh, Mike Kojima
To further tighten the rear, we also installed a prototype steel strut tower brace from Ingalls Engineering. This is much needed, as the tC doesn't have a rear shelf to keep the rear towers from flopping around. The brace installs in the floor of the rear hatch and ties the two towers together as well as to two additional points in the rear sheetmetal. When installed correctly, the spare tire, foam tool carrier and trunk lining can all be stuffed back into place.
Even though Project tC generated decent handling numbers with its original set-up, the major improvement now is in feel. The most noticeable change is the increase in front grip. The steering response is now much sharper and the rear feels much more stable. Overall chassis balance is still quite forgiving, though, and the ride is not all that bad. It could easily be considered acceptable for most enthusiasts in daily driving.
If our plans don't get shelved for another year, we'll soon be looking at a retuned ECU and some massive NVH work before we face off against a heavily tuned, naturally aspirated RSX Type-S.
Previous InstallmentsNovember 2005Part 1: Improving stick
June 2006Part 2: Bolt-on brakes for geeks
July 2006Part 3: Smog-legal boost
August 2006Part 4: More boost and lots of shiny parts
By Jay Chen, Mike Kojima
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