buy a tc vs a wrx

[gottztagetrice]

hi all. i'm new to the scion forums as i've never owned a scion. I'm from nor cal and there is a 06 scion tc asking 12k

here are the specs

48k miles
clean title

performance

trd supercharger(upgraded bearings and shaft from tcsuperchargers.com)
nst 9.5lb pully
agency crank pully
injen CAI
greddy front strut brace
turboxs 50/50 bov
agency catback exhaust
tein basic coilovers
megan short shifter
unichip Q piggyback system

there are also a good amount of cosmetics which i really like and i'm going to give a good offer. the supercharger was added 6k miles ago and was manufactured in 08. all documented everything. it was dynoed to put down 240 at the wheels and 221 lbs of torque.

i like that the car is street legal and i like the numbers put down since it would be a daily driver.

my questions to you all-

1) will the 08 bearings crap out like the 05/06 superchargers?
2) What are the pros to owning a tC vs a subaru wrx? (not worried about mpgs but more the fwd vs rwd)
3) the tC has always been one of my favorites but I still can't overlook the performance the wrx offers. I've seen a few 06 2.5L wrx's putting down 270awhp between 14.5-16k. Does the tC perform well enough at auto-x, drag, etc to merit an approximate 4k savings?
4)Would any of you tC owners perfer a wrx over the tC?

I appreciate any insights and advice. Thank you all for your input in advance.

[CadenceScion]

After reading all the specs on both the tC and the WRX. I would still go with the tC. Scion tC's when fully built can get over 300HP. Also Scion tC's are lighter IMO than a WRX, but then again don't offer AWD. Not saying a WRX is a great car or fast in any way or manner. I would rather fix a Toyota over a Subaru anyday. Parts and labor cost on a Subaru is a lot more and some people I have talked to have had issues with the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive/Transmission. Although the sound of a Boxer engine is really sick and WRX's make an awesome all around car, no matter what you throw at it.

Personally, its going to depend on what you plan on using the tC or the WRX for. For a daily driver, i'd go with the tC. For Auto-Cross, Road Ralley, Off-Road, Snow...etc, I'd go with the WRX. The tC on the other hand handles great on road courses, auto-cross, time attack and so on. Its really all up to you on what look your going for, the money your willing to shell out and the purpose you have.

Best of luck!


-Scott

[CadenceScion]

I also forgot to mention that modding a tC is going to be a little cheaper than a WRX. Both cars will do amazing well for Drag Racing too.

[gottztagetrice]

thanks for the input scott.

I will be using the car as a daily driver and slowly make it track ready(roll cage, racing seats, more go fast bits, etc) for auto-x and open track days at raceways. I've done plenty of research on both cars.

I do like the looks of the tC and I do like the solid drive train/engine internals. I like the supercharged base this tC was designed off of and how the current owner made it a solid, reliable sc car. On the other hand, it'll take a lot more engine work to build up this sc or even more efficient to go turbo with it.

On that note, I like the wrx's turbo base and the newer designed awd on the 06+ models. I terribly hate the weak transmission (designed as a 2 piece vs the sti single unit). Also for the say 3-4k to make the tC reach 270+ whp(from the current 240) I can get easy, reliable 270-300 awhp.

I guess my question is.. how does the forced induction tc compare to that of a comparable wrx? The current tC has tein basic coilovers but does anyone know how it would compare to that of a spring/shocks combo on a wrx w/ awd?

Both cars have flaws and both cars have perks. I'm just trying to wrap my head around which would be a better fit for me. Worse comes to worse, I suppose I can just wait a year or so and save up for a decent Evo/Sti.

Thanks for the help guys!

[CadenceScion]

Your more than welcome for the input. Being a Scion tC owner myself as well as having a bit of knowledge under my belt at age 31, I'd say the forced induction on both cars is going to be very close. With a fully built engine on the tC and WRX you can pack some very serious boost and probably will have unlimited access to turbo kits. I maybe right or wrong, but I have heard of some people in Japan packing twin turbos into the WRX, but that's a very serious and very expensive modification. The only thing I am not certain on is how much PSI or the what's the biggest turbo the tC can run or withstand over the WRX's

Now as far as suspension goes, I like struts/shocks for the street and coil overs for race/ralley/auto-cross applications. Having a fully adjustable suspension set up is always going to have its perks, over a non-adjustable- period. Both cars also will have some pros and cons as fars as cornering, one is going to have over steer and the other is going to have understeer. As I said in my last post, I like the tC because of the power to weight ratio, but then again, the WRX's AWD is going to have the upper hand as far as acceleration and off the line take off. Another factor I should mention is, your have more options to fully program the ECM/ECU on the WRX for fuel curves, boost, shift points...etc verses the tC that really doesn't need any help from a piggy back/plug&play unit, it self adjusts as it goes. Plus computer chips have yet to be a proven asset to the tC in adding ponies/torque. The amount of possibilites on either car look to be a toss up IMO. Most people I hear are running WRX's and EVO's, but then again the tC's and Cobalt SS's are starting to make their way into the sport and taking off like wild fire.

I'm more biased towards the tC, but then again I have no disrespect to those that like the WRX, EVO or Cobalt SS, its all personal preference. I like to be unique and set myself apart from the rest of the crowd. I feel the tC would be my choice and my vote as well. Others may say otherwize and are more than welcome to comment and leave their opinions to why or why not.

[gompka]

my questions to you all-

1) will the 08 bearings crap out like the 05/06 superchargers?

The bearings are in our shaft/bearing kit are much better than stock, especially if the person put in a grease fitting. The grease fitting can add thousands of miles of life to the bearings and doesn't take very long to put in. Visit our website for more info on that.

[vinny719]

do they sell a supercharged TC stock or do you have too mod it

[CadenceScion]

I am not aware of Scion tC's coming stock w/ S/C. The S/C is a dealer add-on item. You can buy a TRD Supercharger at your cost and have the dealer install it, which will not jeopardize your warranty. If its installed by someone else and if the TRD Supercharger fails or anything else for the that matter, the dealer will not warranty it.

[navylife59]

Additional to that, the TRD S/C kit is no longer offered by Toyota. All Dealerships were ordered to return their kits for destruction (business loss on taxes, isn't that a stupid waste?). You might still be able to find a shop or online retailer with one that they are trying to get rid of. The kits went from $3300 back in 2005 to $1800 last year when TRD was trying to push them off the shelves.