More Mods Installed

I took advantage of my days off from work to get more mods installed on my tC. *Pictures were taken w/ my cell phone*

* Kaminari Reverse Cowl Induction Hood (Fiberglass/Custom Painted)
* 3-Way Washer Nozzles (Toyota Corolla)




* StreetGlow XtraSlim Flexible LED Strips (White) (Simulated Audi style daytime running lights)

Looking sharp. The LEDs came out nice. Do you have a pict more from the front w/o the headlamps on? I forget who I bought these bulbs from, but you can replace your turn signals with the orange/chrome ones for a better look with your body color. Mine are slightly different in that they are chromatic when off and not the full chrome look. I will have to pull the bulb and check for ya.

I have heard of other people replacing their front turn signal bulbs w/ what your running now, let me know who makes them. I am considering swapping out my OEM brake light and turn signal bulbs in the rear for LED ones, but the last time I did that, the blinker blinked too fast and the bulb I bought kept blowing a fuse. Do I need to change the relay to something else? Thank you for the comments as well, still waiting for the side skirts to arrive from Racing Solution, the rear lip came in already.

Got you your answer.

I saw a new Audi driving around with one side of those LEDs burned out. They apparently can't take the Texas heat.

Take the Audi LED's and compare them to mine there is no equal comparison. Although my tC has been through 4 car washes so far and the LED's have held up and the heat has not affected them one bit. Mine are tied into the headlight relay, but I do not have them wired as a turn signal, although they can be if you want. The majority of my LED lighting on my tC is StreetGlow and I love their products and last a long time. A personal friend of mine that I have known for 8 yrs introduced these to me. He has installed these on a Mercury Cougar and a few other vehicles as well, everyone I know loves them. I did happen to see a brand new Nissan Armada or Pathfinder w/ the same lights as mine installed the other day, don't know if my buddy installed them on the vehicle or not.

The Audi's look like they are 1-watt LEDs. Those are susceptible to over heating.

Updated 9/13/2010

* Broadway JDM Wide Rear View Mirror 300mm Flat
* T-View 8000K (9005) H.I.D.'s in Foglights






* Currently saving up money to buy an Ingalls 4 point Rear Strut/Tower Brace, which will be my next mod.

Yeah I forgot the Mt. Dew bottle was up there when I took the pic w/ my cell phone...lol. Thank you for the comment BTW!

Holy crap Batman! Major fauxpas there Cadence.
Those HIDs look super white. My 7K bulbs came out bluish. Like the mirror.

I would not waste money on that rear brace. Trust me, you don't need it. The rear struts are tied together already with 3 layers of metal and the lower rear member attached.
I guess that you can say that the tC already comes with a rear strut bar. All the Ingals piece does is attach the strut bolts to the rear floor pan. This is not going to stiffen up the rear upper body. There is no real hard points under that floor pan. The spare wheel well shape already lends strength to this floor pan. http://stores.mengmotorsports.com/images/TC Ingalls Rear Bar.jpg
For it to work, it would need further bracing vertically.

Its odd that you don't recommend the Ingalls rear strut brace. Every Scion Website I have been on has had raving reviews about it. Even ClubSciontC.com and Scikotics.com had a great write up about it. Although I need to find out why the rear of my car is still clunking/banging. My buddy and I retightened my rear sway bar, the one side was tight and the other side was a bit loose. I am begining to think I have a rear strut going bad. When my tC goes in for an oil change and NYS Inspection, I will know more. If the rear struts are bad, the OEM McPhersons will be upgraded to Tokico Blues.

Well, let's look some facts.
1. The OEM rear strut mount structure is comprised of 3 thick layers of formed steel spot-welded together. Spot-welds are not considered stronger than stitch welding but today's OEM robotic spot-welding is very precise and strong. Unless your welds have broken, this structural member is not going to flex any appreciable amount. It is true that modern sub-frame vehicles are designed to flex and absorb shock, but this is a mounting hard point for the rear double-wishbone suspension so it has to be sturdy.
2. The Ingals brace is made from flat stock that is hollow. Unless it is extruded (internal extruded ribs) it is pretty much useless as it will flex. This is why roll-bars/cages are made of round stock. Round stock equally distributes pressure and stress forces which is the key to strength.
3. Geometrically speaking, this flat layout paralleled with the rear strut structure afford greater chance of flexing even with internal extrusions. It would need to be canted like you see with most front strut tower bars.
4. Has there been any skid pad or track datalogging analysis done by either Ingals or the supporters who "rave" about it? How many semi and professionally road raced tC's utilize this brace or similar product?

One of my many trades in Life is that of a metalsmith. Having 5 years of professional sheetmetal fabrication and 10 years of Naval aircraft maintenance (w/ corrosion and metallurgy analysis/inspection) affords me of a somewhat expert opinion.

BTW: Naval aircraft are highly stressed aircraft. Some can pull up to 9G's and others can carry heavy loads. The aircraft that I have the most experience with is the C-130T Hercules. It is designed to carry a cargo load of 40,000 lbs and takeoff (with complementary fuel load) of max takeoff weight of 170,000 lbs. That plane empty (w/ mission equipment) weighs between 85,000 - 88,000 lbs. That is double it's weight and alot of stresses on the airframe. Lot's of inspections and structural repairs.

I also know how to read schematics and specification data. You can easily see for yourself and no, you do not have to be a metalsmith to understand. Take a close look at the schematic that I previously posted. Print it and then go to your car and visualize the hardpoints (places that the brace bolts to). Think about my points listed above and look at the schematic. What do you see? I will let you make the call yourself.

I have been reading around and called Hotchkis about that rear noise problem. They all point to the mounting brackets and the endlinks. One guy stated that Hotchkis had a fix for the rear brackets but the company confirmed that there was no such fix. They suggested that you check the brackets are mounted symmetrically (slots in the brackets), bolts torqued properly, and the bushings cleaned then greased. They also pointed to the endlinks. With the Hotchkis swaybar being so thick, the OEM endlinks barely have enough threads to connect to the swaybar. The geometry of the endlinks on a lowered vehicle puts those endlinks into a stressed alignment. Hotchkis and others (Net) have spoken ill of the Dezod Endlinks (which I happen to have). The fact that the kit comes with cheap one piece Heims fittings and no spacers or shouldered bolts causes misalignment and the resulting noise. For all of this, I can attest is true. I am currently looking at either making my own with three piece Heims or purchase the set made by Welcome to KJB Motorsports - Adjustable Rear Sway Bar Endlinks for Scion tC. Same parts that I am looking for so maybe more cost-effective.

Thank you for the comments!

Thank you! You can buy that same hood from Kaminari.com, they off that hood in Fiberglass and Carbon Fiber.

Now that the UV has worn off my VIS Evo CF hood, I can see now that it is a 2 piece fiberglass shell with just a layer of CF in the gel coat. How is that Kaminari hood made?

I am not really sure how the hood is made, I bought directly from Kaminari themselves, had it painted to match and clear-coated really well. I have had it for a little over a year now and no issues.

Thank you, if you want your headlights to look like mine, those LED strips are $40.00.