[Joebug]

Hey Guys!

A guy near me has a used TRD rear sway bar and a used TRD front strut brace for sale. He said his lowest price is $200, the front brace is in really good shape but the rear sway bar is the older style and looks like it could use a quick spray paint here and there, but still useable.
What do you guys think at a price of $200 for both pieces?
to get them both new would cost me every bit of $400 at the cheapest place I found them.
What do ya think?
Thanks!!

 

[xsalvationx]

Well on eBay you can get the rear sway bar brand new for $209.

Brand new TRD Sway bar rear for Scion xB 08-12 | eBay

The front strut brace is also $180ish brand new off ebay.

Scion xB 2008-2012 TRD Front Strut Brace Bar - OEM NEW! | eBay

 

[erozcs]

based on the listings you're looking @ roughly $440 new. there will be no significant increase in performance with new vs used.

when buying used, know your parts! make sure they are all present and in good working/usable condition.

even with the change in design. reports of breakage prompted a change in the mount. hotchkis still uses the same old style mount.

your question is this: do i want to put in a little work to save @ $240?

IMO, go for it and use your savings to put towards another mod/upgrade.

 

[TrevorS]

Hey Guys!

A guy near me has a used TRD rear sway bar and a used TRD front strut brace for sale. He said his lowest price is $200, the front brace is in really good shape but the rear sway bar is the older style and looks like it could use a quick spray paint here and there, but still useable.
What do you guys think at a price of $200 for both pieces?
to get them both new would cost me every bit of $400 at the cheapest place I found them.
What do ya think?
Thanks!!

Every report I've read regarding the original sway bar breaking was by a person in the habit of making quick turns/curves at speed, not one was by someone who didn't heavily stress the bar. So, if you are someone who regularly pushes in corners, then getting the current version might be wise, but otherwise, the original should be just fine. Yes, the price sounds good. Check the installation PDFs and verify you get everything needed for installation.

 

[Skyraider]

The wanna-be engineer in me (I'm a mechanic!) makes me think the original design is better than the newer with the short links. Granted, the new design which I have installed reduced the body roll tremendously, I still have this inkling of a feeling that the original design was superior due to fewer moving parts.

Either way, $200 is a steal!

Gordon

 

[TartanJack]

GET IT!
PERIOD!

As the combo is only somewhat more than the TRD strut alone, if it breaks you aren't out that much overall.

 

[zinger]

Just a question...

If Toyota changed the design because the original had problems, shouldn't Toyota replace broken ones with the newer design?

 

[Joebug]

Thanks for making it easy to decide..I will make arrangements to pick them up..

Just a question...

If Toyota changed the design because the original had problems, shouldn't Toyota replace broken ones with the newer design?

I was thinking the same thing..anyone know if toyota replaced the broken ones? I woul hope they did..dont they have the 3/36 warranty?

 

[erozcs]

let us know how the paint & install goes. 8T6 maybe?

 

[TrevorS]

Thanks for making it easy to decide..I will make arrangements to pick them up..




I was thinking the same thing..anyone know if toyota replaced the broken ones? I woul hope they did..dont they have the 3/36 warranty?

Forget it, the original only had a problem if you beat the sh!t out of it.

 

[phobic]

be careful with the older style TRD brace, they've been known to snap.

but this is a great price.

 

[TrevorS]

be careful with the older style TRD brace, they've been known to snap.

but this is a great price.

But from my reading, only with owners who habitually heavily stress them with quick cornering. As I mentioned above, I've never learned of one breaking otherwise.

 

[phobic]

well, whats the point in having a sway bar if you don't use it?

 

[TrevorS]

well, whats the point in having a sway bar if you don't use it?

I enjoy my original TRD sway bar everyday I drive the car. The difference is more than noticeable, however, I don't "canyon carve" ! Having a rear sway bar transforms the OE xB, but unlike the front strut tower brace, you don't have to be a racer to appreciate it !

 

[erozcs]

i'm glad i was able to stir-up some controversy. it's been boring around here lately.

 

[TrevorS]

i'm glad i was able to stir-up some controversy. it's been boring around here lately.

Hey, hey, hey -- whatever works dude ! I'm entirely happy with both my original TRD rear sway bar and my Tanabe' front strut tower brace, but my bottom line is the value is primarily in the sway bar, the tower brace is just a nicety (helps in emergency handling). If you don't beat on your car in the curves, the original TRD sway bar is just fine, however, if you beat on it, you may break it !

FWIW -- I've also read of the rear Hotchkiss sway bar being broken by highly aggressive curve driving, it has the same mount design. What it comes down to is consider your driving habits before putting down your bucks.

 

[erozcs]

agreed. a healthy debate is always good food for thought.

 

[CurseOfDays]

i had a hotchkis sway bar in the rear, worked great for 3 years, recently it decided to crack at one of the welds on the ear that mounts to the rear shock. but ive heard alot better things about hotchkis than trd.

 

[AU Digger]

After 4.5 years and 48,000 miles, my original design rear sway bar broke at the mounts. All TRD parts are warranted for 12 months/12,000 miles if dealer installed. That said, I wrote to TRD and got a letter back from Scion concerning the sway bar. After numerous phone calls and a trip to the dealer to verify that my Scion hadn't been abused, they agreed to cover the cost of a new rear sway bar. However, I had to have the dealer install it and pay for that myself. Also, I had to front the whole bill and then send them the invoice so they could reimburse me which could take up to 10 weeks.
I have had Toyotas forever and currently have one of each (Lexus, Toyota, Scion). Not sure if that helped but I know they stated that they treat each incident on an individual basis. So, who knows what they will do if yours breaks down the line.

 

[rjscion]

Personally, I would purchase them new from Hotchkis... For only 287.69 for the pair... Pay an extra 90.00 for new, up to date, Hotchkis products, I think that's worth it. And... it's Free 2-day shipping! I'm actually purchasing it right now for myself.. Doing my transmission swap, so I am going to be having fun taking corners and being able to control it with my new transmission.