2011 Scion tC: From Scion's Corporate Launch to On-Track Testing in NH [VIDEO]

[4kBeast]

Hey all-

I'm new to the site, but some of you may know me from some of the other forums I've been on over the years. From Club4ag.com, KP61.net, to MR2OC.com, I've gotten around [eww].

I thought you enjoy this write-up of my experiences with the launch of the 2nd-Gen Scion tC.

A Trip to Japan to Test the 2nd-Gen tC
About a year ago, Scion sent key Scion Champions from across the country out to Japan, where they were given a chance to put the new tC through it's paces. Personally, I know of two Champions responsible for giving Scion's engineers the ideas to upgrade to a 6-speed transmission and the flat-bottomed steering wheel. It's cool to see that these details made it through to the final product. Unfortunately, I don't work directly for Scion, so I had to hear about it from all of the people lucky enough to go out there. Lucky bastards!


http://www.everymantri.com/.a/6a00d83451b18a69e20133f358f1ea970b-600wi

Las Vegas or Bust: Off to Scion's 2011 Scion tC Corporate Launch Training
After a couple of seasons of Autocross and a chance to go to Skip Barber @ Lime Rock (FTD in a Lexus IS-F, baby!), I got a chance to drive the all-new 2011 Scion tC in Vegas when it first came out and there were only a couple in the country. Call it factory-testing. And it was a BLAST!

On the autocross course they set up for us to test, we got to test all of the tC's competition. We got to put Civics, Mazda3's, and Forte Koups through their paces under the desert sun; here are some of my thoughts on each car:


Honda Civic EX:
http://media.dealerskins.com/carspecs2002/Photos/JATOCOLOR400/HONDA%5CCIVIC-EX%5C2011%5C4SABU.jpg
The best Civic you can get for the same price is a wimpy 140HP Civic EX. And it doesn't have a full-length panoramic roof standard or 18" wheels. The wheel/tire combo are 16", and the tread squirm meant that the Civic didn't really feel at home being pushed as hard as it was. There was a disconnect with the rear suspension vs the front, and seemed like the back end of the car had a mind of it's own. You really had to muscle the car around, and the chassis never felt composed.


Kia Forte Koupe:
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSUBbwUo_k4H-v8GCgU11y_kn_fcUMkkqUzVseSYa1w5-eaJRiA
The Forte Koup shifted like a bunch of gerbils trapped in a slush box; it was all over the place with it's shift logic and it's engine was soul-less. It handled worse that it accelerated, and it's only redeeming quality is that it looks nice. For those that like to look at their car lovingly in pictures, consider this car. If you ever have to move off of the driveway, you're better off riding your bike. I'd hate to own one over 3 years of ownership, too, as I don't see many old Kia on the roads.


Mazda3
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ09vlUP-brjq7HNmYLHF3gGb5fB4zQDChvlgJP5UgSChJ8mAK22YMOtbzU xQ
The Mazda3 was spirited, handled good, and had good brakes; it was probably the closest competitor as far as driver dynamics goes. The steering feedback was there, but I just couldn't get over the lack of power, and I wasn't crazy about the transmission. Also, I wouldn't want any of my male friends to see me driving it -- I mean, have you see the dash or front bumper?!


2011 Scion tC:
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFPCSnJKaKpUHUwIWTvUwhUIpDxZeAn toCeQ9nB_I6VY2uRURa
Then came the Scion tC. Accelerating down the straight, the close-ratio 6-speed felt great. The new Dual-Independent Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence really compliments the DOHC and torquey engine; this little 2.5L puts out about as much torque as it does hp, so it is amazing coming out of corners. And the new traction control system kept the inside tire from lighting up (the real problem with running gymkhana in a 1st-gen tC).

The stoppers didn't have the pedal feel of the Mazda3, but once you got used to the different pedal feel, you could modulate the brakes really well at the limit. The Electronic Brake-Force Distribution helped prevent wheel lock on unloaded tires when stopping hard and cornering, and the Brake Assist helped maximize braking with little pedal effort while heel-toeing and downshifting. It was just something you have to get used to, as this system actually boosts hydraulic brake pressure in the system. We found this really helped on track... more on that, later.

The tires, rated for all-seasons, were predictable and lacked the ultimate grip that a pair of good summer-only driving tires on the market. No problems though, because they have a treadwear rating of 300 and would most likely last you a couple seasons. I'd upgrade and pick up a second set of wheels for winter driving, because checking under the fender I know you could at least fit a 245/40/R18, but I wouldn't go over that on the stock 18"x7.5" wheel.

Here's a quick look at alternate tire sizes, I like how the 245/40/R18's look on paper, and think they'd clear everything under the fender:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_4SpZcwLfWBs/TOk_9dhpWcI/AAAAAAAAChE/tuod500H6Ec/s912/Tire%20Fitament%20for%202011%20Scion%20tC.JPG

And because the rotors have been upsized to well over 11" up front, and the rears to just under 11", meaning even though the pads weren't up to a full day of putting laps in, the rotors were more than happy to do it. "Hmph," I thought, "This thing might be surprising with some higher-temperature ceramic pads and a pair of high-quality summer driving tires."

I lapped until the last bus came to trek us out of the area, and then they asked me if they could pack up. I lost count of how many laps I put in with each car, but a clear trend was emerging; the all-new 2011 Scion tc was amazing.

Based on the European Avensis platform, it benefited from a slightly wider rear-end, just under 2". The 1st-gen tC had a rear end that could be twitchy at the limit. I remember one racing team that balled their tC out in The 25 Hours of Thunderhill (http://www.nasa25hour.com/2008/the-25-hours-of-thunderhill-cant-tame-the-toughest-scion-tc-on-the-planet.html). They got it back together, and actually finished the race (it's a cool story, if you have a second to read it, link above on the race name).

http://www.nasa25hour.com/assets_c/2008/12/Pic%203%20the%20drivers-thumb-300x141.jpg

For a car that starts at under $20k ($18,275 6-spd manual, $19,275 6-spd automatic; $720 Destination Chg), you get a coupe that has a torquey 2.5L 180HP engine that gets 23/31 mpg. Not bad. And now it comes with a 6-speed manual transmission. Cool. The single-outlet exhaust utilizes dual straight-through mufflers, and product a throaty burble. It's quiet and doesn't drone at highway speeds (the mark of a quality-exhaust system). But when you get on it, this thing really rips!

But the 18" wheels with double-wishbone suspension make it a blast to drive. And the exhaust note? Even stock it comes with 2 straight-through mufflers which tone things down for highway driving, yet open up when you stomp on it.

I'm thinking it would kick butt in H Stock SCCA Solo II competition with some gummy DOT R-Compound slicks, firmer dampening, and some stainless-steel brake lines. If you wanted to go the Street Touring class route, I'm sure with some wide, sticky street tires and bolt-ons the tC would be a lot of fun, as well.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOCWpuepd-2rEpad6liGrA9q9jL66B5u1O0t-asON68t0H0kwmLA

[4kBeast]

And now, for the good part:
Talking with the Scion VPs after the launch event, they seemed really interested in what guys like me thought of the new chassis and rear suspension design. My answer was, of course, that it seemed a lot more capable at the limit. The good folks at Scion wanted us to really put the car through its paces. So we took the liberty of securing New Hampshire Motor Speedway's Road Course, and took the tC out to do some testing


http://www.tonystrackdays.com/custom/images/Misc%20Items/NHISoverhead1.jpg

It was a fantastic day in the middle of fall, meaning the trees had turned their yellows, reds, and oranges, and the temperatures were brisk. We aired up the tires to 50 pSi to help the sidewalls out (just for track use, don't do this on the road). We put a good morning in of getting up to speed and tuning the tire pressures to balance the car out, and ended up with 49 pSi front, 48 pSi rear.

After burning through a tank of gas, we took a break for the afternoon and let the course workers warm up. Some of these guys and gals had been racing for professional teams, and we huddled around our coffees. They were impressed that the tC was running consistent 1:32's, though all lap timing was done with a stopwatch, because using the transponders would have made this a timed event; the line that Scion did have to draw. And the guys really liked the Sizzling Crimson Mica, because it would look black coming at you and would shift into Crimson Mica, then back to black. Cool.


http://www.scionnation.com/assets/images/cars/tC/gallery/colors/2011_tC_Colors_crimsom.jpg

Regardless, we were pleased with our morning session. We put our game faces on for the afternoon session, where the track had warmed up slightly from the afternoon sun, and we had tested all of the car's systems for the next level on-track.

In the afternoon session, we pushed it. Our goal was to feel the car out, and see what it would take to turn the new tC into a competent track machine. The gearing on the close-ratio 6 speed and torquey engine really helped have the right gear for every corner, and the engine grunt to use the full rev range of the engine.

It was really easy to drive at the limit. The chassis never felt like it was at it's limit. IMO, the brake pads and street tires were the weakest links, but the chassis was a blast to throw around the course. It went where ever you wanted to be on the track, and didn't have an understeering tendency commonly found on front-wheel drive platforms. I'd love to put together a TRD Supercharged version, the chassis is capable of handling so much more power. Word is TRD may be working on a new version of a supercharger that is a different type. It's still in development, so I don't have any additional information, besides that they are looking into it.


http://www.1hourauto.com/PHOTO/CPHOTO300/SSCUSA/scion/tc/2011/3co3r0.jpg

Our primary reason for being there was to collect dynamic chassis data, and to get a feel for where the car could use some more tuning. After two tanks of gas and a fast afternoon session, we put a couple of cool down laps in at half speed to let the car cool down to normal temperatures.

What an adrenaline rush, this car was a blast to drive!


Video of our tests:
I thought you guys and gals might be interested in checking out a video I snipped together of a lap around NHMS in the all-new 2011 Scion tC. Most of the video we shot was from the afternoon session. I'd still like to upload some of the raw footage of the quick laps in-car, so you can get a feel what 5 laps at speed feels like.

Here's a link to the video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcKdaLgeLYQ

My Involvement with Scion
To keep it simple, let's just say that I'm a fan lucky enough to work for Toyota and help out with Scion. It's a company I grew up dreaming of working for. My Dad worked for Toyota for 16 years before passing away, and my father-in-law worked for Toyota just over 35 years. I actually met my wife when we were both interns working for TMS in Torrance, CA. Kind of incestuous, no?

My wife and I got one of the first 1st-gen xB's off of the boat, and we attended the launch party back in the day. I still have the image of Jim Press with baggy pants and a sideways hat burned into my retinas. Within the first year of owning it, someone ran a red light and t-boned her, making the car flip and slide through the intersection. I was actually on the phone with her when it happened (and yes, she was using her BT headset). They flipped our box onto it's wheels and it still ran!

Luckily, she wasn't hurt, aside from the obvious whiplash. After the accident, one of Scion's VP's actually sent her a Scion Gift Basket and a note saying that they were glad she survived unharmed. I don't know if she was the first to total one or what, but we were sold. Another 1st-gen B and a 1st-gen tC later, we've always had a Scion in the stable.


Let me know what you think, I'd like your hear your feedback. And feel free to ask questions; we've got a good idea of what mods would be the most effective starting out, and we'd be happy to share!

[4kBeast]

Figured some of the other footage was too good not to share.

Here's a link to 10 back-to-back laps in the 2011 Scion tC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68iR37qVlb8

Follow Scion on Facebook @ Scion, Scion Racing, and Scion New England Region for the latest information on everything Scion.

'Till next time.

[butlersdog]

That has to be great. You even upload video (http://www.iwowwe.com/dsl) of your test on that one. Great job to say the least! :)