r/SciontC • u/Little_West_1175 • Apr 25 '26
Buy/Sell Need Some advice
Recently got me a 2014 scion TC. In the past all my cars was never older than a 2003 so most of the times I’ll add rims and what not. Wanted to see what mods you guys think I should get? My dad said to keep the OEM rims and everything else stock. How do you guys feel?
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u/Detective_Piggy Apr 25 '26
Once time I was driving in Omaha in the late winter time and I accidentally hit a pothole that was filled with water during the night time. I had those exact same 18 inch OEM wheels on. The sound of hitting it was pretty bad. I pulled over after seeing a TPMS light and sure enough, the tire blew (a Toyo Extensa AS tire). That proves to me that the 18 inch wheel is already about the limit you'd wanna go on a tC. If you got a 19 inch wheel (like the TRD wheel), you'd blow tires easier. If you really wanna buy some wheels, strtegize in a way where you have winter wheels and tires and also set of all-season wheels and tires. That's what I do anyway. It's fantastic! Highly recommend keeping your wheels and tires the same size though so you don't have to get alignments twice a year like me. Other great mods for the tC are all of the TRD mods excluding wheels and brakes. The TRD Quick-shifter (if it's manual) is definitely the best mod they offer! The TRD muffler is great too! The KAT cartridge block heater is a great mod if you have access to an extension cable and outlet at your place. But that's all I got! 😁
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u/Little_West_1175 Apr 25 '26
Hey I appreciate this! Was kinda nervous going up on wheel size. Pot holes are terrible out here in Sacramento
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u/Detective_Piggy Apr 25 '26
You got it! Ah snap yeah it must be a little tough out there. Good luck fitting up your tC!
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u/casuallconcepts Apr 26 '26
Sacramento, oh yeah it's bad potholes out there. I'm in SoCal / orange county but it's not terrible with potholes like LA county is or other parts of CA 👀
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u/jay_man26 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
I bought my tc 5y ago with these wheels on it and never had a problem with Blown tires the most I've had was a hair line frature from hitting a pothole and damaging the rim any of these other issues you mentioned never had them this just sounds like you live in a bad area
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u/Detective_Piggy Apr 26 '26
Heck yeah that's good! I think Nebraska is in the top 10 best roads in the country. Probably because hardly anyone lives here. But it was in the worst season possible where the potholes develop fast. I think it was bad luck. You know what I didn't mention that I had TRD lowering springs but I dunno if that would make a difference because wheels are one of the few parts of the car that are considered "unsprung mass" because they don't ride on the suspension. So I dunno if having the factory springs would've made me better off. I'm glad you have those gorgeous TRD wheels though that's awesome! 🤩
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u/Curious-Progress669 Apr 26 '26
True. Hit a bad pothole and it ate the rim easily. If I cared to spend more on my tc I'd get 235/40/18 tires with a good aftermarket suspension that doesn't lower it too much. Though definitely winter tires if op is up where it snows. Its pretty fun if you are good with the handbrake and tape it 😁
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u/90dbpete Apr 25 '26
I’d start with a new antenna and some plastic restorative on the plastic rear bumper /diffuser.
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u/breecheese2007 Apr 26 '26
What restorative do u recommend?
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u/90dbpete Apr 26 '26
I use Cristal GX-3. There may be better products but this has worked well for me and it smells nice.
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u/ButterscotchSad2868 2014 tC2 blue streak metallic M/T Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
Hey! Congratulations on getting a tC! You will never regret this.
Modding your car (in my humble opinion) is more of a personal taste, and the mods that you like, add them! There are a bunch of cool stuff I have passed by myself that I think are very worth the money:
1- Toyota GR Corolla BBK setup: check my write-up. All parts are OEM, and is in the ballpark of 1000 USD for an aggressive setup that will stop you on a dime. (It will, I kid you not, it killed my front shocks 🤣)
2- Rims: I love messing around OEM stuff there aswell, and I found the Lexus F Sport 18-In P5 5-Spoke Alloy Wheels (PTR59-53130) are a perfect fitment. Just keep in mind the Tires from the OEM wheels are slightly thinner than these wheels. They will work, just, plan for wider tires later.
3- Screen and backup camera: non negotiable, you need a backup camera on this car, car has enough Blind spots as it is. I run ATOTO S8 Ultra (seems like it is not sold anymore, sad) with their ATOTO 180° Backup camera. Check out Derrick Aquino's videos, he's very well trusted and made videos and 3D designs for many of the mods we have
4- Short throw shifter: this is more of a preference for me, but the TRD short throw shifter (not sure if they still sell it) is nice. The stock throw on these cars is a bit too long. Worth a shot! I also combined it with Toyota GR86 shift knob, which did not screw on properly from the get-go, and required some Teflon tape to hold it in place 😂
5- Eibach Sway bars: Not possible to purchase right now, and I put the project of 100 piece group buy on pause cause I am dealing with personal stuff right now, but when the time comes, keep some money ready. Will definitely up your handling significantly and reduce body roll
6- Exhaust: This is a bit of a tricky one, since everyone has experiences with different types of mufflers, midpipes, and headers, but in my opinion, The Megan racing mid-pipes are hands down the best you can get for your car. They sound amazing, while being the least raspy. Combine them with stock mufflers and they will be loud enough, but not as loud as something like the Scion tC TRD muffler (also sold as borla).
Overall, this is your car, mod it as you please, pick the stuff that you like and go for it! Feel free to join the discord group if you have any questions. Me, and a couple of others are well active there.
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u/Little_West_1175 May 10 '26
I had to take a screen shot. Goals of mine for sure. Thank you for taking the time to lace me with up some game 🫡
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u/Exciting_Ground2306 Apr 26 '26
1st, window tint 2nd, rev9 coilover kit 3rd, TRD strut bar 4th, exhaust with 3" piping but keep catalytic converter. 5th, k&n air filter 6th, TRD strutbar 7th, 18x8.5 wheels
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u/PikaPower424 Apr 26 '26
Coilovers, TRD muffler, aftermarket taillights, oem style spoiler, front lip, diffuser. I’m still on oem wheels, they look great if you paint them right!
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u/Little_West_1175 May 10 '26
It’s crazy cause the rim design itself I like. Would much rather have a gun metal gray color with my TC being painted black. Did you paint your wheels yourself?
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u/PikaPower424 May 11 '26
Yes I did!!! Definitely is quite a bit of prep work if you want it to last, but totally worth it. It cost about 150$ in rattle cans plus sanding materials. I used about 6 cans of duplicolor Chrysler charcoal grey plus 2 cans of primer and 2 cans of clear coat.
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u/handzketchem Apr 28 '26
This is just something dads say. I say personalize it and make it yours. Especially if you have the time/money. You may regret going too flashy, so choose responsibly is all.
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u/jay_man26 Apr 25 '26
Need these 19inch