By some accounts, the Scion tC just doesn't cut it. Like the scrawny new kid on the block, Project tC doesn't fit in with the powerhouses that fill the Sport Compact Car garage. It could be better in virtually every performance category. Its power-to-weight ratio, handling and braking all leave room for improvement.
Perhaps the bar has been set too high, though. To be fair, look around and you'll be hard-pressed to find anything else that will outperform the tC and carry its $16K price tag. For that, along with the fact that the tC is equipped with a 160-hp, 2AZ-FE VVT-i powerplant, we give this econobox a thumbs-up.
It's clear there's room for improvement. Give the tC too much throttle rounding that on-ramp and its Bridgestone Potenzas break loose in a pavement-gripping struggle that they'll ultimately lose. Regain control, hammer it around the next twist and feel the body roll like a ship at sea.
To help rid the tC of these handling habits and enhance its cornering prowess, we signed on Hotchkis Tuning and The Progress Group. A Hotchkis Tuning front strut tower brace stiffens the chassis while the company's front and rear anti-roll bars virtually eliminate body roll. Progress Group coil-overs lower the ride height and increase the spring and damping rates. Hotchkis Tuning rear camber links allow rear camber adjustment. Eventually, we'd like to see a set of camber plates on the front of the tC, but as of our press time, none were available.
The coil-overs' spring rates are 250 lb/in. up front and 350 lb/in. out back. Those are 80-percent and 46-percent increases overstock, respectively.
PROGRESS GROUP COIL-OVERS
Progress coil-overs feature threaded struts with on-car height adjustability. Height can be adjusted between 1 and 3 inches lower than stock. Compression and rebound and damping rates are preset internally. The bodies of the coil-overs are shortened to achieve added compression height and are nickel-plated to reduce corrosion.
In the front, the stock strut's upper mount must be removed and swapped onto the coil-overs before installation. Provisions for the ABS wire and the brake line are provided and both use the OEM hardware.
Out back, the shocks' upper mount nuts are located behind the rear seats. Some rear interior panels will need to be removed to access them. The spare tire cover and trunk carpeting must be unclipped and pulled out of the way, and the dust cover along with the upper mounting plate from the rear damper assembly must be transferred to the coil-over. The threaded collar can then be adjusted to the desired ride height.
Progress Group set up Project tC with a 1.38-inch total drop. This ride height creates equal cross weights that provide symmetrical handling in both directions.
Installing coil-overs and the strut tower brace at the same time will save some labor. The Hotchkis Tuning strut brace bracketsbolt directly to the front strut upper mounting plates, which need to be removed anyway when installing the coil-overs. | 
Hotchkis Tuning recommends zip-tying the mass air sensor wires out of the way when using its upper strut tower brace incombination with the stock intake pipe. However, our car came with this AEM intake, which affords plenty of room. | 
Everything on the tC is a tight fit. The strut tower brace is no exception. To install the brace, slide it behind the brake fluidreservoir first, then under the cowl, starting from the passenger side. |
Two plastic clips on each side of the cowl must be removed in order to gain access to the strut's rearmost upper mounting nuts.Even with cowl pried out of the way, clearances are still tight and only a wrench will fit. | 
Unbolt the brake line bracket and unclip the ABS wire from the strut. The two bolts connecting the strut to the upper control armmust be removed, allowing the arm to drop. Note: Although front camber is nonadjustable, a slight amount of play may be found hereby pulling or pushing on the upright before these two bolts are tightened. | 
The stock upper mount must be reinstalled on the Progress coil-over. Everything else is included from Progress, including the nutthat holds it in place. |
Like the front, the rear coil-overs use the mounting plates from the old shocks. Slide it over the coil-over and secure it withthe supplied nut. | 
The original rear dust covers won't slide over the coil-overs unless they're trimmed. Cut them in half and use only the thin,ring-shaped portion. | 
Before installing the rear coil-overs, rotate their upper mounting plates in proper orientation with their lower mounts. The uppermounting plates only attach to the car one way and can be difficult to turn once the coil-overs are compressed. |