By: Mike Kowdley, 2004-Dec-05

SCION tC SUPERCHARGER

More people come to ScionZone.com looking for information about Scion superchargers than any other topic (except maybe for Sara Brinsfield). While at the Scion Performance challenge last week I noticed a Scion tC that had TRD's own supercharger installed. The TRD Supercharger isn't available to the public yet and the details that we have are pretty slim. Speaking with a Toyota engineer, I leared that the Supercharger will be available for retail in early 2005 (February?), and is expected to give the tC's 2.4 liter, 4-cylinder DOHC engine an additional 60 to 80 horsepower! The stock configuration is rated at 160 hp @ 5,700 RPM so this will be a pretty big percentage gain.

Don't get your Toyota dealer on the phone just yet though. The estimated price of the TRD Supercharger, along with installation, will be over $4,000. Exact pricing will probably be available soon, and everything is subject to change until TRD publishes the official specs. Even though there may be a little bit of sticker shock on this item, don't forget that a TRD product installed by your Toyota dealer will maintain your tC's factory warranty, and the supercharger itself will come with its own warranty too.

Typically this also means that if you install the supercharger yourself, you might create a warranty issue with the vehicle even though the product itself is under warranty. Also, many states will require the dealer to prove that it was the aftermarket part that caused the problem before denying warranty coverage. Check local listings for complete details. Do you know of a specific example? Visit the forums and talk about it!

I snapped some pictures of the installed supercharger, so click here to view them.