Well, I finally stepped up and bought my first Xb today, Polar White from Verone @ Longo Scion. Wow. What an awesome buying experience... He is great.... Less than 1 hour and I was out the door... Thanks again Verone!!!

Well, here are my questions!!!

1. Are there any particular types/styles of wheels to stay away from when looking for 17/18" wheels? (Tirerack?)
2. What is a good exhaust system for FULL CAT BACK.
3. SHIFTER MODS for MANUAL TRANS
4. COLD AIR INTAKE??? NEEDED??

THANKS EVERYONE... I look forward to the next club meeting!!!

BRIAN

 

1.) While some may disagree, stay away from Rota. Nothing wrong with Tirerack, they have some quality stuff.
2.) There aren't many full catback systems for our cars. There's one in the sponsored sales by Thermal that looks good. 98% of the exhausts for this car are axle backs.
3.) TRD quickshifter, B&M, and Perrin are your short shifters of choice.
4.) Most people don't get a cold air, they go for the short ones. YMMV.

 

1. don't get white wheels. been there, done that, it sucks keeping them clean. they may look good now but oh what a pain.
2. there are many different ones out there, just stick with a good name brand. I've always been a fan of Tanabe.
3. TRD short shifter. I have it and like it ALOT. there are a couple others(B&M, RS*R) that are really nice also.
4. Injen short ram is a popular one. good HP to money ratio.

hope this helps a little. welcome to the PW club and we can't wait to see some pics.

 

1. I am trying to find out if larger wheels affect MPG. I hear contrasting information.
4. I have been hearing good things about the YDR intake. Appears identical to the injen, but costs 1/2 the money.

 

As for larger wheels and gas mileage . . .

I just turned 50,000 miles on my box last week, and I have logged every tank of gas and the mileage. The first 2,000 miles were with stock wheels and tires and gas mileage was 33.8 - 34.3. At 2,000 miles I switched to 17" wheels with a total tire and wheel weight at or slightly below the stock 15" setup (I have used two different 17" combos). Gas mileage to about 26,000 miles was 30.1 - 30.3. After 26,000 miles, mileage has increased to 30.4 - 30.8. After one tire rotation by Discount Tire, mileage went up to 32+ but the car drove poorly. I didn't give much thought to it until I noticed the increase in mileage so I checked tire pressure. It was 5psi more than I run.

I drive mostly in the Texas Hill Country so much of my driving is not on flat terrain.

I got 48,000 miles out of a set of 17" BFG Scorchers. I went through two sets of stock rear shocks, and just put on a new set of Monroes and new tires this week (Falken 512's). It is time for a new set of front struts.

For newcomers to the box, I'm planning on replacing my 2005 box with a 2007 soon and will either go with 15" of 16" wheels. On my current box, I got the automatic and had the dealer add spoiler, taillights, cruise and extended warranty (haven't used it yet). On my new one I will get an automatic (maybe the warranty) but no extras. I seldom use the cruise (100 miles a month, maybe). The spoiler is a personal preference, but all the other options can generally be had for less by going through the forums here. There are many good deals on wheels and tires here, although I find they are usually on 17" and 18' sizes.

Mike
Austin, TX

 

So if the diameter it (nearly) the same, and the weight is essentially the same, where does the difference in MPG come from? Will I notice a change if I replace the 15 steelies with aluminum wheels?

 

hello our short shifter is a great product along with everything else we sell!!!!





our intake also:





www.perrinperformance.com

 

Hey Brian--welcome to the xB Fraternity!! The white box is pretty much a clean slate--you can do what you want with it. The key is do what YOU want--there are a million people out there to tell you what THEY like--but you are the final judge. I got my wheels from www.treadepot.com because they had the Konig Unknowns that I wanted. Have fun and hope to see you at some SOCAL meets............