Ordering my '05 xB this week.
 

I am going to the dealership on Wednesday or Thursday to order my xB.... According to the dealer, the turnaround on an order is a month to a month and a half.


2005 Scion xB
-Black Sand Pearl
-5 speed
-Fog Lights
-TRD Short shift kit
-Scion security system
-Carbon Fiber dash trim
-stock wheels (steelies with hubcaps)

If the Scion website financing info is correct, then after my $5,000 down, I will have monthly payments of just under $200. To insure my xB, I would take the liability coverage off of my '86 Grand Prix, and get full coverage on the box, which would only add $171 every six months.

I am also wondering if anyone else has had any issues with the TRD short shifter, and if so, what are they...?

I spoke to the dealership yesterday, and the salesman is really cool.... He is currently looking into getting my hooked up with a pair of Motegi Racing wheels...

If I am able to get the hook up, I am not sure which size to go with. I have been told that the bolt pattern for the xB is 4x100, which puts my options at:

17" Motegi MRM wheels (205/40/17)
or
18" Motegi MRM wheels (215/35/18)

I have been told that 18's would look very nice on the xB, but I have also heard that there *might* be rubbing issues, and that 18's can be easliy damaged on rough roads (roads aren't too good around here). I do plan on lowering the xB, but that wouldn't be until down the road some.

A big factor is going to be the price.... I can get them only for
17's - $900 for wheels & tires, or $150/wheel
18's - $1200 for wheels & tires, or $199/wheel

as long as you get the right offset for the wheels then you should be good

17" or 18" wheel package
 

I'd suggest going with the 17s. I have 18" with 215/35 tires, and they are VERY low profile. Plus, there's a 3" gap between the tire and wheel well. I have a set of TRD springs that should lower the car about 1.25", which will help. I didn't want to go with any bigger of a drop, in order to keep the ride from being too bouncy.

Here's some finding from a tire calculator website:

185/60-15 23.7" OD 60.0 mph (stock)
215/35-18 23.9" OD 60.5 mph
225/35-18 24.2" OD 61.2 mph
205/45-17 24.3" OD 61.3 mph

As you can see, the 215/35-18 is close enough to the stock OD to not really impact the speedo reading. But, the 225/35-18 tire is about half an inch taller, and will help to reduce the 3" wheel well gap, along with some springs.

In 17", the 205/45-17 tire is a bit over half an inch taller, but I think you've got more tire choices in 17" than 18". If you're planning on doing springs anyway, I'd opt for the 17" package, because the tires will have a higher sidewall, which will give a softer ride than the 35-series tires you'd be running with 18" rims.

I think I am going to go with 17" s, also for the fact that they are $300 cheaper.. I will be ordering the Scion today between 2 and 3 pm. Thats when I hope to find out if they can get them or not. If they can, I have only seen them in one offset, which is 42mm.

Here is a link to the Motegi Project Scion xB, which has these same wheels... IMO, they look damn good. http://motegiracing.com/projects/pro...filename=scion

Well, I went and ordered my '05 xB....

- Black Sand Pearl
- 5 Speed
- Fog Lights
- TRD Short Shifter
- Scion Security
- Carbon Fiber Dash trim (this is dealer specific where I ordered it, and is different than the one offered on the website. The package I am getting is a Black & Blue weave, and it is "real carbon-fiber".... very nice interior accent.)

The dealer also spoke to his "wheel & tire" guy, and he is ordering 100 sets of Motegi Racing rims, and he is going to try to get a price on a set of 17" MRM's for me...

I should have my Scion by the first or second week in August... WOOT!

You can probably save yourself a TON of money by getting the 17" wheel package on your own. Check out "wheelmax.com" for some really good deals on 17" packages. I didn't want to wait, because the dealer had the xB I wanted on the lot, so I got taken for $1700 for an 18" non-TRD wheel package.

Since you ordered yours and haven't taken delivery yet, I'd see about getting your 17" wheels on your own, instead of thru the dealer. Unless of course they can match the internet price...!