Finally, After A Month, Got My Cube Pics Up and Running . . .
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beautiful pics! congrats on the CUbe! i'm diggin the wheels! what are the specs on the tires?
PS: WILSON ROCKS!
PS: WILSON ROCKS!
Wheels are anthracite Borbets from tire rack. +40 offset, 4X114.3, 17 x 7. Tires are Sumitomo's, I forget which model, but they were one of the highest rated on tirerack from their own comparison test. Very sticky compared to stock and quiet. Tire size is 215/45R17. During install I looked at all the suspension members and I could easily go to 225/45R17 and have no problems with clearance. Took the wheels and tires to a local Big-O tire and they charged me $10 per wheel to remove the TPSM sensors from the OEM wheels and mount and balance the new wheels with the TPSM's. Pretty good deal for $40, considering all the labor involved.
Total package price for wheels and tires including shipping from TireRack was a very affordable $1050. Much better than the rip-off price from the dealer for their gunmetal 16". I installed the side rocker panel myself. Bought the OEM part for $300 shipped on ebay. Dealer wanted $400 to install, because it involves drilling 7 holes into the lower sheetmetal per side, however if you follow the instructions and take your time is it pretty easy. Just a bit nerve racking at first because your drilling into the metal.
The Cube handles Way better with the wider tires and better compound. Only bad thing is it reduced fuel economy by about 4mpg both city and highway. The OEM tires are for fuel economy but handling is pretty miserable. Max fuel economy on the highway is 28-29mpg now.
Total package price for wheels and tires including shipping from TireRack was a very affordable $1050. Much better than the rip-off price from the dealer for their gunmetal 16". I installed the side rocker panel myself. Bought the OEM part for $300 shipped on ebay. Dealer wanted $400 to install, because it involves drilling 7 holes into the lower sheetmetal per side, however if you follow the instructions and take your time is it pretty easy. Just a bit nerve racking at first because your drilling into the metal.
The Cube handles Way better with the wider tires and better compound. Only bad thing is it reduced fuel economy by about 4mpg both city and highway. The OEM tires are for fuel economy but handling is pretty miserable. Max fuel economy on the highway is 28-29mpg now.
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676 Posts
nicely done on the tires. i may go up to your specs. the 205/40's i have are just too noisy. like you, i saw a pretty big drop in mpg. i REALLY have to watch myself to get close to 30mpg. great job on saving bucks from the stealership...i mean dealership. don't you feel better that you installed 'em yourself too? keep up the nice work!
Yeah, dealer labor rates are ridiculous. The first side skirt/lower trim took me 2 hours of measuring and taping and drilling to make sure it was correct, but the second one only took 20 min. It's like building Ikea furniture. If you are building the same bookcase, once you build the first one then it is pretty basic from that point on.
215/45R17's make the cube much more confident at highway speeds. I remember test driving a 1.8 SL with the factory 16's on the freeway before I bought mine and with crosswinds and speeds above 75mph it made the cube feel like it would tip over. I now regularly do 85+ in complete confidence. The irony is, is that the cube feels more responsive when you floor it on the highway between 75-85mph then it does off the line.
215/45R17's make the cube much more confident at highway speeds. I remember test driving a 1.8 SL with the factory 16's on the freeway before I bought mine and with crosswinds and speeds above 75mph it made the cube feel like it would tip over. I now regularly do 85+ in complete confidence. The irony is, is that the cube feels more responsive when you floor it on the highway between 75-85mph then it does off the line.
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196 Posts
Love the Cube! Lots of great detailed pictures! 
Those wheels are definitely a nice addition to it!
Those wheels are definitely a nice addition to it!
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676 Posts
Wow! You have/had a really nice stable of cars! A real performance bunch!
I loved my Tundra. Off the line, it was faster than the STI or 370 up to about 55-60 in real world driving, however after that the others beat it. I paid for all that performance with fuel economy in the range of 12-13mpg combined city/hwy. The large V8 had great torque, but fuel economy with the V8 and the large 20" wheels pretty much killed any efficiency. Plus, $4.50/gallon gas didn't help back then.
The 370 is averaging about 21-22 mpg combined. The STI and the speed3 were about 18-19 mpg stock and when chipped the STI dropped to about 15-16 with aggressive driving. Turbos are great for higher rpm torque and that rush, but fuel economy is always miserable.
The 370 is averaging about 21-22 mpg combined. The STI and the speed3 were about 18-19 mpg stock and when chipped the STI dropped to about 15-16 with aggressive driving. Turbos are great for higher rpm torque and that rush, but fuel economy is always miserable.
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196 Posts
You can check out how to post images from this link from the "Pictures And Videos" section-AZRP said:
http://www.nissancubelife.com/forum/index.php?topic=11.0
HTH!
-Gren
love that grille on your cube 8) excellent pics, the pearl white really is gorgeous.
my boyfriend has an 08 STI...also in white! it's his baby pity you had to sell yours, though. here are some pics of his (links so i don't steal your thunder, lol):
http://dook.us/~coolguy/sti1.jpg
http://dook.us/~coolguy/sti2.jpg
http://dook.us/~coolguy/sti3.jpg
my boyfriend has an 08 STI...also in white! it's his baby
pity you had to sell yours, though. here are some pics of his (links so i don't steal your thunder, lol):http://dook.us/~coolguy/sti1.jpg
http://dook.us/~coolguy/sti2.jpg
http://dook.us/~coolguy/sti3.jpg
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6 Posts
Nice looking cube, would look even better dropped a little..
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224 Posts
now thats a good lookin cube to start off with!
i've been mulling over ordering the checkered grill for a couple days now. mainly holding back because its chrome. but it doesn't stand out as much as i thought it would. not too flashy. i like that.
nice choice of wheels as well bud
i've been mulling over ordering the checkered grill for a couple days now. mainly holding back because its chrome. but it doesn't stand out as much as i thought it would. not too flashy. i like that.
nice choice of wheels as well bud
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