This is a very limited project in terms of what I can modify in this vehicle, since it's my wife's and she does not want me to turn her SUV into a little monster like the Jetta, hahaha.
All that I'm allowed to do is OEM stuff (honda OEM accessories are expensive!!).
The one that I like the most is the OEM sub, it is a 6" or 6.5" speaker but since it's mounted under the driver's seat you can feel the bass, hahaha.
This is the switch to activate it or disable it:
I installed a module that allows the windows to close when you press the lock button on the remote, which is a really nice thing to have.
The module also lock the doors when you place the transmission in R, D, 2 or 1 and unlocks the doors when you place the vehicle in parking.
For some reason the SUV does not have mud flaps in the front from the factory. So I added them for better looks and also to keep the pain cleaner during rainy days.
During hard driving I noticed that braking faded noticeably, so we cross drilled the rotors. since these are large they look really nice too. The fading problems are gone now.
The OEM brake pads were replaced by Bendix ceramic ones.
The OEM shock were replaced by the autoadjustable ones from Monroe (sensatrac) to improve performance, even when the vehicle handles pretty good from the factory.
Performance mod are really limited here because of my wife, hahaha. I installed a stealth replacement K&N filter. I had the idea to install performance cams or a low boost turbo kit, but I dropped the idea for now.
Other mods that I have done are:
-CIPA autodimming rear view mirror
- OEM fog lights
This is the button to activate them:
- 6000k Xenon HID kit on low beam
- 6000k Xenon HID kit on high beam (this is really sick when you turn it on, hahaha)
- Michelin 4x4 Synchrone tires, the grip in dry and wet is amazing (AA rated).
- Hard cover from the spare tire painted the same color as the vechicle
- OEM Rear cargo mat and OEM cargo mesh
- OEM rear cargo sliding cover
- Momo exhaust tail pipe
I got the steering wheel leather kit from Honda and hand sew it myself:
Alpine PKG-RSE2 DVD and 10.2" WVGA LCD screen:
The image is crystal clear and the colors are really bright:
Future mods I have in mind are:
- paint the bumpers the same color as the vehicle
This is not a mod I would have done if the quality form the steering wheel emblem would have been better, the crome just peeled off!, WTF?!. Check the middle and right part of the H:
I thought of just purchasing the emblem and replacing it, but it turns out that this thing is part of the airbag assembly, so its around 550 USD at the dealership. So I painted it, it looks horrible now, but I will sand it and then polish it so it looks smooth.
The paint I used dries in 24hrs, its a heat resistant one so its tough. I will sand it and polish it, next week I will post how it looked afterwards.
I tried to sand it but the paint came off... darn thing. I scrubed it with a microfiber until all the paint and remanent chrome came off, this is how it looks now (white). I need to figure something out because I feel its a lot of money to purchase a new airbag just because of the logo.
Got sick of the crappy OEM speakers sound, so I got these db drive sets to replace the original ones.
Here you can se what I got compared to the OEM units:
(where is the magnet on the OEM speakers?)
I had to get 4 1" spacers in order to mount them, because the hole in the door is really small and I didn't wana cut it open.
The sound quality improved a lot, the high frequencies can be heard now, unlike with the OEM units, despite the fact that I have the OEM tweeter kit also mounted in the dash.
I think a good next step to improve sound quality and reduce road noise would be to dynamat the doors. I did this to my ranger and I really liked the results.
