[Daaavey]

Check out my stylin' new MB Twist wheels! I think this proves once and for all that you DON'T need to go up to 17s (or 18s) to make your xB stand out! Even though these are only 15s, I still think they look SWEET on my car(!), with the added benefit that I don't have to pay a premium for low profile tires that also rob ride comfort! The design of the wheels even seems to complement the Scion logo!

These are followed by some great photos I have taken of my xB over the past couple of years. (I also included 2 photos of myself and Tom Hanks standing in front of the xB that I sold him back when I worked for Scion of Hollywood and Santa Monica in 2004, which he later converted into an electric vehicle capable of 0-60MPH in 5.5 seconds, and enough battery power to drive about 150 miles before needing a re-charge!)

Here is my xB with 15" MB Twist wheels installed! These are sold exclusively by Discount Tire.

The MB Twist wheel has a machined face, and a gunmetal finish in the recessed areas. Tight!

I paired these new MB Twist wheels with a brand new set of new Hankook Optimo H727 185/60R15 (Factory original size) All-Season tires, which come with a 100,000 mile warranty including road hazard protection (from the manufacturer), and are currently the highest user-rated tire in their size right now on TireRack.com (User rating is 8.3 out of 10) They are also very affordable tire! TireRack sells them for $67 a tire, and Discount sells them for $75 a tire. There is also a $40 mail-in rebate from the manufacturer if you buy 4 tires before November 29th!

Here's another shot of the wheels on my xB.

Another close-up of the wheel.

These wheels are sick! - Forestville, CA

I took this 1 week after I bought my 2004 Scion xB, while on my way to L.A. - San Luis Obispo, CA

Parked next to some snow in the Angeles Forest - Los Angeles, CA

Parked along the Coast Highway - Jenner, CA

Parked at Goat Rock - Jenner, CA

Goat Rock - Jenner, CA

Tom Hanks and I, standing in front of his soon-to-be electric xB - Santa Monica, CA

Tom Hanks behind the wheel of his soon-to-be electric xB - Santa Monica, CA

Driving in the snow - Laytonville, CA

Parked along the Coast Highway at sunset - Westport, CA

S.O.B. decides to turn right at a red light from the center lane (in a big white van) while I am stopped at the light in the right lane. - Fort Bragg, CA

The impact ripped off my front bumper (which I tied back on so I could drive home), ripped off the front grille, smashed the fender, and destroyed the wheel cover. $3000. Ka-CHING! (He was later found to be 100% liable for the accident by the insurance investigators, after he tried to say it was somehow MY fault! My car wasn't even MOVING during the accident!)

Ta-Da!!! 2 weeks later, as good as new!

My xB has a grip mount installed on the passenger side for watching movies on my iPod Touch! The iPod is wired into the factory radio into Disk slot 7. Hopefully, this will soon be replaced with a Pioneer AVH P4200DVD...

Watching Dexter on my iPod Touch in my Scion.

More Dexter... (LOVE that show!)

My xB has aftermarket cruise control. Works great!

Another shot of the cruise control knob.

I don't leave home without my Garmin GPS and my radar detector!

The flexible friction-mount I bought for my Garmin works AWESOME! Doesn't slide around at all, and puts the map screen right in front of me without blocking the view out my windshield at all!

Close up of my Garmin Nüvi 885T

Here's a close-up of my velcro-mounted Escort Passport 8500 radar detector. Does the job!

 

[sooperswagg]

i can dig bro! good stuff! you going to lower that bad boy? and i dig on those rims that hanks got!

 

[Daaavey]

i can dig bro! good stuff! you going to lower that bad boy? and i dig on those rims that hanks got![/IMG]

NO lowering! IMO, The stock xB looks PLENTY low enough already! (I'm a firm believer that you can make things look great WITHOUT sacrificing practicality!)

My next intended upgrades are (as soon as I can afford them):

Pioneer AVH P4200DVD Multimedia/Bluetooth/iPod A/V player/receiver

HID (6000K) Projector Headlights - Black

LED Tailights - Black

I wanted a sunroof too, but my car is getting too high in miles (presently 114,000) for me to consider such a costly upgrade at this point. I need to save my cash for whatever mechanical repairs will be needed in order to keep her running as long as I can!

As for Hanks' xB, he actually didn't end up buying the demo wheels we had on his car in the photo, but you are right, they did look nice! I'm not sure what wheels he finally ended up with (we delivered the car with basic factory wheels), but I'm sure he went with something ultra lightweight to extend his range. (He wanted the car as basic as possible because he had plans to gut it and convert it from a 5-Speed Gas powered vehicle into a direct drive (no gears) fully electric, zero gas, zero emmisions vehicle! Price tag: Over $100,000) The company that did the electric conversion was AC Propulsion, and they did a SWEET job! They put in 8,000 Lithium-Ion laptop batteries to power the vehicle, which provides up to 150 miles range, and allow the car's electric drivetrain to go up to 100mph (13,000RPMs)! The power system in the car can also provide bi-directional power... If the electricty goes out at Tom Hanks' house, the power system in the car will automatically and instantly reverse the power flow (when it's plugged in) and provide enough power for Hanks' entire house for a couple hours until the power comes back on! Think of it as a really big UPS System!

 

[bbszero]

nice pics. If I had Hank's money, i would have went the opposite direction though, with the biggest gas burning engine 100 grand would get me!!!

 

[PCH]

Lower it. You don't sacrifice anything with a very mild drop (H-Tech or TRD springs) and gain a lot in handling and a bit in looks. But enjoy your xB either way

If I had Hank's money, i would have went the opposite direction though, with the biggest gas burning engine 100 grand would get me!!!

x2......

 

[Daaavey]

nice pics. If I had Hank's money, i would have went the opposite direction though, with the biggest gas burning engine 100 grand would get me!!!

That's the typical American thing to do when you have money, and that's what's so great about Tom Hanks! He HAS the money, and yet, he still puts the environment, international responsibility, and humility first!

Besides, one test drive of his 0-60MPH in 5 seconds, fully electric Scion xB, and you'd fall in love! (That's faster than a Mustang 5.0) It only costs him about $4 in electricity to charge his car enough to drive 150 miles btw! I want one!

Lower it. You don't sacrifice anything with a very mild drop (H-Tech or TRD springs) and gain a lot in handling and a bit in looks. But enjoy your xB either way

Naw, I have to take this bad boy off-road (and through a river) from time to time to get to my brother's house (he lives way out in the boonies, off the grid). It's already plenty scary enough at my car's present height when the water surges over my hood as I'm driving through the river! Also, I have to drive very carefully after the river so those boulders I have to drive over don't hit the underside of my car (or the front fairings).

 

[easternshorebox06]

very nice rim choice! I believe they remind me of a porsche rim I've seen recently. I wish I could do electric conversion with my xb. I drive 95 miles round trip to work each day, that would be perfect!

 

[bbszero]

If the water surges over your hood, is it not getting inside the cabin too?

 

[Daaavey]

If the water surges over your hood, is it not getting inside the cabin too?

It's only over the hood for a couple seconds (the river is about 20'-30' across), and no, the water doesn't seem to come into the cabin. Those door seals work better than you'd expect! It's deepest in the middle of the river (that's where the water goes over my hood), so I try to get up a little bit of speed as I cross, before I hit that deep spot so that the momentum will carry me forward. You don't want to go too fast though, or you'll splash the water everywhere and create a surge of water which will only make things worse. The last thing you want is to stall in the middle! (Which would certainly happen if you stayed in the middle for more than a few seconds, with your tailpipe submerged)

Not for the faint of heart! My brother drives a big monster truck with hydraulic suspension so he can raise it up even further to cross the river. He always criticizes how low my car is!

If you look at the side-view photo above of my car after the accident, you can see a bunch of dirt stuck on the side of my car. That was from driving through the river, and it shows how deeply submerged my car was as I crossed the river! It's the surge of water (the wave) that my car creates as I cross the river that causes it to go over the hood. Even without the surge, it's still pretty deep! Those door seals do their job very well!