Pics! New wheels, tires, dampers, subwoofer, tint, antenna

[llaumann]

Many thanks to Nader and all you guys in the Tein coilover thread and the wheels thread for helping me get my LEAF to this point. It is a tradeoff between weight and efficiency. I have had many compliments on the LEAF. My choices were :

Enkei RP03 18"x7.5 wheels from Discount Tire (19.2 lbs)
General G-MAX AS-03 225/45/18 tires from Discount Tire (23 lbs) - $2165 for wheels and tires
1" SPACERS in the REAR + 10 wheel studs + lug nuts
1/2" SPACERS in the FRONT + 10 wheel studs + lug nuts

Tein "Street Basis" dampers bought on Nengun.com - $1522
Damper installation and alignment - $384
Window tint - $450
Removed front license plate, paint and other touch ups - $775
JL Audio amp and MicroSub subwoofer - $796
Teflon sealant and interior detail - $250
Sharkfin antenna (not shown) - $81
Total $6423

I appear to have taken about a 5% hit on efficiency (4.2 to 4.0 m/kwh) so far but we will see what happens when I stop racing it around...

--Lynn

Photos at
https://www.facebook.com/lynn.laumann/media_set?set=a.10204226224669270&type=3

 

[TonyWilliams]

What's the offset on those wheels?

 

[llaumann]

In Mexico. My license plate reads, "Grounded".

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Looks sharp. Tastefully done... although I'm still anxiously awaiting the Leaf that bounces up and down on its wheels, or stands up on three wheels.

 

[Herm]

Looks very nice.. efficiency is not that important as long as you can get to where you are going

 

[DTB]

Looks good. I assume the front and back wheels are the same but they seem to be staggered. Maybe there are spacers back there?

 

[eHelmholtz]

Nicely done!

 

[Ready2plugin]

Can you give the details on the Amp and Sub that you purchased? Car looks great!!

 

[llaumann]

Thanks for the compliments, I appreciate that. Here are the audio specs:

JL AUDIO XD300/1: Monoblock Class D Subwoofer Amplifier, 300 W - $279

JL AUDIO CP108LG-W3v3: Single 8W3v3 MicroSub, Ported - $249

 

[llaumann]

The offset is 48mm on those wheels Tony. The info is here -> https://www.1010tires.com/wheel.asp?wheelmodel=RPO3&wheelbrand=Enkei

 

[DaveEV]

Something must be affecting the offset in the rear because stock the rear wheels are tucked in more than the fronts where in your pic it appears that the rears are flush while the fronts are almost flush.

Car looks great - how do you find the ride on the oh-so-smooth San Diego roads (especially all the cracked concrete you have there in La Jolla)...

 

[llaumann]

The new Sharkfin Antenna. What do you think?

 

[racerkit]

"I appear to have taken about a 5% hit on efficiency (4.2 to 4.0 m/kwh) so far but we will see what happens when I stop racing it around..."

I like it. You wheel size also increase by 4.4%, you miles travel vs. actual is lower also. No bad on efficiency lost.

 

[llaumann]

Drees,

thank you for your input on the wheel and suspension forums and such. I have been lurking for weeks, and scheming about my LEAF mods and I finally pulled the trigger thanks to all the great advice.

The body shop put 1" spacers in the rear. Sorry I am not exactly clear about the difference between offsets and spacers, but according to an email from the body shop, they put 1" spacers in the rear.

Secondly, I get your drift, I find the ride pretty jarring on our cracked concrete roads. I caught air the other day merging onto the 52 East at about 70 mph coming downhill from La Jolla. And potholes are devastating. The stock suspension was much smoother, but with the Tein coilovers ... the cushy ride is pretty much over. However, I find the handling to be excellent, and I am just starting to get an idea of what it can do. I would like to find a way to make the ride a little cushier, but if that cannot be done with some adjustments, then so be it.

(edit) In Late 2012 I lowered the car more and the ride is much smoother. (edit)

I raced around in my beloved 1991 MR2 Turbo for the last 20 years (300K mi) so I am accustomed to sportiness. The LEAF was my replacement car.

 

[HXGuy]

That looks really good! Wheels can make such a difference to how a car looks.

Anyone know what the stock wheels + tires weigh?

 

[HXGuy]

Oh nevermind, found the information online.

The stock wheels weight 21lbs each and the stock tires weigh 18lbs each for a total of 39 lbs while the new setup comes in at 42 lbs. Not a big difference, I wouldn't think it affects range.

 

[llaumann]

You could really go lightweight if you got some 17" Enkei wheels and some narrow General G-MAX AS-03 tires.

You can look up the wheel weights on Enkei.com and the tire weights on TireRack.com.

 

[TRONZ]

Very well done! Thank you for posting up the pics. I was a little freaked out when you said +48 offset all around cuz there is no way you could get a 7.5 rim that flush in the rear with that spec. Now the 1" spacer makes a lot of sense. You are running an effective offset of +23mm in the rear. Food for thought in the low offset, concave spoke camp. Congratulations the ride is looking sharp!

 

[Drivesolo]

Looks good! Slightly tuner-esqe, or as much as a Leaf can be. Was going from a MR to an FF was an easy transition for you? Going FR to FF for a daily driver was (and still is) a bit rough for me.

 

[TRONZ]

Sorta looks like you could up the spacer in the front by 3/8 or 1/2 inch. Let us know if you get any frosting of the bumper paint behind the rear wheel. Might want to have some protective film added before the paint chips start showing up there. She's too pretty for that hassle.