Joined
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4 Posts
Hello! I truly appreciate the wealth of valuable information that you kind folks have provided, I've learned a lot in the past months.
I had been driving a 1998 Lexus GS300 for the past 15 years and it was finally time for a new car. Something made in this century and something that wouldn't feel like it's falling apart on rougher roads. This will be my second Honda, first being a 1991 Accord EX. I've actually never had the pleasure of owning a new car before.
I was on a waiting list for the Subaru Outback XT but after further research (plus too many JonDZ videos) I realized that the Passport was the correct move and cancelled the Outback order. It was tough since I had all the accessories/modifications picked out for the Outback and had been set on it for quite some time. I generally keep cars for +10 years and I didn't want any regrets not being able to tackle certain roads with the Outback. I was also concerned about the 4 cylinder turbo engine, having to baby the CVT transmission, and their AWD system was not as capable. The Passport was larger (taller/wider) than originally wanted but I have learned to appreciate the extra space.
In early December I made the trek up to Ukiah to pick up the last (supposedly) 2021 Touring AWD in Lunar Silver in California and drove it back down to Los Angeles. It was worth making the trip since the 2022 models were far less attractive feature wise with a higher price tag. It was unfortunate that the Touring trim was dropped in 2022. I also found out from the service department that there is no ability to install a CD player in the 2022 models. Strangely this helped made the decision even easier. Coming from a Production/DJ background having a CD player was important to me at the time. However I was delighted to discover on my drive down that a 128GB USB drive (formatted to FAT32, thanks for the tip!) worked with FLAC files. I have also tested with a 512GB USB drive (formatted to FAT32) with no issues. I think I may just save some money on the CD Player and put the ScanGauge in the open slot instead (another tip I saw on here).
This is the first time I've modified any vehicle, previously I've always kept them stock (except tinting). I was initially running 265/65R18 Wildpeaks with the Traxda 3.5" lift but could not live with the rubbing while turning (mostly near full lock). The shop trimmed/shaved as much as they could from the firewall to accommodate the tire size but there was still a tiny bit of rub afterwards. I decided to drop down a size with 265/60R18 to avoid rubbing although I lost about 1" in tire height. This smaller tire size still requires the wheel well to be trimmed/shaved. If you want to run 265/65R18 with the Traxda 3.5" lift you will have to live with a bit of rubbing after considerable trimming of the firewall or install the axle relocation kit. I highly recommend Central Tire Service 5 if you're in the Los Angeles area and looking to lift your Passport and or upgrade your wheels/tires. Their team is nice, efficient, and does great work (ask for Aldo).
![Wheel Tire Automotive parking light Vehicle Land vehicle]()
I can't wait to head back out to the Mojave and also explore parts of the Southwest after these past years cooped up. Thank you all for your contributions, I'm honored to have joined such a exclusive club! I love the Passport!
Currently Installed:
Traxda 3.5" Front / 3.0" Rear Lift
Black Rhino Chase 18" (Gun Metal)
Falken Wildpeak 265/60R18
No-Lo Design Skid Plates (Front Skid, Rear Differential, Gas Tank)
Ceramic Window Tinting: Windshield 80%, All Other Windows 45%
Xpel PPF Headlights
Lamin-X Amber Fog Light Covers
LED Interior Lights (Including Glove Box 🤦♂️)
LED Backup Lights: 7440 XPR (Diode Dynamics)
MAXLINER All Weather Mats
Photodon Screen Protector
Next Upgrades:
No-Lo Design Catalytic Converter Skid Plate + Mid-Skid Plate (Just released)
VCM Tuner II
Idlestopper
Transmission Cooler (Fingers crossed there's no noise issues)
NavTools (Once released, a rep said in ~6 months). I'm hoping to eventually integrate a Front Camera + Bird's Eye View within Honda's Infotainment system.
I had been driving a 1998 Lexus GS300 for the past 15 years and it was finally time for a new car. Something made in this century and something that wouldn't feel like it's falling apart on rougher roads. This will be my second Honda, first being a 1991 Accord EX. I've actually never had the pleasure of owning a new car before.
I was on a waiting list for the Subaru Outback XT but after further research (plus too many JonDZ videos) I realized that the Passport was the correct move and cancelled the Outback order. It was tough since I had all the accessories/modifications picked out for the Outback and had been set on it for quite some time. I generally keep cars for +10 years and I didn't want any regrets not being able to tackle certain roads with the Outback. I was also concerned about the 4 cylinder turbo engine, having to baby the CVT transmission, and their AWD system was not as capable. The Passport was larger (taller/wider) than originally wanted but I have learned to appreciate the extra space.
In early December I made the trek up to Ukiah to pick up the last (supposedly) 2021 Touring AWD in Lunar Silver in California and drove it back down to Los Angeles. It was worth making the trip since the 2022 models were far less attractive feature wise with a higher price tag. It was unfortunate that the Touring trim was dropped in 2022. I also found out from the service department that there is no ability to install a CD player in the 2022 models. Strangely this helped made the decision even easier. Coming from a Production/DJ background having a CD player was important to me at the time. However I was delighted to discover on my drive down that a 128GB USB drive (formatted to FAT32, thanks for the tip!) worked with FLAC files. I have also tested with a 512GB USB drive (formatted to FAT32) with no issues. I think I may just save some money on the CD Player and put the ScanGauge in the open slot instead (another tip I saw on here).
This is the first time I've modified any vehicle, previously I've always kept them stock (except tinting). I was initially running 265/65R18 Wildpeaks with the Traxda 3.5" lift but could not live with the rubbing while turning (mostly near full lock). The shop trimmed/shaved as much as they could from the firewall to accommodate the tire size but there was still a tiny bit of rub afterwards. I decided to drop down a size with 265/60R18 to avoid rubbing although I lost about 1" in tire height. This smaller tire size still requires the wheel well to be trimmed/shaved. If you want to run 265/65R18 with the Traxda 3.5" lift you will have to live with a bit of rubbing after considerable trimming of the firewall or install the axle relocation kit. I highly recommend Central Tire Service 5 if you're in the Los Angeles area and looking to lift your Passport and or upgrade your wheels/tires. Their team is nice, efficient, and does great work (ask for Aldo).
I can't wait to head back out to the Mojave and also explore parts of the Southwest after these past years cooped up. Thank you all for your contributions, I'm honored to have joined such a exclusive club! I love the Passport!
Currently Installed:
Traxda 3.5" Front / 3.0" Rear Lift
Black Rhino Chase 18" (Gun Metal)
Falken Wildpeak 265/60R18
No-Lo Design Skid Plates (Front Skid, Rear Differential, Gas Tank)
Ceramic Window Tinting: Windshield 80%, All Other Windows 45%
Xpel PPF Headlights
Lamin-X Amber Fog Light Covers
LED Interior Lights (Including Glove Box 🤦♂️)
LED Backup Lights: 7440 XPR (Diode Dynamics)
MAXLINER All Weather Mats
Photodon Screen Protector
Next Upgrades:
No-Lo Design Catalytic Converter Skid Plate + Mid-Skid Plate (Just released)
VCM Tuner II
Idlestopper
Transmission Cooler (Fingers crossed there's no noise issues)
NavTools (Once released, a rep said in ~6 months). I'm hoping to eventually integrate a Front Camera + Bird's Eye View within Honda's Infotainment system.
