Sun May 30, 2010 10:08 pm
KACZU | B16 2007 Nissan Sentra 2.0S | DC |
GOING FROM BORING TO.... DAMN I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BUTTER
History:
So I bought my used (new to me 2007 Sentra) after my car was stolen. Let's call her Edna (yes I name my cars...they have personalities you know) she was a little lethargic, but she had some get up and go, a big butt, and of course she was a manual (a 2003 2.0L Neon with some slight modifications). I loved that car. It was low to the ground and if you didn't know, the suspension on those cars are actually pretty good and they are light. Anyway, enter my new car I've named Chris. Just like Edna he's a little lethargic for my tastes, but he's got an edge that I like. He'll probably end up with a new name after my modifications, but for right now he's Chris. The any man of Sentra's
.
Type of Modifications:
My modifications for all of my cars have usually been slight of hand modifications. That is on the outside they look stock for the most part. Nothing will have 20" rims or spoilers that extend above the roof line. Sorry for those more extreme than I. That being said, Chris will have a little bit more than previous. The goal here is to maintain the look, but add power, slight mods to the suspension, wheels, vision, and review the sound system. The last modification will be the seats, so you'll have to stick with me to see those. It will be the last thing I do.
Experience doing Modifications:
My modification experience usually stopped at custom radio modifications, but I know enough about cars to know what things are. However, Chris will be a learning experience for me considering I'm adding more than I have previously. So I figure as you follow me through my trials and tribulations we'll all (ok the people like me) learn together. I'm going to go over what parts I buy, where I got them from, and how it went installing them.
Modification Class: Medium with just enough knowledge to get into trouble...perfect!
Speaking of where I get stuff from. After picking up Chris, I soon figured out that 2.0S B16's get NO LOVE AT ALL. For whatever reason finding performance parts for this model unlike Spec V's, is a royal PITA. After having Edna i got used to her baggage i.e she had more after-market parts than Johnny 5. I loved it. Anyway I'm planning to go over where I get stuff from because the research even now on a 2.0S B16 seems a lot harder than it should be, which means this thread should be helpful for those individuals like me.
Moderators let me know if this is frowned upon.
Specifications of Chris:
Engine : 2.0 L MR20DE I4 140 hp (104 kW) at 5100 rpm and 193 N·m (142 ft·lbf) at 4800 rpm
Wheels: 16" x 6.5" Steel wheels with wheel covers (offset 45+)
Brakes: Supposedly ABS but I have doubts on that
Seats: Cloth
Color: Charcoal Grey Exterior / with Charcoal Grey and Light Grey Accents
Extras: No spoiler, No tinted windows, 6 Speaker Radio w/o Satellite ...and for whatever reason no floor mats.
Pictures of Chris:
Okay so this is what he looks like stock.
First Modification / Audio:
When I bought Chris I thought that he had a surprisingly good stereo. Clarity was nice, and power was well balanced with enough kick not to annoy me. Nice... since Edna required a new head unit, speakers, and an amp. So right out of the gate I was ahead. I went to Best Buy picked up Erykah Badu, Rhianna, Daft Punk (to replace the one that was stolen along with Edna), Taylor Swift, and Janelle Monae. I listened to every CD and the sound was nice. However, soon I had CD's all over the front passenger seat. It looked like I had the car for month not a week. So immediately I thought I need the same MP3 capability that Edna had. She had a Pioneer head unit with Flash Storage / iPod capability.
For Edna I went to Walmart and grabbed a 16GB flash stick and put about 1/2 of my music on it and hid the USB stick behind the dash. Overall it worked and I could play generally what I wanted. For Chris I was staring at the Aux in but I don't want wires in view to clearly show I've got an MP3 player in the car. That was not going to work since Chris doesn't have tinted windows yet. So immediately I hit up Google to figure out my options. It took some time but I stumbled onto a USA Spec Ipod controller. Nice I thought. Then I went to the compatibility list. That 6 Speaker stereo w/o Satellite won't give me Text display of the MP3's being played. But I noticed that the Satellite option, which Chris didn't have did. So I went to courtesyparts to look up the model that I needed. Cool there's the stereo.....wait a minute $1000 to replace. Um.....no. So I went to ebay and picked up a salvaged unit for about $140. Then hit up Crutchfield for the USA Spec part PA-15-NIS which cost about $120.
So once the parts came in I replaced the head unit with the satellite model. I removed the cover over the stick shift-- it pops out, the AC controls, it pops out too and the bracket supporting the stereo. It has two screws at the bottom and two at the top. I took out the old, replaced it with the "new" one along with the wiring harness for the USA Spec controller. There is one port, which probably goes for the XM controller that I left unplugged because I didn't have that. I ran the cord going to ipod controller hanging down at the bottom. Then I went to Walmart to buy my new iPod.
As a side note, I hate Ipods but it's the only thing that has enough storage for me. Anyway, I came back and took out the center console. There's a mat in the front and one under the arm rest. If you remove both of those you'll see the screws. Remove those and you're in business. I then ran the cord down the center and brought the center console in the house. I cut the mat in the armrest first to match the width of the plug then used that as a template to cut the bottom of the arm rest assembly. You'll need nothing more than a drill and a razor blade / exacto knife. I then replaced the arm rest and ran the cord inside to connect with the unit. I secured the actual controller within the arm rest with double sided tape. So what you get after everything is this...
...and a stereo that looks exactly the same except for text that says category and channel under the tune and scan buttons.
So about 2 hours of work gave me the same great sounding stereo with the trip, clock, DTE options intact with 160GB of MP3 storage. Overall I'm pleased. As for how it works I think the PA 15 NIS overall works OK for the most part. Sometimes it locked the iPod during initial fiddling and setup was kind of odd with the presets. However, considering I've got more storage than Edna had, and I still have the steering wheel controls intact and display of what's playing I really am satisfied.
Total Time for Mod: 2 hours
Tools: Exacto Knife / Phillips Screwdriver / Star Torx (isn't that some Ford crap)
Total Cost: about $300 + $229 for the iPod
Next up.... the damn windows!
History:
So I bought my used (new to me 2007 Sentra) after my car was stolen. Let's call her Edna (yes I name my cars...they have personalities you know) she was a little lethargic, but she had some get up and go, a big butt, and of course she was a manual (a 2003 2.0L Neon with some slight modifications). I loved that car. It was low to the ground and if you didn't know, the suspension on those cars are actually pretty good and they are light. Anyway, enter my new car I've named Chris. Just like Edna he's a little lethargic for my tastes, but he's got an edge that I like. He'll probably end up with a new name after my modifications, but for right now he's Chris. The any man of Sentra's
. Type of Modifications:
My modifications for all of my cars have usually been slight of hand modifications. That is on the outside they look stock for the most part. Nothing will have 20" rims or spoilers that extend above the roof line. Sorry for those more extreme than I. That being said, Chris will have a little bit more than previous. The goal here is to maintain the look, but add power, slight mods to the suspension, wheels, vision, and review the sound system. The last modification will be the seats, so you'll have to stick with me to see those. It will be the last thing I do.
Experience doing Modifications:
My modification experience usually stopped at custom radio modifications, but I know enough about cars to know what things are. However, Chris will be a learning experience for me considering I'm adding more than I have previously. So I figure as you follow me through my trials and tribulations we'll all (ok the people like me) learn together. I'm going to go over what parts I buy, where I got them from, and how it went installing them.
Modification Class: Medium with just enough knowledge to get into trouble...perfect!
Speaking of where I get stuff from. After picking up Chris, I soon figured out that 2.0S B16's get NO LOVE AT ALL. For whatever reason finding performance parts for this model unlike Spec V's, is a royal PITA. After having Edna i got used to her baggage i.e she had more after-market parts than Johnny 5. I loved it. Anyway I'm planning to go over where I get stuff from because the research even now on a 2.0S B16 seems a lot harder than it should be, which means this thread should be helpful for those individuals like me.
Moderators let me know if this is frowned upon.
Specifications of Chris:
Engine : 2.0 L MR20DE I4 140 hp (104 kW) at 5100 rpm and 193 N·m (142 ft·lbf) at 4800 rpm
Wheels: 16" x 6.5" Steel wheels with wheel covers (offset 45+)
Brakes: Supposedly ABS but I have doubts on that
Seats: Cloth
Color: Charcoal Grey Exterior / with Charcoal Grey and Light Grey Accents
Extras: No spoiler, No tinted windows, 6 Speaker Radio w/o Satellite ...and for whatever reason no floor mats.
Pictures of Chris:
Okay so this is what he looks like stock.
First Modification / Audio:
When I bought Chris I thought that he had a surprisingly good stereo. Clarity was nice, and power was well balanced with enough kick not to annoy me. Nice... since Edna required a new head unit, speakers, and an amp. So right out of the gate I was ahead. I went to Best Buy picked up Erykah Badu, Rhianna, Daft Punk (to replace the one that was stolen along with Edna), Taylor Swift, and Janelle Monae. I listened to every CD and the sound was nice. However, soon I had CD's all over the front passenger seat. It looked like I had the car for month not a week. So immediately I thought I need the same MP3 capability that Edna had. She had a Pioneer head unit with Flash Storage / iPod capability.
For Edna I went to Walmart and grabbed a 16GB flash stick and put about 1/2 of my music on it and hid the USB stick behind the dash. Overall it worked and I could play generally what I wanted. For Chris I was staring at the Aux in but I don't want wires in view to clearly show I've got an MP3 player in the car. That was not going to work since Chris doesn't have tinted windows yet. So immediately I hit up Google to figure out my options. It took some time but I stumbled onto a USA Spec Ipod controller. Nice I thought. Then I went to the compatibility list. That 6 Speaker stereo w/o Satellite won't give me Text display of the MP3's being played. But I noticed that the Satellite option, which Chris didn't have did. So I went to courtesyparts to look up the model that I needed. Cool there's the stereo.....wait a minute $1000 to replace. Um.....no. So I went to ebay and picked up a salvaged unit for about $140. Then hit up Crutchfield for the USA Spec part PA-15-NIS which cost about $120.
So once the parts came in I replaced the head unit with the satellite model. I removed the cover over the stick shift-- it pops out, the AC controls, it pops out too and the bracket supporting the stereo. It has two screws at the bottom and two at the top. I took out the old, replaced it with the "new" one along with the wiring harness for the USA Spec controller. There is one port, which probably goes for the XM controller that I left unplugged because I didn't have that. I ran the cord going to ipod controller hanging down at the bottom. Then I went to Walmart to buy my new iPod.
As a side note, I hate Ipods but it's the only thing that has enough storage for me. Anyway, I came back and took out the center console. There's a mat in the front and one under the arm rest. If you remove both of those you'll see the screws. Remove those and you're in business. I then ran the cord down the center and brought the center console in the house. I cut the mat in the armrest first to match the width of the plug then used that as a template to cut the bottom of the arm rest assembly. You'll need nothing more than a drill and a razor blade / exacto knife. I then replaced the arm rest and ran the cord inside to connect with the unit. I secured the actual controller within the arm rest with double sided tape. So what you get after everything is this...
...and a stereo that looks exactly the same except for text that says category and channel under the tune and scan buttons.
So about 2 hours of work gave me the same great sounding stereo with the trip, clock, DTE options intact with 160GB of MP3 storage. Overall I'm pleased. As for how it works I think the PA 15 NIS overall works OK for the most part. Sometimes it locked the iPod during initial fiddling and setup was kind of odd with the presets. However, considering I've got more storage than Edna had, and I still have the steering wheel controls intact and display of what's playing I really am satisfied.
Total Time for Mod: 2 hours
Tools: Exacto Knife / Phillips Screwdriver / Star Torx (isn't that some Ford crap)
Total Cost: about $300 + $229 for the iPod
Next up.... the damn windows!
Last edited by kaczu on Mon May 31, 2010 1:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
BlackoutV � Sat Oct 24, 2009 8:01 pm � you know why god made womens feet smaller than mens? so they could stand closer to the sink when they do the dishes. THATS why bitch. LOL
pull up a chair and stay a while. 
