Updated accessories on my Black RTS

I wanted to post some updated pics of the accessories on my RL since I had some free time. I read about the Aires Nerf Bars here and saw KingALW's pics of his Black RL and knew that I had to have them. I purchased them from www.truckxccessory.com for $229. It was an easy install--a total of 1.5 hours. The stainless steel bars really look sharp and break up the Black color of my RL.

I also wanted to add a little flair to the exhaust with little to no money so I picked up a stainless steel exhaust tip at Adavace Auto Parts for $8. It's manufactured by 3A Racing, oval with rounded edge with a slant. I used the 2" tip and had to modify it to fit my RL. There's an inner clamp which I took apart and used the bottom of the clamp as a spacer since it has the threads for the screws. I also had to drill another hole at the bottom/rear of the exhaust tip so that the spacer is hidden under the OEM exhaust tip. The last thing was to push the exhaust tip as far as it would go then attach it with 2 screws underneath the tip. I think the minor modification to the exhaust tip was worth it and sure does look sharp...whatcha think?

I wanted a full-size spare tire so I picked up the following parts: Michelin LTX M/S tire from www.tirerack.com for $141, used OEM rim on eBay for $56, and tire sensor from www.hondaautomotiveparts.com for $17.42. I first stopped by Jensen Tire to get a quote which was around $20, but they couldn't guarantee the tire sensor would work since they didn't have any tools to torque it under 18ft/lb (3ft/lb required) and said they'd do it with their fingers. Yeah...swell! I then decided to bring to my dealership which they put together in no time for $28. So I now have a full-size spare in case I need it.

I originally slapped on my Sirius antenna on the top/front part of the roof and even used the rubber strip to cover the antenna wire which was quite visible from the front. I thought it looked good at first, but had second thoughts immediately after I finished. I finally made some time to move it to the top/rear part of the roof. I had to remove the part which houses the rear brake light on the roof as well as the right-rearseat plastic pillar cover (below the curtain air bag). I taped the antenna wire to the tip of a hangar and shoved it into the hole where the wiring connects to the brake light. Then I took another hangar (with hook tip) and shoved it in the hole where the right-rearseat pillar is located, and after several attempts, I finally hooked the antenna wire and pulled it through the right-rearseat pillar. I routed the rest of the antenna wire down the door jab from the rear to the front passenger side, then back behind the dashboard. I tucked the rest of the antenna wire under the center dashboard console at the bottom and finally connects to my XTR1 Stream Jockey PNP system. You can barely see the magnetic Sirius antenna on the roof in one of the RL pics showing the Nerf Bars. The pic of my Sirius PNP is outdated since I now have it plugged into the adapter on the back of the center console. I'm still using the built-in FM transmitter but may go to a hardwire install in the future.

I finally got my personalized plates but didn't put anything on it related to my RL. I've used Ruff One for the past 10 years on my Illinois plates and stuck with it for my Nebraska plates. Now that we have two Honda's in the garage, my wife wanted her own personalized plates and the obvious choice was Ruff Two...go figure I can't forget to mention the new chrome ROC sticker in the rear window. It really looks sharp and my wife wanted the white one on her Civic, which I applied without question.

My birthday is just 3 days away and I'm curious to see what my wife will get me (or let me get for myself). She knows I have a RL accessory fund which I feed now and then which is why it takes awhile before I make any additions... so we'll see what happens.

-SixOpRidge