chphilo

Welcome and congrats. I think Nissan NV is the best looking van out there. Some think it's an SUV. Some ask, "What is that thing?" We had some teenagers walking by the van he other day commenting how cool the van was.

Welcome and congrats. Good choice on silver. When I was shopping for our van, we could've chosen any color we wanted as long as it was black (that was the only freaking color they had). Black is so difficult to keep clean.

My local mechanic who does all the maintenance work for our vehicles recommended that we save DuraTrac for winter and get summer tires (hence the reason I started looking at wheels). My wife drove about 5000 miles last year. This year, she will probably drive about 8000 miles. Do you think it's even worth getting a second set since we don't drive much? We still have stock tires in the garage, so all we need to get is a set of wheels.

I decided to get some Method wheels then find out that they are not hub centric for Nissan NVP. Most vendors don't list bore size for their wheels, but I am having hard time locating ANY hub-centric wheels. Do they make any hub-centric wheels for Nissan vans? Do people use hub-centric rings for after-market wheels? Any information will be appreciated.

There's no arguing for taste. Some like chrome. Some hate chrome. If two such persons meet, the problem is solved by simply exchanging the parts. 

Welcome and congrats from Western PA (former Hoosier). Our van is black also and most often people ask, "What is that thing?". Some people think it's a government SUV. 

Welcome to the forum. 

We've had ours for a little over a year. Love it. 

The lack of after-market stuff is annoying as is the lack of non-commercial dealer support for the van. The closest commercial dealer is about 2 hour drive away.

First winter, the van was definitely sliding (we get plenty of snow near Lake Erie) compared to AWD Sienna we had. We got some DuraTrac and it made a huge difference. 

Welcome to the forum. 'Michigan' was the term I haven't heard for a while. Lived there for over 10 years. Left the area in 1993. 

Looking great. Those white vans look so clean.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new NV.

Welcome to the forum from Western PA. Got any pictures?

Welcome and congrats from Western PA. Got any pictures?

Welcome and congrats.

The only time we park close to the entrance to any building is when we find one at the end or next to a handicap parking. They tend to have extra space. All other times, we park sufficiently away from the entrance so it's not an issue. More exercise and less headache. One advantage is that when we drive down any road without any centerline, other drivers tend to get out of our way. 

We also took out one two-seat unit in the back. Plenty of space for groceries and other stuff. We haven't had any occasion to have to take out any more seats than that.

Nice. Does your bumper interfere with the front sensors at all?

Welcome to the forum. Cool ride. I need to copy what you did to the side rail.

Welcome to the forum. If you are worried about mpg, keep the vehicle stock. Manufacturers usually squeeze out as much efficiency as possible. For instance, adding a roof rack will negatively affect the mpg. Larger tires won't help, etc. Non-ethanol gas will help, but I don't think you will save any money since it is so expensive.

Welcome to the forum.

I had difficulty finding anything for the rear. I just bought some generic floor liners and cut them to fit. I used velcro to fix them to the floor. 

You are correct. Non-commercial dealers wouldn't even touch this van. The closest commercial dealer is about 100 miles away. We take the van to a local mechanic. I buy Mobil 1 full synthetic oil and bring it in for them to use. They charge me for filters, tire rotation, and labor. 

Welcome and congrats. Good looking ride. I don't have a Rhodesian Ridgeback, but one of my neighbors does. Cool breed.

We looked at a DVD player, but tablets make more sense...No DVDs that get scratched. With Amazon and Netflix you can download movies and shows and you can use them outside of the car.

 

And it's less work than installing a DVD player.

It really depends on what you need. If tables serve you well, go with that. My kids, on the other hands, get car sick if they use tablets while the van is in motion. (Each child have an iPad). But they are perfectly fine with DVD player. We pack iPads when traveling, but they are allowed to use them only when the van is stopped. 

Welcome to the forum from Western PA. With tires, you do have to be careful not to have them stick out too much. They tend to rub on the sliding door.

The night or the next night after we bought our van, we saw another MVP in town (Java). I haven't seen it since. When I go to Erie (about 40 miles away), I occasionally see one or two. Locally there is a Nissan NV cargo van driven by people working on a house (It's a historical house and people have been working on it for a couple of years now). That's about it. NVP is still a rarity.

Welcome to the forum from Western PA. Is this your second Nissan van you are trying to purchase? You info lists 3500 with standard roof. If so, post some pictures of your current van when you get a chance. Our van is people hauler (well, 6 humans and 3 dogs, and bunch of other pets)

that is really cool if you dont mind me asking how much did that cost, and where did you get it? its not like i use the rear view mirror for anything else other than checking on what the kids are doing in the back anyway. 

I think they should've given us rear view camera that functions as rear view mirror on our NVP. Hmmm, there's a thought for a mod, haha.

We purchased the DVD player and 4 wireless headphones. The total was around $350 (Amazon). We had a local shop install it since I have very little experience installing electronic gadgets. In hindsight, we didn't need screen quite that big. Our Sienna van had 14 or 15 inch screen and we were trying to get something close in size. But the Sienna screen was very skinny and wide. I think 10-12 inches is good. But then again, kids like the screen.

All I know is that Chevy and Dodge 8 bolt rims fit the NV and your nav the best bet to stay up to date on the maps is to buy something like a garman etc. 

The bolt pattern for NV 3500 is 8x165. (which chevy van does have the same pattern). Nissan wheels are 17 inches and their wheels are 16. We do have substantially larger brake rotor. We have 14.2" rotor in the front and 14.4 in the rear. Theirs is 12.8 in the front and 13 in the rear. Ford van rotors are 12.1 and 12.1 and ProMaster have whopping 11.8 front rotor and 11 in the rear. They could fit smaller wheels because they have tiny rotors. Maybe someone with more experience can chime in, but I don't think 16 inch wheels will fit Nissan rotor. I know that Tundras have 14 inch brake rotors and the smallest wheels they could mount is 17 inch (there are only a couple of 17 that fit last time I checked).

OP, I like the idea of this thread. We have so few options on aftermarket stuff for the van.