2020 Nissan Rogue S Build "Alfalfa"

[AntonWJ]

Hello all,

I have been following this forum for a while, getting much information as I can and learning quite a bit. Thank you all for that. With this post, I am showing the build of my 2020 Nissan Rogue S nicknamed "Alfalfa". It is a slow build, parts are hard to find, but eventually will finish it. Some of the mods are already known and some might be new. Enjoy and thank you all for all the info from previous posts!

Hood Struts (from Ebay).
Easy to install, take some time and patience.





RC Suspension Lift (Full Suspension, https://www.roughcountry.com/nissan-sus ... cGzjib5Use)
It is a leveling kit, 1.5" Front, 1" Rear. It is quite a difference from before to after, don't have measurements but definitely can tell the difference when getting into the Rogue. Not a do it yourself, take it to a good mechanic, about 6hrs for installation. Needs alignment afterwards. Ride is smooth, not too harsh but definitely different from stock. Love it so far.

From RC website:


Installed:






I also have wheels and tires but will post that later!

AntonWJ

[AntonWJ]

More updates:

Sparco wheels (18x8, +35) and Sumitomo Enhance CX2 tires (255/55R18).
Both from tirerack.com. I had no rubbing issues with this setup even before the lift. I might go a bit bigger on tire size once these wear out.



My Rogue so far:

[AntonWJ]

Katzkin update:

After two years of ownership, I finally pulled the trigger and added leather/leatherette seats to my 2020 Rogue S. I went with Katzkin; great product. I opted for factory specs color match. Installation was done professionally and took two days: Installed in one day, worked the kinks under heat lamps on the second day.

[Svtrit]

I really like the lift and have considered it for mine. How did it affect mileage?

Nice modifications overall.

[casperfun]

Leather seats are savage!

When the tires wear out and since you want to go bigger, think about getting all-terrain tires.

Sparco is usually combined with all-terrains in the Crosstrek community.

I personally considered Method & Sparco but couldn’t find a size that would fit my needs with the right bolt pattern for 16 inch tires. I like more rubber and a softer ride.

Eventually, I went with Motegi MR139 rally racing wheels.

I also wished they made hood struts for my old rogue. Moreover, a lift kit is one of the easier things to install if you watch somebody on YouTube do it. I did a Russian lift kit and I’m an old fart weighing 100lbs soaking wet holding a brick.

Let’s say I had to use a ratchet set at particular points and a car jack to open up that area where I had to squeeze rear coil which gave me enough bodybuilding strength to do that part. Ok maybe use a garage mechanic!

[AntonWJ]

The lift did affect the mileage on highway use. When traveling state to state the best I get is 29miles/gallon (calculating after fill up), I used to get 30-31miles/gallon; not much of a difference but there is a difference. In the city no difference and it really varies on how lead footed you are. Overall I get a combined 25.6 miles/gallon according to the dashboard. I am good with it.

Definitely going with all terrain after my Sumitomo wear out. I am happy with these tires as an all season tires and have tested in rain and snow; good handling combined with the Rogue traction control. Unfortunately Sumitomo does not have all terrain in 255/60R18 which is the next tire size I will be getting.

Thanks for the compliments and happy to answer any questions.

[AntonWJ]

Update:

New stereo Alpine ILX-F411. It is an older model with cable connectivity for Apple car play or Android but it works great; most of all the glare from the sun is gone which was a major issue for me with the stock radio. Installation was done professionally in 4 hrs, kudos to Mesa Radio in Albuquerque NM (including reprogramming some interface modules). These are the components (as written in the estimate):

Alpine 11" (Model: ILX-F411)
Metra 2014+ Nissan 2 din kit (Model: 95-7622HG)
Metra 2007+ Nissan wiring harness (Model: 70-7552)
Metra 2007+ Nissan antenna adapter (Model: 40-Nl12)
Metra Steering wheel control interface (Model: AXSWC)
Miscellaneous

Everything works almost great (98%), which includes steering wheel controls, back up camera and phone. Screen is much bigger, no glare!

Two downsides: even though the back up camera works, the backing guiding lines no longer curve (just plain all straight lines); second issue is the clock on the gauge cluster cannot be adjusted (doesn't sync to radio), at least I don't know how to set the time through the gauge controls. If anybody know how to do this, some info is much appreciated.

Even with these tow minor downsides, I am happy with it. A completely different look and perfect for what I was looking for.

Here are the pictures of the setup: