Full 2013 Nissan LEAF Specs out

[Nubo]

Given all that, I don't "get" the fascination with 17 inch wheels.

Me either.

Until someone pointed out at MNL that the LEAF had smaller wheels than most vehicles, I hadn't even noticed, 16" wheels look fine on the LEAF IMHO.

Wheel inflation. It wasn't that long ago that 15" wheels were standard on full-size cars. Small cars had 14, 13 and even 12 inch tires.

Now people are disappointed with 18 and 19" wheels. We'll all be riding on tractor wheels soon. :roll:

 

[TomT]

Everything else being equal, yes. Also, however, higher rolling resistance...

However, weight aside, the 17" tires are 10mm wider and thus almost certain to have more aerodynamic drag

Hopefully extra width equates to extra grip.

 

[NSXTASY]

Given all that, I don't "get" the fascination with 17 inch wheels.

Wonder if the Michelin tires will be any more durable than the Bridgestone's? My Ecopia's will need replacement before too long and I've got just shy of 20,000 miles.

you can bet on it ! probably twice as much as the ecopias

 

[RegGuheert]

Given all that, I don't "get" the fascination with 17 inch wheels.

Wonder if the Michelin tires will be any more durable than the Bridgestone's? My Ecopia's will need replacement before too long and I've got just shy of 20,000 miles.

you can bet on it ! probably twice as much as the ecopias

Michelin claims "Lasts up to 16,000 miles longer".

 

[RegGuheert]

Even if the 17" wheel/tire combination had the same mass as the 16" version it is likely to have higher "rotational inertia", to use Herm's term, which is related to the angular momentum and angular velocity.

Absolutely agreed! I had considered writing that, but I was trying to address the issue of whether the 17" wheels could possibly weigh 50 lbs. extra per set.

Thanks for pointing this out!

 

[TomT]

Well, as a reference, I now have 18,000 miles on the Michelin XVM4 tires on my Leaf and they have worn only 2mm so far...

Wonder if the Michelin tires will be any more durable than the Bridgestone's?

 

[Herm]

Hopefully extra width equates to extra grip.

Why would you need the extra grip if you are driving 5mph below the speed limit?

I think the stripped S is perfect.. after all this is an 80 mile car, do you really need all the luxuries?

 

[TomT]

Oh, for handling and braking, both in normal driving and in an emergency... It's called active safety.

The speed at which you are driving is largely irrelevant to this...

Why would you need the extra grip if you are driving 5mph below the speed limit?

 

[RegGuheert]

Well, as a reference, I now have 18,000 miles on the Michelin XVM4 tires on my Leaf and they have worn only 2mm so far...

Thanks! Three questions:

1) How do you measure tire wear? Micrometer with a depth gauge?
2) How much tire can be worn away before the tires are worn out?
3) Can you test how even the wear is with your gauge? If so, how even is it?

TIA!

 

[Stoaty]

I think the stripped S is perfect.. after all this is an 80 mile car, do you really need all the luxuries?

Agreed. Depending on price differential, I might seriously consider the stripper model if I were in the market for a Leaf.

 

[RegGuheert]

Of course, won't you really want the portable to go to 32 A?

Nate

Not me! That would limit you to plugging in to only outlets wired with 8 AWG or larger. There aren't nearly as many of those out there as there are outlets wired with 10 AWG or 12 AWG.

One reason I purchased an extra EVSE upgrade is to be able to have a good-quality, portable, EVSE with an overnight charging rate. Not too slow, but also not too fast.

BTW, does the 2013 LEAF provide any way to limit the Level 2 charging rate? How about Level 1?

 

[TonyWilliams]

BTW, does the 2013 LEAF provide any way to limit the Level 2 charging rate? How about Level 1?

If you mean a way to dial in the actual amps (like Tesla), no, I didn't see that on the car. But, I also didn't check it out very closely.

Level 1 is going to be 12 amps.

Level 2 with a modified EVSE (assuming it's the same Panasonic EVSE as my Rav4) will also be 12 amps.

Plugged into a 16 amp EVSE from a modified 2011-2012 LEAF.... 16 amps.

Plugged into a 30+ amp EVSE with 16 amp charger... 16 amps.

Plugged into a 30+ amp EVSE with the optional 30 amp charger.... 30 amps.

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
Hopefully someone at Saturday's Bay Area event remembers/is able to check. I'll be at the San Jose event. I wonder if the car needs to be plugged in to check (and at the right level)...

Would be a nice feature.

 

[TonyWilliams]

^^^
Hopefully someone at Saturday's Bay Area event remembers/is able to check. I'll be at the San Jose event. I wonder if the car needs to be plugged in to check (and at the right level)...

Would be a nice feature.

I'm not sure what feature... everything I posted is the way any regular EVSE will work with any proper J1772-2009 plug.

My 40 amp Rav4 will do all the same.

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
Whoops , I meant to include:

BTW, does the 2013 LEAF provide any way to limit the Level 2 charging rate? How about Level 1?

If you mean a way to dial in the actual amps (like Tesla), no, I didn't see that on the car. But, I also didn't check it out very closely.

I am looking for a means of limiting how much is drawn, just like the Volt's L1 EVSE has a button to switch to toggle between 8 and 12 amps.

Hopefully I or someone is able to dig into that/ask about that on today in one of they Bay Area showings.

 

[RegGuheert]

Level 2 with a modified EVSE (assuming it's the same Panasonic EVSE as my Rav4) will also be 12 amps.

I agree this is the likely result, if it is even possible to upgrade. Wasn't there a limit on how many times the thing could even be used? Did Phil managed to defeat that?

In any case, I would recommend to anyone here looking to purchase a 2013 that they go ahead and purchase an EVSEUpgrade Rev 2 NOW if they want to have a portable charger in the trunk which is capable of 16 Amps. It'll cost around $1000 if you do not have a standard 2011/2012 LEAF EVSE to upgrade, but I think it is entirely possible that Nissan will immediately stop stocking the old ones and make the new ones the only convenience EVSE available as soon as the 2013 LEAFs are available.

 

[planet4ever]

I, too, would seriously consider the S. I have to admit that I am a lazy enough driver that I would miss cruise control. And I suspect the heat pump would be very nice to have (though even the S has the heated seats my 2011 doesn't). Other than those two things, I don't see much of anything in the SV over the S that I would care about.

Ray

 

[RegGuheert]

Question: Does a P205/55R16 tire have the same outer diameter as a P215/50R17? (I don't know how to calculate the outer diameter.) TIA!

 

[RegGuheert]

Question: Does a P205/55R16 tire have the same outer diameter as a P215/50R17? (I don't know how to calculate the outer diameter.) TIA!

Google is my friend!

So it appears the height of a single sidewall is the aspect ratio times the tire width so you need to add twice that to the rim diameter to get the nominal tire outside diameter.

P205/55R16 Diameter = 16 + 2 * (205 * 0.55) / 25.4 = 24.87 inches

P215/50R17 Diameter = 17 + 2 * (215 * 0.50) / 25.4 = 25.46 inches

Since circumference is a linear function of diameter, LEAFs equipped with P215/50R17 tires travel about 2.4% farther for each tire revolution as those equipped with P215/50R17 tires, equating to a higher top speed but a lower acceleration force. Also, the moment arm to the rim and to the tread, which contains the steel belts, is longer with the larger rim as well as having more tread width, meaning the moment of inertia is also higher. Considering that the 2013 SL is also heavier, it seems that it will likely be slightly slower than the 2013 SV. It may also be slightly less efficient.

 

[JPWhite]

those equipped with P215/50R17 tires, equating to a higher top speed but a lower acceleration force.

If there is a potential higher top speed, would that also mean that cruising at say 70mph would be more efficient with 17" wheels vs 16" wheels? If so for someone who does a lot of interstate driving this might be a benefit.