brand new 2016 SV upgrade questions

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khetos

New member
Joined
Sep 13, 2016
Messages
2
Hi All,

i have some questions in regards to options and possible mods and upgrades to the Leaf 2016, SV model.

1) i have seen alot of different forms talking about LED upgrades, i have seen youtube videos and other posts on other sites, however there is always a question of lifespan and durability, along with look and proper connection, i have seem a video where the guy shaved part of the housing on a brand new LED bulb to fit it into the car, and on that note alone, i wont look to that as a viable option.

so on the first question, is there an actual official LED upgrade kit, that just works, and does not require anything funky, such as leaving a housing open, altering the bulbs or wiring?

2) the one main thing that really gets my goat is that the car does not come with automatic driving / headlights on any model except for the SL, so i am curious, has anyone looked to add this feature to the SV model of a 2016 or a S of any other year? i really want to some how add this in if possible, and not too costly.

3) Solar panels. does the SL model solar panel actually provide a worth while cost , does the 12 volt battery really need a separate charger, and if so is there a way to do this well, without causing issues with wiring? and has there been any form of battery issues on the 12 volt battery?
i have seen some people gripe about why its not a lithium battery as well, but does it really matter?
and lastly, has anyone successfully been able to fully modify the Leaf with solar panels to keep the leaf at or near a full charge while driving at great length?

4) what winter tires are best for the Leaf? i have heard some people mention about weight and other stats, but is it better to go with a 17 inch steel rim, or a 16 inch steel rim for winter tires and what brands does anyone recommend? i have had michelen xice before, but i am curious to know what others think.

5) what charging stations are people using at home? i have right near my garage a 30 amp dryer plug that is not being used, and is just covered by a bench right now, i was thinking of just running a charging station wire through the wall into that junction box and capping the box off, but this will only give me a 30 amp circut, its got its own breaker, so as far as i can tell my only real option is for something like this: http://suncountryhighway.com/en/Item/ChargerStore#!/SCH25P-EV-Charger/p/43196245/category=10658153 or some basic wiring for this: http://suncountryhighway.com/en/Item/ChargerStore#!/SCH25-EV-Charger/p/43196242/category=10658153
but is there a better charger that would provide a quicker charge than this, without requiring running a new wire from the breaker panel?

Thanks All!.
 
khetos said:
1) i have seen alot of different forms talking about LED upgrades, i have seen youtube videos and other posts on other sites, however there is always a question of lifespan and durability, along with look and proper connection, i have seem a video where the guy shaved part of the housing on a brand new LED bulb to fit it into the car, and on that note alone, i wont look to that as a viable option.

So on the first question, is there an actual official LED upgrade kit, that just works, and does not require anything funky, such as leaving a housing open, altering the bulbs or wiring?
I have had excellent results with Hoshi Automotive H13 LED retrofits. Bright, clean light, and zero modifications to the LEAF. The connector and excess wiring simply slips down in-between the headlight housing and reflector, then the dust cap fits right back on. Downsides: not DOT-certified, and a low humming sound from the cooling fans.

Someone else on the forum retrofitted OEM LEAF LED headlamp assemblies, but wasn't all that pleased with the results for the effort and cost. The OEM LED are low-beam only, with the high-beam remaining as a halogen in a separate compact reflector that has a worse beam pattern than the high-beam on the non-LED H13 halogen setup.
 
Solar panel: this may help to keep the accessory battery charged (and this is an issue with the Leaf under many driving conditions) IF you park the car with full sunlight hitting the panel for quite a few hours a day. The panel output is very low, so under other conditions it's pretty much cosmetic.

Those terrible high beams: there is one plug & play "upgrade" that has a very modest, but still noticeable under some night driving conditions, effect. Philips makes a halogen bulb called the X-Treme Power or something childish like that. It only helps a little, but it is completely compatible with the stock setup. I've been using these bulbs for about a year. I mention it near the end of the LED upgrade topic. They are mostly hype, but do fill in the end of the beam's range a bit more than the OEM bulbs, which helps mostly on very dark roads. You won't see a difference on city streets with streetlights...
 
Khetos -

I have a 2015 SV and would like to have the auto headlights, but haven't found a reasonable solution yet. However, a quick, easy and reasonably priced upgrade that I appreciate daily is the Homelink rear view mirror. I purchased one on eBay and installed it myself. It is very nice to have the integrated garage door opener on the mirror.

Enjoy the car.

BakoDuck
 
Hi All,

thanks for the replies.

i ended up upgrading and going with the SL, i really wanted auto headlights and have never had leather, so i figured why not. i have had it two days and love it so far.
 
Can someone suggest a good HomeLink mirror upgrade for 2017 SV. I need to install one that is compatible. I have a Craftsman 2.0 HomeLink Security+ (Purple Antenna) Garage Door opener. What mirror model will work with that?
 
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