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JGR

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2017
Messages
17
Location
Kansas City, KS
Hi, bought a used 2013 S a few weeks ago. I had set aside about 9K to get a low mileage 2015S but I got such a good deal on the 2013 I couldn't pass it up. It had just over 28,000 mi. when I bought it. I have put about a 1000 on it so far. I like driving it so much I look for excuses to go out for lunch. I took the money I saved and invested it in a new set of 17" Custom Wheels and tires and ran a dedicated 50amp service. I then ordered a 50 amp. OpenEVSE kit and got that up and running. I have the QC and 6 KW charger I only have to charge for 2 hrs. every other workday.
 
jhm614 said:
Welcome aboard! Post a pic of your wheels when you can!

I plan on posting car pics, hopefully today. Here is a pic of the wheels I got on Amazon. They are
Verde 17 x 7. I did not weigh them, but probably about 23 lb. I just thought that the stock S model hubcaps were ugly, and one of them had been curbed and was messed up a little.

90Et80Q.jpg
 
I need new tires and considering new custom wheels for my 2012 Leaf. How have they worked for you? Appears that rolling resistance varies quite a bit with tire/wheel combos - don't want to lose range - any comments on that? (from anyone!).

Post some pics.
 
I have not had a Leaf long but I am surprised that people like the low rolling resistance tires. Tires are the only thing that connects you to the road. They determine how quickly you can stop and how fast you can go around a turn. Pretty important. In my simple mind, low rolling resistance also means low traction. Low traction is the last thing you actually want from a tire. Think of how many crashes happen because "I just could not stop in time" or "I lost control" Sure, at the heart of it they are both the drivers fault, however, better tires may have made the difference. The difference in stopping distance from 65 mph between bad tires and good tires can often surpass 20 feet. I think you will find that 20 ft. is often the difference between a fender bender and a close call. I plan on replacing my brand new tires soon. I know I will lose a little range, but in my mind I will also be safer and have a car more pleasant to drive. I did not buy a Leaf because I need 107 miles everyday. Losing a few miles range for a better connection to the road all the time is fine by me.

Tires really do make a difference and when people ask me how best to modify their cars, I and most other knowledgeable people always recommend starting with better rubber. To be fair, this is coming from a performance driving background and I have very little knowledge about "low rolling resistance" tires. I am sure that they have specific tread patterns to "blah, blah, blah" but I am not sure it is not mostly marketing to be able to sell junk tires for a premium.

I know this is not the popular opinion here. However, where I come from, friends don't let friends buy cheap tires.
 
4CloverLeaf said:
I have not had a Leaf long but I am surprised that people like the low rolling resistance tires.

I don't think "like" is the correct term so much as it's an "evil necessity." Yeah I'd love for my electric car to handle like a Porsche, but when you only have double-digit driving range, even 10 miles off that is a significant difference. More so if your battery has lost a bar or more.

The biggest complaints with the OEM Bridgestone Ecopias are:

1. Uneven tire wear unless you exceed Nissan's recommended tire pressure;
2. Rather rapid tire wear overall
3. Relative fragility (easy to blow out on curbs and potholes)
 
webeleafowners said:
And to the previous poster, what pressures would you suggest for the stock tires. Seems to me max is 44 but I can't remember.

I ran mine at 40 but some here do run at 44. Make sure you don't exceed the stated max pressure on the sidewall, which IIRC is 44 for the OEM Ecopias. Remember though that the higher the pressure, the easier it is to blow out, keeping in mind #3.
 
I ran the 16-inch OEM Ecopias and replacement MXM4 Michelins on the 2011 at 44 psi. Handling, wear rate, wet traction, and range were all improved over the factory-recommended 36 psi. I ran the OEM 17-inch Michelin Energy Savers on the 2015 at 44 psi, but tried the entire range from 36 to 44 in an attempt to get decent traction and handling. They were bald at 28k miles and I consider them the worst tires I have ever owned because wet traction was really poor. I replaced them with Continental sport/touring tires and gladly accept the 15% range reduction in return for MUCH better handling, wet traction, and dry traction. Also, they show very little wear after 10k miles.

If you really need the best range, Ecopias inflated to 44 psi have good wet traction and decent handling. There is an incredible difference in handling, how the car drives in cross winds, and especially wet traction between 36 psi and 44 psi with the Ecopias. I think the LEAF is too heavy for Ecopias inflated to only 36 psi.
 
GerryAZ said:
I think the LEAF is too heavy for Ecopias inflated to only 36 psi.

Indeed. For the eGolf which weighs about the same, VW specs 41 psi and also includes Ecopias with the car. Over 12k miles later, I'm not seeing the uneven tire wear that I saw with my Leaf during its first 12k miles.
 
Marktm said:
I need new tires and considering new custom wheels for my 2012 Leaf. How have they worked for you? Appears that rolling resistance varies quite a bit with tire/wheel combos - don't want to lose range - any comments on that? (from anyone!).

Post some pics.

These are the tires I bought and mounted them on the Verde Wheels will try to post pics when I get time.

4 - Westlake SA07 215/45R17XL 91W BSW ($45.48/ea)

$181.92 for 4 tires + $53.75 shipping Total $235.67

Here's where I got them: https://www.tires-easy.com/

I have a little over 1500 mi. on these so far and they seem to be a great tire for the money. I have noticed a slight decrease in mi per kwh. I am setting at 3.6 now but I can easily make 3.9, I have really been driving aggressively lately, most of my driving is hwy. and I am frequently over the limit. I only have a 22 mi. round trip commute and with an OpenEvse 50A station at home no worries about range. I think the tire and wheel combination have probably only cost me .2 - 3 Kwh over the Ecopia's that were on the car. Handling and grip are superb, much better than the stock tires.
 
Think you have chosen some good options. Tire pricing is great - especially considering the good reviews they seem to get. I would like to see the results on the Leaf - IMO it needs some styling upgrades!
Thanks
 
jhm614 said:
Welcome aboard! Post a pic of your wheels when you can!

This is the Verde 17 in. wheels and Westlake SA07 tire.

82ymsrlb.jpg
VTq8JpCb.jpg
5qqNxK0b.jpg


Drove 109 mi yesterday mostly hiway at 55-60 mph. and got 4.1 mi/kwh Round trip East to West.
 
Buying a 50A EVSE was a waste of money. The car sets the charge level via the pilot. Leaf's charge at 16A for a basic car and 27.5A for an enhanced car.

My eGolf charges at 30A even though I have a 40A EVSE connected to a 50A breaker. This is left over from my totaled Mercedes B that was Tesla based and charged at 40A. My eGolf is fine with that OpenEVSE but it only uses 30A and throws away the rest. Only Tesla based cars charge at greater than 30A.
 
GlennD said:
Buying a 50A EVSE was a waste of money. The car sets the charge level via the pilot. Leaf's charge at 16A for a basic car and 27.5A for an enhanced car.

My eGolf charges at 30A even though I have a 40A EVSE connected to a 50A breaker. This is left over from my totaled Mercedes B that was Tesla based and charged at 40A. My eGolf is fine with that OpenEVSE but it only uses 30A and throws away the rest. Only Tesla based cars charge at greater than 30A.

I am well aware of the 27.5 max current for the Nissan Leaf. I bought the 50a unit to insure against obsolescence as the cost difference was minimal. Some day I may have need for the extra current up to the 40a level of my 50a breaker and wiring.
 
Marktm said:
JGR said:
This is the Verde 17 in. wheels and Westlake SA07 tire.

82ymsrlb.jpg
VTq8JpCb.jpg
5qqNxK0b.jpg


Drove 109 mi yesterday mostly hiway at 55-60 mph. and got 4.1 mi/kwh Round trip East to West.

Can you give us an updated report on these tires? - I'm looking for economical replacements.

I only have about 3K miles on them, but they are wearing fine, and I drive pretty agressive.
 
GlennD said:
Buying a 50A EVSE was a waste of money. The car sets the charge level via the pilot. Leaf's charge at 16A for a basic car and 27.5A for an enhanced car.

My eGolf charges at 30A even though I have a 40A EVSE connected to a 50A breaker. This is left over from my totaled Mercedes B that was Tesla based and charged at 40A. My eGolf is fine with that OpenEVSE but it only uses 30A and throws away the rest. Only Tesla based cars charge at greater than 30A.

A subtle point here - the eGolf does not throw anything away. That implies waste / inefficiency. The eGolf simply leaves the other 10A on the table, unused.

You probably understand this, but I wanted to clarify for other potential readers.
 
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