2013 Nissan LEAF with a Spare tire and no Trunk space lost!

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UBUYGAS

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 20, 2013
Messages
1,368
Location
Central NJ
potholes_suck_sm.jpg


The other night while driving home and taking a detour road I hit a nasty pothole and burst the front driver's tire:

burst_tire.jpg


So I called Nissan and they called a towing company, it was 11:30pm and the estimate arrival time was 2:15AM!!!!!!

So while waiting for the tow truck I went on ebay and bought a jack and spare tire.

A couple days later the jack and spare arrived, The spare is pretty thin, it was $125 shipped and the jack was $45 shipped.

nissan_leaf_spare.jpg


nissan_leaf_jack.jpg


I had these people http://holdfastordie.com/store/tool-bag make me a custom made heavy duty canvas bag that is 8" by 20" long that

will hold all the jack tools and the jack and will be rolled up and stuck inside the fix-a-flat compartment. (do you guys know that the 13 Leaf does not have the clips anymore to attach a jack to the car, they removed it entirely)

My plan was to put the spare tire in the trunk with my new car stereo layout:

leaf_stereo_sm.jpg


Then I figured let me test out the spare before I do any additional work, I started to lift up the car and

when I removed the wheel I saw this gigantic void under the trunk floor! Damn i can put a spare in there with no problem.

nissan_leaf_spare_tire01_sm.jpg


But I did not want to remove that air diffuser. So I'll have to cut a flap out and hinge it so I can fold it down to remove the spare when needed.

nissan_leaf_spare_tire02_sm.jpg


nissan_leaf_spare_tire03_sm.jpg


nissan_leaf_spare_tire04_sm.jpg


nissan_leaf_spare_tire05_sm.jpg


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nissan_leaf_spare_tire14_sm.jpg


Two original screws keep that flap in place and it looks great and now I have a spare with no loss of trunk space.

Took me around 9 hours and $65 in screws, hinges, drill bits, etc...

The spare tire cost me $125 shipped on ebay and the jack was $45 shipped.

So just about $235 total.

Sal




And by the way that nissan leaf pump and flat fix got tossed into some cabinet in the garage this morning, it's not going back in the car. It's a total joke!

leaf_flat_fix.jpg
 
Bateman said:
Very cool. Looks better designed than the factory solution on the Australia cars!

Thanks! :)



My next door neighbor suggested I should add some grease to those 3/8" bolts that hold up the spare tire, so I just did that and I added one more touch, I removed the factory screws and added two security hex screws.

Check out the pics:

nissan_leaf_spare_tire15_sm.jpg


nissan_leaf_spare_tire16_sm.jpg


nissan_leaf_spare_tire17_sm.jpg


nissan_leaf_spare_tire18_sm.jpg


nissan_leaf_spare_tire19_sm.jpg
 
Simple and well done, although I don't want to crawl under the car to get the tire!!

That rear area was for the inductive charger on the Infiniti version of the LEAF (cancelled).
 
This is awesome, nice job!

I'll have to watch this thread, and see if you still like this setup in a few months.

Do you have the specs of the tire/wheel you purchased (or a link to the original auction)? Did you verify the wheel fits/drives ok?
 
TonyWilliams said:
Simple and well done, although I don't want to crawl under the car to get the tire!!

Now that I installed the spare tire I may never need it! LOL




lion said:
This is awesome, nice job!

I'll have to watch this thread, and see if you still like this setup in a few months.

Do you have the specs of the tire/wheel you purchased (or a link to the original auction)? Did you verify the wheel fits/drives ok?

Thanks. I did try it out and it worked fine but I was told that I can only use it on the back. So if I have a flat in the front then I'll have to put this spare on the back and take the good rear tire and put it on the front.

This is the auction: http://bit.ly/17eNqPu

The seller said it was an Altima spare.

Sal
 
Lasareath said:
The seller said it was an Altima spare.

Sal

2002 - 2010 Altima spare should fit front and rear. The Nissan van spare won't (I have both).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/07-08-09-10-11-12-NISSAN-ALTIMA-135-90-16-RIM-SPARE-TIRE-WHEEL-DONUT-NEW/221150236989?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17396%26meid%3D825680906980340905%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8093%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D251321977796%26" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Tony,

I was told by somebody on this forum (i can't remember where) that since I have the 17" wheels that I can't put the 16" donut up front.

I also found info that the Jeep Cherokee spare will fit the Leaf. Maybe somebody makes a 17" 5 lug donut that will fit the Leaf?


TonyWilliams said:
Lasareath said:
The seller said it was an Altima spare.

Sal

2002 - 2010 Altima spare should fit front and rear. The Nissan van spare won't (I have both).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/07-08-09-10-11-12-NISSAN-ALTIMA-135-90-16-RIM-SPARE-TIRE-WHEEL-DONUT-NEW/221150236989?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17396%26meid%3D825680906980340905%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8093%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D251321977796%26" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Lasareath said:
Tony,

I was told by somebody on this forum (i can't remember where) that since I have the 17" wheels that I can't put the 16" donut up front

Nope, no reason you can't do that. If somebody is referring to the outside diameter difference between the two tires (if any), I wouldn't worry about it. The gear box "differential" in the car will handle that just fine for the limited amount of driving you'll do on the spare.

The real issue is whether your spare will clear the front disc brake calipers.
 
The grease was definitely necessary. In the Rust Belt it would be better to use brass or stainless steel screws and wingnuts, if you didn't already - still with (maybe a little less) grease.
 
Usually I do anything outside in stainless steel but I couldn't find a 3/8" by 6" stainless lag bolt :(. The wingnut and washers and nylon lock nuts are stainless but the bolts are plain steel.

Maybe I can order a couple online and change them out. I had more grease on my fingers that I wiped off! LOL. It's OK, the tub if grease was like $3.

Also the hinges are plain steel that are chrome plated. I'm sure they'll rust too. The hinge bolts, washers and lock nuts are stainless.


LeftieBiker said:
The grease was definitely necessary. In the Rust Belt it would be better to use brass or stainless steel screws and wingnuts, if you didn't already - still with (maybe a little less) grease.
 
I just found some at this site:

http://www.boltdepot.com/Carriage_bolts_Stainless_steel_18-8_3_8-16.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

$3.47 each - 3/8 by 6", the ones I used were 6.5"

I really don't want to replace the bolts so soon after installing them. maybe I'll look at them in a year and see how they look and decide then.
 
Lasareath said:
Also the hinges are plain steel that are chrome plated. I'm sure they'll rust too. The hinge bolts, washers and lock nuts are stainless.

This is a company I use for stainless hinge material.
Looks like they have what we need to keep this whole project rust free.
Around here, road salt will rot things pretty quickly

http://catalog.monroehinge.com/viewitems/all-categories/stainless-steel-piano-hinges?tracking=8667760509&gclid=CP6ciaq8m7kCFRGg4Aoda3MAgA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Thank you for that link.

I wonder how much that air diffuser costs? If its not too much maybe I'll get another and do it right then just swap them.


KillaWhat said:
Lasareath said:
Also the hinges are plain steel that are chrome plated. I'm sure they'll rust too. The hinge bolts, washers and lock nuts are stainless.

This is a company I use for stainless hinge material.
Looks like they have what we need to keep this whole project rust free.
Around here, road salt will rot things pretty quickly

http://catalog.monroehinge.com/viewitems/all-categories/stainless-steel-piano-hinges?tracking=8667760509&gclid=CP6ciaq8m7kCFRGg4Aoda3MAgA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
The pouches just came in. The jack, both tire irons, tow hook and hex security Allen key all fit very nicely.

I wonder if I should include anything else?


nissan_leaf_spare_tire20_sm.jpg


nissan_leaf_spare_tire21_sm.jpg


nissan_leaf_spare_tire22_sm.jpg
 
I contacted monroe and they have a 25 min order policy.


This place has sells them individually: http://www.zorotools.com/g/Stainless%20Steel%20Hinges/00115117/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;







KillaWhat said:
Lasareath said:
Also the hinges are plain steel that are chrome plated. I'm sure they'll rust too. The hinge bolts, washers and lock nuts are stainless.

This is a company I use for stainless hinge material.
Looks like they have what we need to keep this whole project rust free.
Around here, road salt will rot things pretty quickly

http://catalog.monroehinge.com/viewitems/all-categories/stainless-steel-piano-hinges?tracking=8667760509&gclid=CP6ciaq8m7kCFRGg4Aoda3MAgA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Well I just bought another spare:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400391100055" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

T135/90/16 and by using this calculator: http://www.pepboys.com/tires/treadsmart/calculating_overall_tire_diameter/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It comes out to a diameter of: 25.567"

My 2013 OEM 17" SL Wheels & Tires come out to: 25.465"

That's 1/10 of an inch difference, I'll let everyone know but this size seems to be the correct size for the 2013 Leaf with the 17" wheels.

I should be able to put that spare on the front with no problems.

Sal
 
I couldn't tell what was the thread length of the SS Carriage bolts so I bought two of these instead:

http://www.boltdepot.com/Tap_bolts_Stainless_steel_18-8_3_8-16.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; in 6" length

I also just bought a couple SS Hinges, so it looks like I'm taking it all apart and changing out the bolts and hinges. The only reason I'm going to do this is because I found that new Spare that is only 1/10" larger diameter then my OEM 17" tires.





Lasareath said:
I just found some at this site:

http://www.boltdepot.com/Carriage_bolts_Stainless_steel_18-8_3_8-16.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

$3.47 each - 3/8 by 6", the ones I used were 6.5"

I really don't want to replace the bolts so soon after installing them. maybe I'll look at them in a year and see how they look and decide then.
 
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