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

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The LEAF comes with the lug wrench already. so you don't need that. The Nissan Jack usually comes with a Lug wrench as well.

Since you have the 16" alloy wheels you need to search for a Nissan 5 lug spare with this size: T125/90D16

Here's one, Around $90 shipped: http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-98-Jeep-Cherokee-Sport-Goodyear-Convenience-Spare-Tire-125-90-16-NEW-/330906300938?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Tires&hash=item4d0b8d720a&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's the Jack, Exactly same one I have and same price: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-2013-Nissan-Altima-OEM-Jack-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-/141043223526?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20d6d4cbe6&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;




LeftieBiker said:
What you need all depends on what tires you currently have. Do you have 16" wheels or 17"?

Good point. as I posted earlier, I have the 16" alloy wheels. So it has to be an Altima spare (2002-2006?), it can be a Versa or Altima Jack, and we don't know yet about the tools. If someone were to compile a small chart with what works with each wheel set (xx"steel, 16" alloy, 17" alloy) that would be very helpful.
 
Nice job on the spare, Sal!

I'm thinking again about mounting ours. My only concern would be how to keep from getting grease all over the interior after changing the spare!
Lasareath said:
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!
You know, I was at a friend's house yesterday and I needed an air pump, so I used the compressor that came in the LEAF for the first time. I have to say that is a very nice little compressor! I especially like the way it screws onto the valve stem. I have a similar one that we use when camping, but it is a bit bigger and louder. OTOH, as mentioned earlier, the LEAF compressor does not come with a light.
Lasareath said:
I should be able to put that spare on the front with no problems.
It's good to be able to put the spare on the front to get you off the side of the road quickly. But given the torque in the LEAF, I think if I had to drive more than a mile or so, I would want to move the spare to the back if at all possible.
TonyWilliams said:
Here is the jack installed in its proper location in the LEAF:
Thanks, Tony! I simply couldn't figure out how to put that in the car! Now I can keep it in there all the time!

It's too bad they removed even that in 2013. I guess it saved them a couple of dollars.
 
Thanks!

I keep one of these in my trunk: http://www.staples.com/Clorox-Disinfecting-Wipes-Fresh-Scent-35-Wipes-Tub/product_457787?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:457787&KPID=457787" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



RegGuheert said:
Nice job on the spare, Sal!

I'm thinking again about mounting ours. My only concern would be how to keep from getting grease all over the interior after changing the spare!
 
RegGuheert said:
TonyWilliams said:
Here is the jack installed in its proper location in the LEAF:
Thanks, Tony! I simply couldn't figure out how to put that in the car! Now I can keep it in there all the time!
Well, I tried it and unfortunately it did not work. While the jack that I purchased looks substantially like the one in your picture, the brackets attached to the wheel well do not. The brackets in our LEAF have metal which is curled in so that they can cradle the jack. This would be fine except that the base of our jack is too wide to fit into the bracket.

Did you modify the brackets shown in your picture?
 
Usually you place the jack in position and then with a free hand you crank the jack so that it expands and locks itself in between the clips.



RegGuheert said:
RegGuheert said:
TonyWilliams said:
Here is the jack installed in its proper location in the LEAF:
Thanks, Tony! I simply couldn't figure out how to put that in the car! Now I can keep it in there all the time!
Well, I tried it and unfortunately it did not work. While the jack that I purchased looks substantially like the one in your picture, the brackets attached to the wheel well do not. The brackets in our LEAF have metal which is curled in so that they can cradle the jack. This would be fine except that the base of our jack is too wide to fit into the bracket.

Did you modify the brackets shown in your picture?
 
Lasareath said:
Usually you place the jack in position and then with a free hand you crank the jack so that it expands and locks itself in between the clips.
Thanks! Yes, I understand.

I tried to explain what I see again in a post, but the words fail me. Here is what I am seeing:

Bracket without the jack:
2011LeafJackBracket.JPG

Bracket with the jack:
2011LeafJackBracketWithJack.JPG

Basically, the jack base is about 1 cm wider than the bracket that should accept it. The top of the jack nearly fits into the bracket provided for it. In fact, I think it would fit if the base were not so wide, causing the jack to go into the bracket crooked.

Perhaps I could modify the jack rather than the brackets. There's a certain amount of risk in doing that, though.

For reference, the part number of the jack I bought is 99550-8J010 and its description is "Jack Complete".
 
RegGuheert said:
RegGuheert said:
TonyWilliams said:
Here is the jack installed in its proper location in the LEAF:
Thanks, Tony! I simply couldn't figure out how to put that in the car! Now I can keep it in there all the time!
Well, I tried it and unfortunately it did not work. While the jack that I purchased looks substantially like the one in your picture, the brackets attached to the wheel well do not. The brackets in our LEAF have metal which is curled in so that they can cradle the jack. This would be fine except that the base of our jack is too wide to fit into the bracket.

Did you modify the brackets shown in your picture?

If I recall, I had to bend out the top metal bracket (just with a pair of pliers).
 
TonyWilliams said:
If I recall, I had to bend out the top metal bracket (just with a pair of pliers).
Thanks, Tony! I could certainly do that! I wouldn't have to bend it far.

It's the bottom bracket that needs more mods. I could certainly flatten out the part that is bent up to make it a flat shelf for the base.

I just wanted to be sure I was not bending things unneccessarily.

So, should I assume that the jack that fits perfectly into the existing bracket is the super-expensive one that was discussed a couple of pages back?
 
TonyWilliams said:
The Altima jack is cheap... that's the one in the picture.
Agreed that the Altima jack is cheap. iI is also shown in my picture. It does not fit perfectly into my brackets, as shown.
 
I'm in poor health, and I'm not sure if I'd actually use the jack. I'm going to get the spare, carry it with me in a cloth or plastic bag, and use my Better World roadside assistance to get the spare mounted if I have a flat. I will *not* use Nissan's RA plan if they insist on just towing it to a dealership. Anyone know if Nissan's plan will just jack your car up and mount your spare for you?
 
Since you have the 16" alloy wheels you need to search for a Nissan 5 lug spare with this size: T125/90D16

The Altima compact spares I'm seeing are 135/90/16. Will they work, or not? Does anyone know for sure? I want to get one, but I also want to be darned sure it's the right spare for my car.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Since you have the 16" alloy wheels you need to search for a Nissan 5 lug spare with this size: T125/90D16

The Altima compact spares I'm seeing are 135/90/16. Will they work, or not? Does anyone know for sure? I want to get one, but I also want to be darned sure it's the right spare for my car.

The size of the tire is not the issue (yes, that will work), it's the size of the wheel. It needs to be a 5 lug, 4.5 inch (114.3mm) pattern with 61mm center hole (or larger). The wheel needs to be able to clear the front brakes.

The 2002 and later Nissan Altima spare wheel and tire will do all the above.
 
LeftieBiker said:
I'm in poor health, and I'm not sure if I'd actually use the jack. I'm going to get the spare, carry it with me in a cloth or plastic bag, and use my Better World roadside assistance to get the spare mounted if I have a flat. I will *not* use Nissan's RA plan if they insist on just towing it to a dealership. Anyone know if Nissan's plan will just jack your car up and mount your spare for you?
The wording in our LEAF warranty manual is ambiguous on this point. That said, we have the 8 year/100,000 mile extended warranty and that warranty spells out that they will replace your blown tire with a spare if you have one with you.
 
The size of the tire is not the issue (yes, that will work), it's the size of the wheel. It needs to be a 5 lug, 4.5 inch (114.3mm) pattern with 61mm center hole (or larger). The wheel needs to be able to clear the front brakes.

That's what I wanted to read. I was afraid the smaller tire size might go with a different wheel depth and/or bolt hole spacing. I bought one on Ebay last night. To the guy who posted the smaller size: those spares are tiny enough - we want the tire to be as big as possible.
 
Nice spare tire set up. I'd have loved to fill the space with extra traction pack ... but yea, the spare project is obviously an important add.
 
RegGuheert said:
LeftieBiker said:
I'm in poor health, and I'm not sure if I'd actually use the jack. I'm going to get the spare, carry it with me in a cloth or plastic bag, and use my Better World roadside assistance to get the spare mounted if I have a flat. I will *not* use Nissan's RA plan if they insist on just towing it to a dealership. Anyone know if Nissan's plan will just jack your car up and mount your spare for you?
The wording in our LEAF warranty manual is ambiguous on this point. That said, we have the 8 year/100,000 mile extended warranty and that warranty spells out that they will replace your blown tire with a spare if you have one with you.

I'm glad I didn't pay for the Nissan roadside assistance, and that I have the Better World plan, which we originally got because AAA is so heavily into lobbying for more highways and, by extension, cars.
 
Thanks. Hopefully I'll never need it!


hill said:
Nice spare tire set up. I'd have loved to fill the space with extra traction pack ... but yea, the spare project is obviously an important add.
 
I got my new old stock (or unused used, if you prefer) Altima compact spare the other day, and this evening I unpacked it and put it in the car. The lug spacing appears to be the same - 4.25" for both OEM and spare.

The Good: this is a big donut spare, and it should be safe to drive it at 55MPH, although it says 50MPH on the tire. I assume that the Altima from the last decade was heavier than the Leaf...

The bad: this is a big donut spare, and it won't even lie flat in the cargo compartment with the Bose subwoofer present. I have a piece of foam pipe insulator between the tire and the edge of the subwoofer that is partly supporting it. Those who want a better fit might want to consider the smaller size donut. I'll be getting a thick plastic or canvas bag for it; for now it's in a black plastic garbage bag. I still don't have a jack, but at least now I can call Better World roadside assistance and have them mount the spare for me.

Slightly OT: I'm hoping to acquire a good used set of Goodyear UltraGrip snows for it. We've used them on other cars and liked them. Anyone have them on their Leaf?
 
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