battery replacement options in the future ?

[retrodog]

As far as less than perfect road surfaces go, choice of tires is important as well and Nissan got that one wrong by jumping on the big wheel bandwagon. 215/50R17 don't have a lot of sidewall to help absorb bumps, especially when inflated to 42 psi for efficiency, and you can't go any smaller than 16 inch wheels before the brakes get in the way. Why do you need such huge friction brakes on an EV with regenerative braking? I'd like to be able to use 205/65R15 to better deal with potholed city streets.

Interesting point. Something that has bugged me as well. How do these low profile tires stand up, in general, in terms of efficiency?

But yeah, it seems like these days, everybody wants them. And they are frequently not the ideal solution.

 

[Levenkay]

Why do you need such huge friction brakes on an EV with regenerative braking? I'd like to be able to use 205/65R15 to better deal with potholed city streets.

I'm guessing that there's a safety requirement that the trusty ol' mechanical friction brakes need to be capable of stopping the vehicle even if its computer and/or motor drive electronics have gone berserk and can't be shut off.

 

[Titanium48]

Why do you need such huge friction brakes on an EV with regenerative braking? I'd like to be able to use 205/65R15 to better deal with potholed city streets.

I'm guessing that there's a safety requirement that the trusty ol' mechanical friction brakes need to be capable of stopping the vehicle even if its computer and/or motor drive electronics have gone berserk and can't be shut off.

25 years ago, 15 inch wheels were standard on pickup trucks. Leaf-sized cars used 13s or 14s. Bigger brakes have more heat capacity and can stand up to heavy use for a longer period of time, but smaller brakes can generate as much stopping power as you need by increasing the fluid pressure. Just don't ride them down a long hill when your regen isn't working.

 

[retrodog]

The more and more I look at the weird front lip/nose on the Model 3, it always reminds me of the ugly girl episode of The Twilight Zone. How the others looked.

https://evcompare.io/cars/tesla/tesla_model_3_standard_range_plus/



https://www.pastemagazine.com/artic...wilight-zone-episodes-rod-serling-sci-fi.html


Yeah, my brain connects some weird dots.

 

[Nubo]

Along with expecting all cars to handle like sportscars, reviewers now seem to expect and require 0-60 times under 8 seconds for all cars. That's ridiculous. The 383ci V-8 "Sport Suburban" wagon I raced in high school took 10 seconds to get to 60mph. 8 second 0-60 times at best are all anyone actually needs for real world driving - especially when the 0-40 acceleration is great.

I think of this all the time. Back in the 70's, 10-second 0-60 would put a car solidly in the Sports Car category. We've become addicted to torque. Fortunately that plays into EVs strong suit.

 

[Nubo]

As far as less than perfect road surfaces go, choice of tires is important as well and Nissan got that one wrong by jumping on the big wheel bandwagon. 215/50R17 don't have a lot of sidewall to help absorb bumps, especially when inflated to 42 psi for efficiency, and you can't go any smaller than 16 inch wheels before the brakes get in the way. Why do you need such huge friction brakes on an EV with regenerative braking?

Because regen is not always available. And you're hauling a 600lb(?) battery. Add a full load of passengers and cargo and you've got a heavy vehicle for its size. I suspect this is also part of the reason Nissan is fastidious about brake fluid change intervals to protect you from boiling the brakes in that fully-loaded, no regen, mountain road scenario.

 

[Titanium48]

Heavy for its size, but still lighter than a fully loaded 1990s 1/2 ton pickup that came with 15 inch wheels, and much lighter than the 3/4 ton that came with 16s.

 

[retrodog]

Heavy for its size, but still lighter than a fully loaded 1990s 1/2 ton pickup that came with 15 inch wheels, and much lighter than the 3/4 ton that came with 16s.

New feature for the 2020 Leaf... smaller wheels and rear drum brakes.


Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[retrodog]

I bought a 2019 about 3-4 weeks ago and it also listed the mid year change. Still no idea what that means.

 

[Oilpan4]

I'm good with disk brakes.
The drum brakes will only come apart with a torch by the time they wear out.