Spare Tire Mod

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djjazzy

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
54
Location
San Francisco, CA
I wanted a way to carry a spare tire in the car, and have an easy way to take it all out if necessary. No way I was gonna put that fix a flat stuff into the flat tire. Got a spare on Ebay along with the jack, all for $110. I figure if I have to use it once, it's worth the 110 bucks. But having the spare in the cargo area made putting things in the trunk a bit unstable, due to the tire being in there. Had to come up with a nicer looking and workable plan. And here it is.... the False Floor Cargo Mod. Under the false floor, I now can store the spare tire, the jack, wrench, emergency tools, and of course the Nissan 120V EVSE, (which I use every day to charge at work)
Here are some pics of how it looks.

Plenty of room for the tire and a bunch of other stuff too!


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Another view

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And here is the false floor covering up the spare tire, and I now have a level cargo area. Still have decent cargo space in the Leaf.

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Just lift up on the left hinged panel, to pull out the EVSE

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@ mwalsh

What's different about the 11-12 trunk/cargo area, compared to the current 13. Why won't it allow the raised false cargo floor to be built?
 
I also have an Ebay spare (in a black contractor's garbage bag), and I considered something like this. I was going to make a platform with sides, but since your platform seems to sit flat it looks like the way to go. You could probably make a few bucks selling a template for it. I'd buy one...

EDIT: I can see now that you just used the carpet as a template. I'll do the same. Thanks for the idea!
 
djjazzy said:
@ mwalsh

What's different about the 11-12 trunk/cargo area, compared to the current 13. Why won't it allow the raised false cargo floor to be built?

You can build the false floor, but the spare tire won't fit with the charger and parking brake capacitors behind the rear seat in a 2011-2012.
 
The 11 & 12 have a 6" thick wall between the back of the seats and the trunk compartment. So the tire won't sit flat on the floor.

Did you see how I stored my spare tire?, uses up no trunk space whatsoever. click the link below - sal's leaf dot com




djjazzy said:
@ mwalsh

What's different about the 11-12 trunk/cargo area, compared to the current 13. Why won't it allow the raised false cargo floor to be built?
 
Looks clean.

Is that stuff secured in anyway? In case of a dynamic accident, would the jack and tire become missiles?
 
The 11 & 12 have a 6" thick wall between the back of the seats and the trunk compartment. So the tire won't sit flat on the floor.

And if you get the Premium Package on the '13, the subwoofer takes the place of the charger in blocking a spare - or at least an Altima spare - from sitting flat. I got away with removing the subwoofer hold-down screws and putting pipe wrap (which seems to be oddly vital in order to have a properly functional Leaf!) around it to pad it.

As for this stuff becoming weaponized, I can see only one scenario where it might happen: going over multiple large bumps while braking on a steep downhill stretch...
 
@Lasareath

I saw your spare tire mod before I did mine. Thought about mounting the tire under there, but didn't want to cut into the air diffuser, and get nearly under the car to lower the hinged panel and tire when needed. For me, the false cargo floor was the easiest to build, and if ever the spare tire is needed, it's a quick and painless way to get to the spare tire. Just lift out the false cargo floor, and the tire is right there. But your mount is a great idea, especially since no trunk space is lost. Seldom do I have a lot of cargo where I'd need that lost trunk space. I'm easily able to lower the seats, and get my bike in the Leaf without issues, in fact it's now easier to get my bike in the car, since the cargo area is raised up about 6 inches. Now I never have to leave home without a spare.
 
LeftieBiker said:
...As for this stuff becoming weaponized, I can see only one scenario where it might happen: going over multiple large bumps while braking on a steep downhill stretch...

The forces in a collision are greater than most people imagine, and collision dynamics are unpredictable. Any heavy objects can become missiles in the cabin. You'd do well to fabricate hold-down mounts.
 
Nubo said:
LeftieBiker said:
...As for this stuff becoming weaponized, I can see only one scenario where it might happen: going over multiple large bumps while braking on a steep downhill stretch...

The forces in a collision are greater than most people imagine, and collision dynamics are unpredictable. Any heavy objects can become missiles in the cabin. You'd do well to fabricate hold-down mounts.

Yes, unsecured objects (especially heavy objects) in the trunk of a car can be deadly in a crash. Don't think that upright back seat or especially that papier mache cargo area cover will protect you either.

Several years ago, the British TV show Fifth Gear (back when it was aired on Speed Channel) did an experiment in which they loaded the "boot" (trunk) of a car with several common items including a few heavy ones like a toolbox, and simulated a sudden high-speed impact on a test rig. Slow-motion cameras show the back seat latches to be basically ineffective; the items just slid through the middle part of the split fold down seat and made their way forward, only to be stopped by the dashboard and firewall.
 
That's Awesome! Well not really, my trunk is filled with Tools, Screw Guns, Drills, Screws, 60LB Subwoofer!

That' one of the reasons I mounted my spare under the trunk floor. I couldn't give up the space.

RonDawg said:
Nubo said:
LeftieBiker said:
...As for this stuff becoming weaponized, I can see only one scenario where it might happen: going over multiple large bumps while braking on a steep downhill stretch...

The forces in a collision are greater than most people imagine, and collision dynamics are unpredictable. Any heavy objects can become missiles in the cabin. You'd do well to fabricate hold-down mounts.

Yes, unsecured objects (especially heavy objects) in the trunk of a car can be deadly in a crash. Don't think that upright back seat or especially that papier mache cargo area cover will protect you either.

Several years ago, the British TV show Fifth Gear (back when it was aired on Speed Channel) did an experiment in which they loaded the "boot" (trunk) of a car with several common items including a few heavy ones like a toolbox, and simulated a sudden high-speed impact on a test rig. Slow-motion cameras show the back seat latches to be basically ineffective; the items just slid through the middle part of the split fold down seat and made their way forward, only to be stopped by the dashboard and firewall.
 
Ok, so we need a way to hold down the spare cover and all the bombs and missiles under it. If the seats won't hold in a crash, what do we use as an anchor? Don't say "the floor," because a lot of us lease.
 
mwalsh said:
RonDawg said:
Several years ago, the British TV show Fifth Gear (back when it was aired on Speed Channel) .

Fifth Gear still shows on Velocity. Friday nights...7pm Pacific.

Yes but I'm referring to an old episode, long before Discovery Networks bought the rights to the show. I have not seen any of the pre-Discovery episodes being shown on Velocity.

Speed Channel may still own the US broadcast rights to the episodes that they broadcast here.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Ok, so we need a way to hold down the spare cover and all the bombs and missiles under it. If the seats won't hold in a crash, what do we use as an anchor? Don't say "the floor," because a lot of us lease.

I suspect there are some hard points back there -- seat mounting hardware, using epoxy to fasten a tie down of sorts, finding a spot in the left side cubby to tether to, etc. With some creativity, you could make a semi permanent solution that is probably fully reversible at lease end.

So I'd look at this from the risks perspective. This thread is about avoiding the risk of waiting for a tow (in the remote likelihood of a flat that cannot be fixed with the can and pump): To avoid that risk, two other risks are introduced:

* There is a risk that you get dinged by Nissan on the lease return if you make modifications to secure this load, or
* There is a risk that a 40+ lb object starts bouncing around inside the cabin when you don't want it to.

It is about risk management.
 
ttime4four said:
I suspect there are some hard points back there -- seat mounting hardware, using epoxy to fasten a tie down of sorts, finding a spot in the left side cubby to tether to, etc. With some creativity, you could make a semi permanent solution that is probably fully reversible at lease end.

So I'd look at this from the risks perspective. This thread is about avoiding the risk of waiting for a tow (in the remote likelihood of a flat that cannot be fixed with the can and pump): To avoid that risk, two other risks are introduced:

* There is a risk that you get dinged by Nissan on the lease return if you make modifications to secure this load, or
* There is a risk that a 40+ lb object starts bouncing around inside the cabin when you don't want it to.

It is about risk management.


All points well taken. Almost makes me want to remove the spare tire and jack, to eliminate the risk of objects bouncing around. I'm gonna look for a way to secure the objects instead. I can mod, cuz no lease involved. Any ideas on how to secure the tire, jack. etc.. to avoid it being bounced around?
 
The jack and tire iron can be secured under the seats (I left my aftermarket jack in its box, with some bubblewrap padding), leaving just the spare and the plywood cover to worry about. The more completely the spare is immobilized, the less strength is needed to hold it. You could probably put several long carriage bolts through the (ouch!) floor, and have them go through lug holes in the rim, securing them with wingnuts.
 
LeftieBiker said:
You could probably put several long carriage bolts through the (ouch!) floor, and have them go through lug holes in the rim, securing them with wingnuts.


That sounds like a good plan. I'll look into using carriage bolts to hold the spare in place through a couple lug holes, securing them with wingnuts. That should hold the tire in place, much better that using nothing at all. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
You're welcome. I suggest you use either large, thick washers or steel brackets to spread the load on the underside of the floor.

I cut a false floor this evening, from 1/2" exterior plywood: it isn't a full false floor, because the Bose subwoofer unit is in the way, but it looks fine with the subwoofer exposed. I still have to put in the hinge, though - this isn't really optional as I had thought, because I wasn't able to get the piece into the hatch in one piece, and had to cut the left side off. It may be possible to get it in through a door, but I didn't think of that at the time. The new "floor" is higher in my car because I have a larger spare, but it looks pretty good. Now *I* have to find a way to secure the spare...
 
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