Spare Tire Carrier 2019 SL Plus

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

tfd

New member
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
1
Inspired by https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=14081 and having needed a spare tire one time with our 2012 model, I got to working on how to carry a spare under the trunk. I had looked before under the 2012 and found the space constrained by the parking brake actuator. It appears that the 2013 and later models put it somewhere else making this empty space available for a spare, like in the way that the Australian cars have a steel basket carrier there. In my incident with the 2012 model I found that the compact spare from our 2001 Chrysler Voyager worked just fine to use the car around town until new tires came in. That van now has a full size spare making this 145/90/16 size available. It is a steel wheel so the Altima spare might be lighter if it's aluminum as claimed. This project all came down to making brackets.
uc

This hanger is suspended from the trunk floor with four bolts and large washers to spread out the weight. It is five inches tall. Those are wheel studs sticking down so the spare tire uses the same size lug nuts as the car, so only the lug wrench is needed to dismount the spare. That 1.5" square aluminum tube bolted in forward is a spacer so that the tire is resting equally on it, the middle trunk stiffener, and the bottom of the back of the trunk.
uc

Here you can see the bolt pattern in the trunk. One result is that the spare hangs about an inch aft from the UBUYGAS installation.
uc

I cut the plastic air diffuser similar to UBUYGAS though at slightly different places because I also had installed a bike rack that required some close fitting. I used Lynch pins to hold it up, and for good measure added an aluminum stiffener. I used 3/16" aluminum rivets for the hinge and stiffener connections.
uc

And there it is. Considering how much time it took to work all that out and fabricate the parts, it doesn't look like all that much in the end. I stole the jack and tools from my old decrepit Toyota. So now I have self rescue available in case the compressor and a plug kit are not enough.
 
Very nice execution on the spare solution :) I'm surprised no one else has commented..but thanks for taking the time to post your solution and pics. Did you check that you can drop the spare with the car on the ground?
 
tfd said:
And there it is. Considering how much time it took to work all that out and fabricate the parts, it doesn't look like all that much in the end. I stole the jack and tools from my old decrepit Toyota. So now I have self rescue available in case the compressor and a plug kit are not enough.
Still quite a good job and well thought out. I have been getting by with the air compressor and plug kit. If I damage the wheel enough that it won't spin then I'm calling a tow truck. But I live in an urban area, where you live, that might not be so easy and having a spare wheel is worth the time you spent to attach it. :)
 
I should have commented. Yes, it is a great job, and should be shared more widely as a Mod FAQ. It's similar to the Australian Leaf design (which I think was mentioned) but better in some ways.
 
I think your spare tire carrier is brilliant an well designed.
I am handy and wish to fabricate a similar ( or identical ) carrier.
Your carrier is one of a kind cannot be purchased, correct?

If I fabricate myself: Questions:
Is there any welding needed in your version or you able to pop rived and bolt the parts?
Do you have any drawings with materials take off and specific dimensions?
How is it working now that you have been using it for 3 years, would you make any design changes at this point?
Any information or feedback appreciated.

Thanks,
Paul
 
Back
Top