Add a spare tire!

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powersurge said:
With the Leaf, and other no-spare tire cars, I would recommend the following tire repair kit... Gloves, tire plugging kit (hole reamer, plug inserting tool, pack of plugs, and rubber cement), several flat screwdrivers and needle nose pliers (to pull out the screw or debris of the flat), and cigarette lighter air compressor. That will permanently repair a flat. It is not as good as the inside patch, but will do for most beginners at tire repair...

Why is inside patch better than plugging method?
I want to hear technical explanation between good and better?
 
Since a plug is forced in from the outside, it can possibly be pushed back out, even when glue is used. A patch is so much larger than the hole that it can't be forced out (although it can still come off) so it's more secure if done properly.
 
Actually pushing plug in is more likely than out. It is U-shape and the closed part is inside.
After the tool has been removed plug is much wider than the hole itself. It gets mushroom-like
from the inside. It could be pushed in if driven on another poking object at that specific location.
Luckily inflated tire pushes it out and I've never even heard that plugging has failed later.
It has leaked if hole preparation was done poorly. But it leaks pretty much immediately.
 
Yes, the last part of the repair, (a mechanic's secret) is to cut the leather plug tails 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the tire rubber with a very sharp razor blade....
 
So I ordered a used Spare 16” rim of Ebay so it will match the rims. I was wondering if the tire sensor monitoring system will work with the spare tire. I will rotate the tire in as this will maximize the tire mileage to 80,000. Currently at 64,647 miles on the tires. I need to get new tires soon and would get 5 tires. Any body have pics or their spare tire organizer tray.
 
LeftieBiker said:
If you get the same size tire that's going to eat up your cargo space.

Totally agree. If I really wanted to have a spare with me, I would do the spare tire mod that this guy did:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=14081
 
And today, years after this thread began, even more vehicles come without spare tires. Early into my LEAF ownership I too was concerned about not having a spare so I bought one...full tire and wheel same as one of the car wheels and tire. I thought this to be a better solution than the slime can. At any rate, haven’t used the spare, the slime, or anything else, knock on wood.

One other data point about spares: my 2018 Model 3 came with no spare, no compressor, no compressed air can, no slime, no jack, no lug wrench, and no apologies. Model 3 forum members suggest carrying a plug kit, needle nose pliers, flathead screwdriver, and gloves, given that for a quick repair the tire does not need to be removed from the vehicle so no jack needed. That may be the best solution for a LEAF as well if you don’t have the spare and jack.

As to spares...I see a trend here. Spares? Dodo birds? Dinosaurs? Coincidence?
 
One other data point about spares: my 2018 Model 3 came with no spare, no compressor, no compressed air can, no slime, no jack, no lug wrench, and no apologies. Model 3 forum members suggest carrying a plug kit, needle nose pliers, flathead screwdriver, and gloves, given that for a quick repair the tire does not need to be removed from the vehicle so no jack needed. That may be the best solution for a LEAF as well if you don’t have the spare and jack.

The above kit likely won't be a lot of help without a portable compressor.
 
LeftieBiker said:
One other data point about spares: my 2018 Model 3 came with no spare, no compressor, no compressed air can, no slime, no jack, no lug wrench, and no apologies. Model 3 forum members suggest carrying a plug kit, needle nose pliers, flathead screwdriver, and gloves, given that for a quick repair the tire does not need to be removed from the vehicle so no jack needed. That may be the best solution for a LEAF as well if you don’t have the spare and jack.

The above kit likely won't be a lot of help without a portable compressor.
Good catch, thanks. Agree for sure.
 
SalisburySam said:
LeftieBiker said:
One other data point about spares: my 2018 Model 3 came with no spare, no compressor, no compressed air can, no slime, no jack, no lug wrench, and no apologies. Model 3 forum members suggest carrying a plug kit, needle nose pliers, flathead screwdriver, and gloves, given that for a quick repair the tire does not need to be removed from the vehicle so no jack needed. That may be the best solution for a LEAF as well if you don’t have the spare and jack.

The above kit likely won't be a lot of help without a portable compressor.
Good catch, thanks. Agree for sure.


Also won't be a help if you get a sidewall tear. :D
 
I'm going to take leaf to the junk yard tomorrow along with a hydraulic jack, some wood, jack stands and get a full size spare or 2.
I always keep a tire iron handy incase I encounter a loose nut that need to be torqued.

In the gasser car we usually take the factory doughnut kit and a full size spare on long trips.
 
While you're there, look at the Altima donut spare referenced earlier in this topic. It's larger than you'd expect - I'd call it 3/4 size, not tiny like they usually are. If you were near me I'd sell you mine cheap.
 
I'm about to go there now.
So an altama spare?
Last time I was there there were several altamas, all made with in the last 10 to 12 years.

The junk yard will practically give me a doughnut spare.
 
Well most of the nissan cars at the junkyard that were there last time are gone.
All I was able to get was one ruined spare.
The tire was starting to tread seperate so it was $2.
I bought a new 135/70R16 spare tire off ebay for $72.
The tire shop wanted $180 plus tax for that tire.
One of the concerns I had with getting a used spare tire was what kind of abuse it may have endured and it's age. Getting a junk spare wheel and putting a new tire on it works for me.
Such as, its supposed to have 60psi in it but no one put air in it since it left the factory so it has 20psi in it when it gets put on the hub and driven on.
 
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