Spare Tire Solution?

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.

PianoAl

Well-known member
Joined
May 16, 2016
Messages
239
I want to have a better flat-tire solution than the tire gunk sealant system that comes with my car.

Anyone have a good solution? I'd be willing to have a compact spare tire in the back all the time. I understand they won't work on the front wheels, but I could move the tires around in case of a flat in the front.

Thanks.
 
I bought a tire plug kit.
Slime 1034-A T-Handle Tire Plug Kit

I actually used it on my minivan when I ran over a screw. You should get a proper patch done afterwards, but these things actually work very well by themselves for puncture wounds in the tread. Since the Leaf comes with a small portable compressor, this is a pretty good solution if you don't want to carry a full spare.

I also bought a scissor jack to keep in the car.
 
Thanks. Here it is without the highlights:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=14737&p=332781

Looking on eBay, I see donut tires for 2016 Leafs for $200. For 2011-2015 they cost $89, and Altima spares cost $47.

Will some of these only work on the rear?
 
I had the same concern. I found a person selling a set of four used 16" wheels and used tires and bought them. Now I have extra. It is a full-size tire on a normal Nissan rim and fits my Leaf perfectly, front and back. I am in New Hampshire. Please contact me by private message if you are interested in one of these.

Bob
 
I have a full size wheel (16 inch with Ecopia) and tire that I keep in my workshop garage. I carry two different tubeless tire repair kits (one with long string plugs and one with round mushroom-shaped plugs and insertion tool). The mushroom plugs make a permanent repair of a nail hole in the tread area and several string plugs can be used together with lots of glue to make a very temporary repair of a cut in the sidewall or tread area. The compressor that comes with the car works well by itself, but I will never use the sealer bottle that comes with it. If I cannot plug a flat, I will call Nissan Roadside Service and have them tow the car to my workshop garage. After the three-year free roadside service expires, I will start carrying a donut spare and jack.

Gerry
 
Got a newish donut spare from a local junk yard ("We call that a bagel spare" says the guy who sells 'kosher' used parts) for $50 taken off a Nissan Altima with the proper rim specs - 16x4, 66.1 mm hole, 5 bolts at 114.3 mm ("We call that 4.5 inches"). The guy jacked up my Leaf and demonstrated that the donut spare cleared the larger brake calipers of the front wheels. A perfect fit.

I keep it in my basement. The donut has the benefit that my DW can easily lift it if she's the person who brings it to where I sit with a flat. The small scissors jack from my deceased 1997 Toyota Camry fits perfectly in the Leaf's conspicuously empty space for a jack. I also carry the Slime tire patch kit as a first defense.

My notion is that my Leaf is our second car for local use. I can use Uber or a taxi to get home to get the donut if need be. (My 2012 is too old for the three year FREE Nissan road side assistance.)

Thanks to all the posters who've convinced me to never use the sealant provided by Nissan since it'll take out a $180 Tire Pressure Monitoring System and the hose of the neat 12 volt air pump ($200 with new sealant). FWIW, the jar of sealant in my 2012 Leaf has an expiration date of 11/2016. I see no threads of folks rushing out to replace their expired sealant, LOL.

Edit: Corrected cut-and-paste typo to Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensor
 
I found a new Alloy Nissan Altima Spare on Ebay for $75. It is very lightweight considering the small size and alloy wheel. I bought it specifically for my wife to be sure she can handle it easily in case of a flat. Plus it has the benefit of not rusting. I also told her, "If we buy a spare and carry it with us, we will never have a flat. If we don't have one Murphy will make sure we have several." :D So far this has been true.

It looks like this one one Ebay and I had it checked out to be sure it will work front and back without a problem. http://www.ebay.com/itm/WHEEL-2009-NISSAN-ALTIMA-HYBRID-16X4-SPARE-HYBRID-/262075756866
 
I have a Leaf with 17" wheels and want to buy a space saver (temporary) spare. I'll try junkyards first.
Anybody have any idea which Temp wheels from other Nissans will fit a 2015 Leaf with 17" Wheels?
Thanks
 
Can't help with the 17" but I got a 16" donut spare from a Nissan Altima. I think any recent Nissan will use the same bolt pattern, center bore, etc. The key is the offset and to make sure it fits over the brake calipers. Steel wheels usually don't have issues hitting the caliper and the offsets for various models can be found on the websites of various wheels sellers.
 
Did quick search on EBay for a spare to fit my 2020 Leaf.
Program there led me to a (corporate?) seller offering one they said would fit,
but it is a "135/70R16" and my Leaf uses 17" (215/50 R17).

Are they mistaken, or can such a 16" one work (at least for short distance)?

(Local salvage yard near me found a 17x4 spare from A Toyota Camry: close, but does not seem to go on completely.)
 
It would probably fit an S or S+ - they come with the old 16" wheels. (AFAIK the newest Leafs also still use the old 17" wheels.) As for whether or not the 16" wheel would work for short distances: maybe, but what if you have to drive much farther than expected with it? What you'd need to do is determine the actual height of that spare, and if it's close to that of the 17" tires, decide if you want to do this experiment...
 
17" spare out of a Rogue might work; i got a 16" from an Altima for $35 at the salvage yard, works great on a 2012 laef.

4.5" bolt circle.

The rear brakes probably won't be as large as the front.
 
A related question, which jack are you using that is light and compact to carry yet strong enough to lift the heavier LEAF?

I have a scissor jack leftover from my totaled 2015 Subaru Outback. It says 1000 lbs max on it. Checked Outback specs vs LEAF specs and I'm seeing total weight shown as 3593 lbs vs 3934 lbs (LEAF). Assuming the scissor jack needs to be rated only about 1/4 of the total car weight I think my 1000 lbs jack should be ok but wanted to seek input from the more experienced on this matter.

Apologies if this is off topic for this thread. Happy to take it to a new one but thought its related. Thanks for any inputs you might have.
 
It will work fine to lift one wheel to put on the spare. Good support and alignment is important for scissor jacks--don't use it in mud/soft dirt, or on an incline as a weight shift could kick it out from under. Carry a short piece of wide lumber to give you a flat surface for alignment and support.
 
Back
Top