Leaf down pothole takes out front & rear drivers side tires

[TomT]

Out of curiosity, what was the alignment settings before and after? I'm curious how much, if any, it threw it out of alignment.

Leaf is back up and running, hurray...!
Front & rear wheel alignment was performed

 

[planet4ever]

A tire is like a balloon: it's easier to squish an underinflated balloon. Overinflation probably helps a tire resist deformation (at the expense of comfort, and possibly more wear in the center of the tread).

Also just out of curiosity, what kind of damage does a pothole typically do to a tire? I would assume the damage is done after the tire enters the pothole, and as it encounters the sharp edge trying to leave it. Is it a matter of pinching and tearing the sidewall, or does it actually slice through the belts under the tread? If you will pardon the pun, I could see your explanation cutting both ways. Sidewall failure would seem more likely at a low pressure, but tread failure would seem more likely at a high pressure, since the tire can't deform as much to absorb the energy.

Ray

 

[DannyAmes]

Out of curiosity, what was the alignment settings before and after? I'm curious how much, if any, it threw it out of alignment.

Leaf is back up and running, hurray...!
Front & rear wheel alignment was performed

Very good question and my paper work does not seem to indicate any amount one way or the other on the alignment.
I'll call the tire shop and try and figure it out. I would have spoken to the guy who did the work but he left by the time I came near closing time to retrieve the Leaf.

 

[ERG4ALL]

Speaking of alignment, some have complained about "road feel". I was wondering if maybe the LEAF has much less "toe in" on the front wheels than an ICE car. This would improve range at the expense of more "wandering" feel especially in high winds. Anybody have a shop manual to confirm the toe in? :?:

 

[DannyAmes]

Well it cost $390 to replace and align the two tires, what a drag!
Here is the alignment data:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/195/leafalignment.jpg/

Danny

 

[adrianco]

Less than a week after we picked up our Leaf, I ran over some metal debris on Sunday 3rd of July and ripped a big hole in the inner side wall on the right rear. After trying to inflate it using the fix a flat kit (I couldn't see how big the hole was) I gave up and drove home slowly, less than a mile.

I took the wheel off and called around, found that the Firestone tire shop in Campbell CA was open at 7:30am on 4th July, and had a tire in stock. Including fitting, tax etc. it came to a little under $200, however we were able to run the car in the local 'hood 4th of July parade later that day.

 

[thups]

Get a distressed call from the wife today while taking kids to school this morning.
She informs me, "I went through a pothole and I have two flat tires". I'm like oh crap I know these Leaf tires are not readily available and did not have enough time to check all the tire dealers in my area and sure enough their going to take 2 days and now going into the weekend really bites as it will be Monday when the tires are delivered and fixed hopefully. It would be nice to have found out in-advance who has these specific tires so if one ends up in a similar dilemma you can decide where to have your Leaf towed, but time was running out.
She claims she was not going fast around 25 MPH. I took some pictures and have filed a report with the county that has jurisdiction of the roadway and also will file a claim. I hope in the future more tire centers stock these 205/55R16 Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 tires I know with Tirerack they want $208.41 with shipping. The tire repair guy is upfront and says he's charging me 20 extra per tire and that checks out. Hopefully the tire pressure sensors aren't damaged. Should know more on Monday when they spin up the new tires and check everything. At leasts I know the low tire pressure alert works.

Had a similiar issue but with no potholes, it might have slighly touched the side walk as I was oulling out after dropping off my kid at school and there was a big gash on the tire and it went flat within minutes...only with 2K miles on it waited over 90 minutes for a tow truck and since the dealer did not carry the same tire had to call costco, researve a smiliar size and ended up spending $160 + something plsy 6 hours of my day wasted waiting on the phone, waiting for a towe truck and than waiting again at costco.....however Nissan CSR has been nice enough atleast listen and since I have send in the receipt and plus pics I am hoping for a positive outcome......however, now this is an additonal anxiety on top of the mileage.... I mean I have a honda and a toyota and never had tire issues so soon.....

 

[EricBayArea]

Where:
The location is in California near Candlestick park of San Francisco on a road used by fans typically leaving the park that would need to head back into San Francisco, its a short bit of road called Harney Way, it is the road that leads you to Hwy 101 north bound (AKA Bayshore Fwy on this section) the pothole is on the left side of the road it is about 2 tenths of a mile before you loop up and around onto the freeway on ramp.

Hey Danny, sorry to hear about this. I was trying to find where it was. Were you heading back to get on 101 North?

Was this the pothole?

 

[kballs]

Had a similiar issue but with no potholes, it might have slighly touched the side walk as I was oulling out after dropping off my kid at school and there was a big gash on the tire and it went flat within minutes...only with 2K miles on it waited over 90 minutes for a tow truck and since the dealer did not carry the same tire had to call costco, researve a smiliar size and ended up spending $160 + something plsy 6 hours of my day wasted waiting on the phone, waiting for a towe truck and than waiting again at costco.....however Nissan CSR has been nice enough atleast listen and since I have send in the receipt and plus pics I am hoping for a positive outcome......however, now this is an additonal anxiety on top of the mileage.... I mean I have a honda and a toyota and never had tire issues so soon.....

I barely brushed a curb and gashed the sidewall pretty deeply. I replaced the tires with Goodyear triple treads and have had several light curb brushes with no more than surface scuffs. I gained some tire noise but didn't lose any noticeable range and the tires handle better and seem more durable.

 

[Herm]

These are the drawbacks of lightweight fuel saver tires... or in the case of the Leaf, kWh saver tires.

 

[planet4ever]

I barely brushed a curb and gashed the sidewall pretty deeply. I replaced the tires with Goodyear triple treads and have had several light curb brushes with no more than surface scuffs. I gained some tire noise but didn't lose any noticeable range and the tires handle better and seem more durable.

I hit a curb hard and split a sidewall. I replaced the tire with the same type, but the lesson I learned was stay well away from curbs!

 

[TomT]

Based on a number of factors and experiences, when it came time to replace the tires on the Leaf, I'd go with something other than the EP422s...

 

[Caracalover]

When talking tires and driving, we should all remember the weight of this vehicle. It is not as light as what you may be used to driving, even though it drives the same or better.

When it hits something, it hits it hard. Damage to both the vehicle and whatever you come into contact with will be greater, even at low speeds.

 

[curtegg]

Time for some curb feelers :mrgreen:

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=curb+feelers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[kballs]

Time for some curb feelers :mrgreen:

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=curb+feelers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These would be very useful (even better would be slot car side wheels so you could use curbs to steer :lol, as would spring-loaded steel bumpers, and those poles they mount on the front/rear corners of cars in Japan so you can see where the corners are on these curvy car bodies. Of course are you willing to sacrifice looks, vanity, and sometimes functionality for pure durability?

 

[HighDesertDriver]

A tire is like a balloon: it's easier to squish an underinflated balloon. Overinflation probably helps a tire resist deformation (at the expense of comfort, and possibly more wear in the center of the tread).

Also just out of curiosity, what kind of damage does a pothole typically do to a tire? I would assume the damage is done after the tire enters the pothole, and as it encounters the sharp edge trying to leave it. Is it a matter of pinching and tearing the sidewall, or does it actually slice through the belts under the tread? If you will pardon the pun, I could see your explanation cutting both ways. Sidewall failure would seem more likely at a low pressure, but tread failure would seem more likely at a high pressure, since the tire can't deform as much to absorb the energy.
Ray

I know from three hard-luck pothole experiences that the tire sidewalk can get pinched and cut between the wheel rim and the edge of the pavement. Bad hits with a steel wheel will curl the rim.

 

[DannyAmes]

Where:
The location is in California near Candlestick park of San Francisco on a road used by fans typically leaving the park that would need to head back into San Francisco, its a short bit of road called Harney Way, it is the road that leads you to Hwy 101 north bound (AKA Bayshore Fwy on this section) the pothole is on the left side of the road it is about 2 tenths of a mile before you loop up and around onto the freeway on ramp.

Hey Danny, sorry to hear about this. I was trying to find where it was. Were you heading back to get on 101 North?

Was this the pothole?

Yes, that's the one. SF patched it almost the day after I alerted them and filed a claim, which they paid almost 3/4 of the bill.

 

[baumgrenze]

I hope this is not seen as 'off topic.'

In 2004, I took my brand new Prius to my son's house and pulled into his driveway. He had been working on a fence and had cut 2x4 up on his driveway, including several pieces cut at 45 degrees from the ends of 2x4's. I hit one of those 'just right' and a sharp edge flipped up and cut through the sidewall. My Toyota dealer would not file a claim with the Cross Country Motor Club that then provided new Prius owner's with Toyota supported roadside assistance. The same firm is now under contract with Nissan for Leaf owners. My dealer charged $158 to find, mount, and balance a 'matching' tire for me (they were "Goodyear Integrity's) and the new one was 'made in the USA' while the OEM's were 'made in Japan.' Unlike in the 1950, that meant that they lasted a whole lot longer as time went by.) Cross Country cut me a check for $150 because they had a 'road hazard' clause in their contract with Toyota.

I'm doomed to repeat things. I'm not at all clear about the cause, but within 18 hours of taking delivery of my 2012 Leaf, my car was towed back to the dealership this morning with a flat that was leaking flat in 5 minutes through the sidewall. The damage this time is $172 and change out the door. I plan on calling Cross Country tomorrow morning to ask if that proviso is still a part of 'their plan.'

A friend saw the tow being prepared and asked if he could help. He was once an Oldsmobile salesman. When he learned that there was not jack/spare, he walked off muttering "they'll never get me to pay good money for one of those things." I appreciate that weight and space are at a premium in the Leaf, but I would try to figure out how to make a jack/spare 'an option' for those who really don't plan on fitting luggage/golf clubs into the car. Have any members put effort into determining if a jack and workable donut spare can be fit into a Leaf? If so, where are the jack points? I appreciate that Nissan's engineers 'want to do it all' and that they consider 'changing a tire' a task suitable only for a professional (read the manual.) Full acceptance over time will require a bit of bending of this attitude.

From a sadder but wiser,

baumgrenze

 

[lpickup]

I appreciate that Nissan's engineers 'want to do it all' and that they consider 'changing a tire' a task suitable only for a professional (read the manual.) Full acceptance over time will require a bit of bending of this attitude.

That's definitely a bummer. I hope I don't jinx myself by posting here!

Despite what the manual says and your personal experience, I suspect another reason for not including the spare is simply the rarity of the event. In 28 years of driving, in 8 different vehicles, and probably approaching a half million miles, I've only had to change one tire, and that was on my first car (a 76 Bonneville). It's not that I haven't had flats! Mounting tires on my 240SX was so tricky apparently that until I found a good shop I would routinely get one flat each time I changed over between snows and regular tires because they didn't get a proper bead. With that care I carried a bicycle pump around with me to pump up the tire allowing me to drive to a shop (it would hold long enough). My current sedan has been plagued with tire issues. Once we got a warning through the TPMS and I filled the tires with air figuring they were just a little low on pressure. It seemed to hold okay and we thought all was fine. We actually drove to Miami (850 miles) with no issues and parked the car at the cruise ship terminal. When we got back a week later, the TPMS was again on. Tire was not actually flat (just low pressure) so we drove to a convenience store and filled the tire back up and drove home (another 850 miles). Yeah, I know in hindsight this sounds really stupid, but at the time it just looked to us like a typical "getting colder so the tire pressure fell" scenario, at least until finding low pressure after a week in Miami, but the tire pressure hadn't fallen enough then (after driving 850 miles and sitting for a week) to cause undue concern. Anyway after getting back home I decided to have the tire looked at and sure enough they pulled out a humongous drywall screw out of the tire! The Phillips head was still there but after 1700 miles was quite well worn! It actually happened a second time on this car (without the long trip). Both times the tire was repaired.

Getting the spare out of our Dodge Caravan looks so complicated and difficult (from the inside you have to lower it onto the ground underneath the car and then drag it out from between the driver and passenger seats) that unless conditions were perfect and I was on a lightly traveled road, I'd probably call AAA anyway just to not have to deal with it, even though I know how to do it.

So it doesn't really bother me personally that the LEAF does not come with a spare. I guess I'll take my chances, which I think are pretty good (knock on wood). Having said that, I also understand why this would be a show stopper for other people. But just like the whole range issue, I think statistically most people will never need the spare.

 

[Drivesolo]

The lack of a spare tire is not specific to the Leaf. It is becoming a common trend w/ automotive manufacturers. It originally started w/ high-end performance cars but is now commonly found in some relatively common passenger cars (i.e: Mini Clubman). I was at the Seattle international autoshow last month and was surprised at how many 2012 models have no longer have the spare. This is probably a trend in the industry as tire pressure sensors become more common. Most flats tend to start out as a small penetration of a screw, or nail picked up by the tire and starts to deflate slowly over time, TPSs increases your chances of being aware of that before a completely flat tire becomes an issue. Most drives in the Leaf will be less than 1 hr. It will be rare that someone will ever encounter a flat in a Leaf in some unknown area more than 50 miles from either their home or their destination.

Also a good portion of the driving public is incapable of the act of changing out a flat (physical limitations and/or knowledge limitations) so a spare is increasingly becoming extra weight and an expense that will probably be phased out in some models over time.