Add a spare tire!

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Fishkidz

New member
Joined
Mar 10, 2013
Messages
1
Within 2 weeks of buying our leaf, I ran over some unknown danger on the freeway and had to learn about the tire system. Nissan provides, in the trunk where the jack should be, a mini air compressor and bottle of tire slime to fill and "fix" the flat. Great idea, but didn't work on the large hole in my tire. To get to the dealer for a new tire before they closed, we took the tire off, bought a new one at the dealer, went back to our abandoned car and replaced the tire.

Warranty covers towing, not tire repair or replacing.
New tire: $146

Warranty doesn't cover new bottle of slime (not defective, just used up), so I ordered one today to be prepared for our next emergency
New slime: $181 !!!!

I guess that covers the towing "benefit"
 
Unfortunately many new cars today do not have a spare tire, even if there is a recessed well in the trunk for one. It's to save weight and money.

TonyWilliams came up with a spare tire solution that is modeled after the one used on the Australian-spec Leaf which does come with a factory spare:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=3972" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
$181 !!!!!? WTH!!!


For $235 I bought a spare, a Jack and all the tools to install it in my leaf without losing any trunk space!

Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/mhbds49" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sal





Fishkidz said:
Within 2 weeks of buying our leaf, I ran over some unknown danger on the freeway and had to learn about the tire system. Nissan provides, in the trunk where the jack should be, a mini air compressor and bottle of tire slime to fill and "fix" the flat. Great idea, but didn't work on the large hole in my tire. To get to the dealer for a new tire before they closed, we took the tire off, bought a new one at the dealer, went back to our abandoned car and replaced the tire.

Warranty covers towing, not tire repair or replacing.
New tire: $146

Warranty doesn't cover new bottle of slime (not defective, just used up), so I ordered one today to be prepared for our next emergency
New slime: $181 !!!!

I guess that covers the towing "benefit"
 
I second the request for a spare! It sucks the Leaf and a small subset of other cars (which also don't have run-flats) don't come with them. I've had plenty of flats over the course of my car ownership.

For the benefit of others here, http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9768" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; was were I learned about the Aussie Leafs coming w/a spare. Great title too!
 
I agree. The Leaf should have a spare. I don't care if the slime stuff is a "legal" solution. Slime is not as good as a real tire. The weight savings is not enough to justify not having a spare, I'm ok with 200 feet of less range. I will be implementing the solutions others have posted here, but it would be nice to not have to go thru the hassle.
 
If you have a 2013 with the 17" wheels I'm pretty sure these are the correct spares to get:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.X135%2F90%2F16&_nkw=135%2F90%2F16&_sacat=0&_from=R40" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

135/90/16

I will be getting one in the next couple of days and I'll post back with my results.
 
Fishkidz said:
Within 2 weeks of buying our leaf, I ran over some unknown danger on the freeway and had to learn about the tire system. Nissan provides, in the trunk where the jack should be, a mini air compressor and bottle of tire slime to fill and "fix" the flat. Great idea, but didn't work on the large hole in my tire. To get to the dealer for a new tire before they closed, we took the tire off, bought a new one at the dealer, went back to our abandoned car and replaced the tire.

Warranty covers towing, not tire repair or replacing.
New tire: $146

Warranty doesn't cover new bottle of slime (not defective, just used up), so I ordered one today to be prepared for our next emergency
New slime: $181 !!!!

I guess that covers the towing "benefit"
Did you bend over when you paid for that "slime"? I have a really nice bridge I'd like to sell you.....real cheap too! :roll:
 
RonDawg said:
Unfortunately many new cars today do not have a spare tire, even if there is a recessed well in the trunk for one. It's to save weight and money.

TonyWilliams came up with a spare tire solution that is modeled after the one used on the Australian-spec Leaf which does come with a factory spare:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=3972" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

really "many" can you please name 10 serious cars without a spare tire or RFT?
 
Astolfo said:
RonDawg said:
Unfortunately many new cars today do not have a spare tire, even if there is a recessed well in the trunk for one. It's to save weight and money.

TonyWilliams came up with a spare tire solution that is modeled after the one used on the Australian-spec Leaf which does come with a factory spare:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=3972" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

really "many" can you please name 10 serious cars without a spare tire or RFT?


BMW x-3

Other high end BMW's

Mini Cooper

The list goes on. These cars use heavy, crappy run-flat tires.
 
Astolfo said:
RonDawg said:
Unfortunately many new cars today do not have a spare tire, even if there is a recessed well in the trunk for one. It's to save weight and money.

really "many" can you please name 10 serious cars without a spare tire or RFT?

Before challenging me, you should have Googled first, because there are news articles out there that discuss the trend of manufacturers no longer including spare tires in their new cars, and substituting them with fix-a-flat kits:

http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/the-disappearing-spare-tire.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://autos.aol.com/article/spare-tires-not-standard-new-cars/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/20/business/la-fi-autos-spare-tires-20110620" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/No-spare-tire-Dont-get-surprised-170601006.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BTW the last article says "one out of seven cars sold today" in this country does not come with some sort of spare tire. As many cars as are sold in the US, that would fit my definition of "many."

But if you insist on a list, here it is at http://www.aaa.com/AAA/corpcomm/socialmedia/No_Spare-Tires.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which a simple Google search would have also yielded you. There's a lot more than 10 on that list in which a fix-a-flat kit is standard in lieu of a physical spare. Many of those same cars, particularly the lower end models, don't provide for some sort of physical spare or RFT as even a factory option.
 
RonDawg said:
TonyWilliams came up with a spare tire solution that is modeled after the one used on the Australian-spec Leaf which does come with a factory spare:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=3972" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Actually, I had this installed long before the Australian spec LEAF was released down-under. It's still sitting in my garage!
 
Hi, Has anyone simply cut a hole from the top of the trunk deck and put the spare in the hole from the top? It looks like there is room to do that thus avoiding having to access the spare from the bottom.
 
dosswelsh said:
Hi, Has anyone simply cut a hole from the top of the trunk deck and put the spare in the hole from the top? It looks like there is room to do that thus avoiding having to access the spare from the bottom.

Are you suggesting cutting a huge hole in the steel cargo area floor, and placing the spare in that, resting on the plastic rear diffuser? No, I don't think anyone has tried that one...
 
I did look into when I first got my Leaf with a body shop and it to do it right it would have cost about $1,000 - and that's a cash deal. It invloves getting a wheel well to fit, cutting the hole and welding it in place. I wound up just getting a real spare and fitting it into the trunk space with a false floor, as others have done.
 
Mustang hasn't come with a spare for several years. A guy at work has a 2010 or something and it has no spare, just slime.
 
BMW also dropped spare as it is waste of resources.
I've always told people to buy the spare and keep it home.
If flat happens on daily commute it is not hard to find a relative/friend
to bring the tire to you. If you have no friends then just call taxi/Uber.
For long trips just take the spare with you.

Trunk size doesn't really get smaller if you take spare with you.
Old bimmers with spare had trunk size reduced DUE to full size spare.


Fuel saving due to weight save is gigantic compare to once a lifetime situation.


I carry Leaf's compressor and bought this tool to fix the leak myself.
Fixing leak is easier (even for ladies) than changing the whole tire.

s-l225.jpg
 
I'm with Arnis.

I installed an Altima doughnut spare tire (under the trunk) on my 2011, and hauled it around for 5+yrs---never needed it. So, when I installed a bicycle carrier hitch last spring, I removed it and have it stored in the garage.
 
I repair my own flat tires. When I have time, I do it the right way, by taking the tire off the rim, and putting a large patch from the inside....

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...

You should never use "fixaflat"!! It destroys the inside of the tire.. Green Slime is ok because it is water soluble, and is easy to remove with a hose..
 
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