Spare Tire on 2015 model

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key5000

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Messages
16
Location
Anaheim, CA
As we all know, Leaf does not have spare tire, if your tire get flat then you either tow it to the shop or use "Fix a tire" kit that included into the Leaf. If you use "Fix a Tire" then you have to pay hundred dollars to replace the tire sensor and cleanup afterward.

After doing some research online, I finally install a spare tire in the trunk. The total cost is less than $70

Below is instruction on how to: ( I assumed that you know how to remove the plastic cover underneath the trunk, I will not discussing this)

Parts:
- $15 for new spare tire size 135-90-16 (Nissan Altima year 2000 and up) from Pick Your Part (http://www.lkqpickyourpart.com/locations/LKQ_Pick_Your_Part_-_Anaheim-265/). You can also get it from Ebay for $80
- $15 for Wing nut, screw, washer, bracket and hook from Home Depot
- $12 for 4'x8' wood board (the one that home builder use on the roof) at HD
- $2 for 2"x4" wood
- $20 Jack from Amazon for Harbor Freight

Instruction:

1- Cut 3 pieces of 2"x4" to the size of spare tire high (when lay flat on ground) then position the wood and mark it as below
20150809_083151_zps6teoiosg.jpg

20150809_083234_zps3yjtjog4.jpg

20150809_083220_zpseuzjp4i7.jpg

20150809_083243_zpsoukiypmq.jpg


2- Using small drill bit to drill the hole through mat floor and metal trunk.
3- Using "Drywall" screw or any screw that you may have then go under the trunk to screw up from the hole that you just drilled. The goal is you want to secure 3 pieces of 2x4 down to the floor mat and car trunk. The final will look like the first picture.
4- Now drill 2 hole (I think this is 3/8 bold)
20150809_083151_zps6teoiosg.jpg

20150809_083317_zps6hynvtdd.jpg

20150809_090737_zpsglvxjyid.jpg

[imghttp://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u489/key50001/Nissan_Leaf/20150809_090759_zpsnmbedupc.jpg[/img]
20150809_090815_zpsgtt6egrg.jpg


5- The final will look like this:
20150809_084023_zpso0xbcxrh.jpg


6- Lay the trunk cover mat on 4'x8' wood board and get the size of it then cut so it can look like this:
20150809_083547_zpsuk75vdrv.jpg

20150809_083625_zpsbfzb0xmg.jpg


7- Now, install the wood board in step 6 back to the trunk and secure it.
20150809_110354_zps1ynuelml.jpg


8- Spare tire project is now completed, The tire is secured into the car floor by two 3/8" bold and the wood board is secured into the tire
20150809_110646_zpscripeqdo.jpg

20150809_113627_zps8homuabr.jpg


You now have "Hidden" space under "Leaf" mat to store jack and other stuff by open the round cut or the "Door" at left
The tire is secured into the car floor by two 3/8" bold and the wood board is secured into the tire
 
There is already a topic - or two - on this. I used the existing drain hole in the bottom of the rear cargo area: there is a rubber grommet in it, which I removed and drilled (it's much easier to replace or repair a grommet than a hole in the metal floor, if you lease the car) so I could maneuver a piece of folded drilled steel strap into the hole, which I then used to secure a J-bolt to hold the wheel in place. You don't want the spare to be loose in the rear of the car, as it can and will become a projectile in a crash. If you search "spare" here you should find the topics. The Altima spare I used is quite large for a donut, and it required that I remove the bolts that hold the Bose subwoofer in place - those can be slightly relocated with little brackets.

You can use the existing rear cargo mat as a template, for both a plywood spare cover and another piece of indoor-outdoor carpeting to protect the area. I found it was easiest to cut the wood cover at one end to get it in, so I hinged it and made a little access door to the space alongside the spare.
 
key5000 said:
Help, I can't get image to show up on my post
Here is what I did: place my "OneDrive" image link between


https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=d8eaef2b79feeffc&id=D8EAEF2B79FEEFFC%218788&sff=1


Nice job going in the cargo area, I'm on the fence of mounting in the cargo, or under the bottom.
 
I did it in the cargo area - it's a lot easier to get the tire when you need it and unless you routinely pack a lot of things in the trunk, the loss of space is no big deal.
 
Nice job going in the cargo area, I'm on the fence of mounting in the cargo, or under the bottom

If you install the tire under the bottom then it may take you at least 30 mins to get spare tire (remove all the nuts and plastic cover then lower the tire. Also, when install spare tire, you need to jack the tire up or have another person lift it up so you can screw the tire under the trunk.

For this setup, it only take me 2 mins to have the tire ready for replace.
 
I was thinking about doing something like this as well, but 90% of the time my wife is driving the car. So she wouldn't know how to change it anyways. Probably just have her call for a tow.
 
tkdbrusco said:
I was thinking about doing something like this as well, but 90% of the time my wife is driving the car. So she wouldn't know how to change it anyways. Probably just have her call for a tow.

Most tow truck drivers will also change the tire instead, if you have a spare. It's quicker to have AAA put the spare on than to tow the car.
 
What a waste of everything. Leaf will almost never be too far from home.
There are always people around.
Just keep the spare at home. And the jack. Also own a cellphone.
Nothing else does one need.

That one time you will need it during the whole lifetime of the vehicle... ahh. I'll not talk about that.
 
arnis said:
What a waste of everything. Leaf will almost never be too far from home.
There are always people around.
Just keep the spare at home. And the jack. Also own a cellphone.
Nothing else does one need.

That one time you will need it during the whole lifetime of the vehicle... ahh. I'll not talk about that.

IMO, if you don't have spare tire then the car need to be towed or you have to ask someone to drive you home to get spare tire, it is time consuming.

With spare tire in the trunk, it only take 15 minutes then you are back on the road.

My 2 cent.....
 
arnis said:
What a waste of everything. Leaf will almost never be too far from home.
There are always people around.
Just keep the spare at home. And the jack. Also own a cellphone.
Nothing else does one need.
arnis said:
That one time you will need it during the whole lifetime of the vehicle... ahh. I'll not talk about that.


Cause you'll always get a hold of someone inside of 60 miles from home at zero dark thirty in the rain.....
some people are living in a bubble full of rainbows and unicorns
 
key5000 said:
arnis said:
What a waste of everything. Leaf will almost never be too far from home.
There are always people around.
Just keep the spare at home. And the jack. Also own a cellphone.
Nothing else does one need.

That one time you will need it during the whole lifetime of the vehicle... ahh. I'll not talk about that.

IMO, if you don't have spare tire then the car need to be towed or you have to ask someone to drive you home to get spare tire, it is time consuming.

With spare tire in the trunk, it only take 15 minutes then you are back on the road.

My 2 cent.....

Like I said it will happen once during the ownership. And this DIY takes more than 15 minutes to do. More like a day or two.
15 minutes is pointless. If you are in a hurry take a taxi. If not call friends or somebody at home.
 
Like I said it will happen once during the ownership. And this DIY takes more than 15 minutes to do. More like a day or two.
15 minutes is pointless. If you are in a hurry take a taxi. If not call friends or somebody at home.

There are people here who get flats regularly, from bad roads. There are others, like me, who rarely get them but have bad enough luck not to trust in statistics. As for my particular spare installation, that took a total of maybe three hours of unrushed work, plus the effort involved in getting the donut delivered from an Ebay seller.

BTW, when my lease is up I will probably sell my Altima spare, as my next Leaf will likely be an SV with 17" wheels. The Altima spare I have is a little big, and would fit best in a Leaf with no Bose subwoofer. I should just let most of the air out of it and rely on the pump, but again, my luck...
 
arnis said:
If not call friends or somebody at home.

You're also assuming that you will have a flat tire somewhere where there is reliable mobile phone reception. I live in the second-most-populous region of the United States, and there are "dead spots" everywhere thanks to the terrain and what we call "NIMBYs" (Not In My Back Yard) who fight installation of more cellular towers to address poor coverage zones. That same opposition to additional infrastructure also means network congestion, so even if you can get a signal, if the network is overloaded with users you may experience a delay being able to call someone.

In the US, the pay telephone is a severely endangered species thanks to cheap cell phones, so you can't rely on those anymore even if you think you can get to one.
 
Great work on the spare tire job! :)

My only question is, can someone confirm the 16" emergency spare from an Altima (135-90-16) will also work on the Leaf with 17" rims (in our case, a '16 SL)?

I have tried searching the board and cannot find a definitive answer.

I want to pick up a spare to keep in the garage, but just wondering if a 16" spare will work, and not cause issues with the traction control or anything else...

Thanks!

Kevin
 
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