Spare Tire ?

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NNichols

Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
11
Location
Rochester, NY
I went to the dealership and took the test drive. I was perplexed at the absence of a spare tire or a donut.

All they offered was the Tirefix can as a backup. These cans of tirefix will ruin the balance in a tire if used.. Bad solution.

What has been others experience??


Nichols
Rochester, NY
 
Hi Rochester;

LOTS of discussion on here and solutions for the spare tire.
Many other countries Leaf's are equipped with spares.
Check out these threads as a start.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=14737&hilit=spare+tire" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=14081&p=320421&hilit=cost+of+a+flat+tire#p320421" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13683&p=312155&hilit=cost+of+a+flat+tire#p312155" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I personally have spares but do not carry one with me, but I do have a $10 plug kit and have used the supplied inflator without the goop.
 
Unfortunately the Leaf is not the only new car without a spare tire. Manufacturers have been slowly doing away with it, even if the car has ample room for one. They say it's to save weight, but it's also to save money.

The fix-a-flat's main drawback is not so much affecting tire/wheel balance, but that it ruins the TPMS sensor, forcing you to buy another one.
 
I used to think that the car companies were just being cheap by supplying only the space saver spares, but I've rethought the issue. It has been over 30 years since I've needed a spare, and I drive over 25,000 miles a year. To me, they are just added cost and weight, and I don't miss the lack of a spare in the LEAF at all.
By the way, welcome to the Rochester LEAF community!!!!
 
ranss12 said:
I used to think that the car companies were just being cheap by supplying only the space saver spares, but I've rethought the issue. It has been over 30 years since I've needed a spare, and I drive over 25,000 miles a year. To me, they are just added cost and weight, and I don't miss the lack of a spare in the LEAF at all.

If you live in an area where telephonic (whether landline or cellular) contact to roadside assistance is feasible, then you won't necessarily need a spare. But even then, you could be experiencing long delays if the weather is bad. Another member mentioned that during the recent Texas ice storm, he experienced a long delay in just getting an ambulance, so you can imagine how long a tow truck will show up given the increases in car accidents and dead batteries.
 
RonDawg said:
ranss12 said:
I used to think that the car companies were just being cheap by supplying only the space saver spares, but I've rethought the issue. It has been over 30 years since I've needed a spare, and I drive over 25,000 miles a year. To me, they are just added cost and weight, and I don't miss the lack of a spare in the LEAF at all.

If you live in an area where telephonic (whether landline or cellular) contact to roadside assistance is feasible, then you won't necessarily need a spare. But even then, you could be experiencing long delays if the weather is bad. Another member mentioned that during the recent Texas ice storm, he experienced a long delay in just getting an ambulance, so you can imagine how long a tow truck will show up given the increases in car accidents and dead batteries.

These issues all revolve around how much faith you put in other people serving you on demand when your choices are limited. Many folks are happy to make little preparation for adverse conditions in life, and are happy to just dial 911 or an 800 number when something bad happens. When the crap really hits the fan, it doesn't dawn on them that they just might have to rely on themselves. What if your mobile phone didn't work?

I needed a tow truck for my car last winter, and because there was a snow storm (in San Diego county, California), the tow truck didn't show for about 5 hours while I sat and froze in the cold. If we had an earthquake, I would imagine worse results.

Flat tires are common, whether you individually have had a flat tire or not. I personally don't want to rely (or even wait) for somebody to change my tire. That's different than somebody who physically can't change a tire.

There's no reason that Nissan can't make the spare tire optional here in the USA, since it's already offered on the car elsewhere.
 
RonDawg said:
Unfortunately the Leaf is not the only new car without a spare tire. Manufacturers have been slowly doing away with it, even if the car has ample room for one. They say it's to save weight, but it's also to save money.
Got that right.

A fully tricked out Tesla P85+ Model S at >120K does not include a spare - not even a pump and goo kit that the LEAF gets.
And, there are two trunks.
 
Another thing to think about is when was the last time you check the air pressure in your spare? I bet 75% of the spare tires in people trunks are flat.
 
I helped a LEAF owner pump up his flat with the in-car compressor and sealant. Not only did he have to replace the tire anyway (due to the temporary nature of the sealant), the cost to replace the can of sealant exceeded the cost he would have had to pay for a service call to tow him in or to take his flat tire in for a proper repair.
 
Just thought I'd mention what I have done so far - I got a nice jack, which I actually used to successfully jack up the car, at Harbor Freight for $20 ( 1.5 ton scissors jack ). I also bought a tire repair kit at Home Depot for $8. I also bought a can of Fix-a-flat, which says on the can that it is safe for the TPMS sensors - I am afraid that the goop that comes with the car will ruin them per many discussions in the forums here. I also noticed that they sell Green Slime products which also guarantee they will not damage the sensors. BTW, you can also buy the same type of kit the car comes with ( bottle of goop with 12V inflator ) at Home Depot - both Fix-a-flat and Green slime brands, for about $35. Replacement bottle of goop is only $15.
 
Has anyone gone with run flat tires when that time comes? I'm right about there and on the fence about getting a small spare and 4 inexpensive tires or buying 4 run flats with no spare. Thanks for everyone's thoughts.
 
My Mercedes B came with run flats. No problems when it was totaled at 8193 miles. They are expensive to replace and the ride was harsher. With my limited driving I did not plan to replace them at lease turn in. I had fourteen months left.
 
My wife's hands are so small she can't get the lids off of jars, much less get a spare tire on a car. So I just got AAA. The last time a got a flat I actually got two flats.

If the slime is so expensive, could a can of generic slime work just as well? I've also used those tire plugs several times with no problems on other vehicles.

I do like the idea of a spare. But I have lots of reasons not to get one and only one to get one.

I might get one some day. I'd also like to get a set of rims with snow tires. I could just their a snow tires in the trunk for just-in-case.

I just did a 180 mile trip and my brother followed me the whole way in his Xterra in case I need a tow.
 
This year is my 43rd year driving. I am also a home mechanic during that time. FORGET RUN FLAT TIRES.. THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT..

SPARE TIRE - Although a spare (or a doughnut) is nice as OEM, no one is stopping you from getting your own spare or doughnut from a junkyard. Changing a spare tire involve heavy physical exertion, getting overheated (or cold), and possibly bruising your hands, so I would not recommend the spare tire route to women or older people.... If you get a spare tire, you also need an "X" lug wrench (because an OEM tire iron is worthless), and a "rolling floor jack" (because the OEM jack is worthless), and gloves. If you do not have a spare but can take the wheel off, you may want to go to PLAN C..


NO SPARE TIRE - I would say that in 90+% of flats, you do not need to take the tire off the car (change the tire), so even "not strong" people can do the following...

PLAN A - Over the years almost ALL of my flats are the result of a foreign body (screw, bolt, and even wicker pieces) which has embedded itself into the tire an remains there. Then you are in a situation of a slow leak. To get home or to the garage... YOU WANT IT THERE, DONT REMOVE IT. All you really need there is a tire pressure gauge and a good electric air pump that you run from the cigarette lighter (with the engine running so you don't kill your battery). Fill up the tire to the right pressure. Then, you need to evaluate how bad the leak is. If you hear hissing, then you need plan B because the leak is large and you cannot drive the car too far before you need more air. If you do not hear hissing, then you are golden. I would then drive the car and check the pressure every 1/2 mile, 1 mile, 3 miles, 5 miles until you are where you want it to be to get safe. THIS IS NOT A REPAIR, BUT A WAY TO TEMPORARILY DRIVE THE CAR TO SAFETY... PS, if you are going TO work, and this worked, you could probably leave the car parked at work and repeat the pump thing if needed when you need to go home.

PLAN B - if you hear hissing when you inflate the tire, the tire is not good to drive, so you may want to call a tow truck. Or if you are a gambling person, use something that comes in a plastic squeeze bottle like "Green Slime" which is water soluble, and will not hurt your tires.... DO NOT USE "FIX_A_FLAT" or anything that comes in a CAN, smells like gasoline or is very sticky because that works by gluing the inside of the rubber tire, and no garage will spend an hour getting that crap out of your tire. Green slime washes away with just water. after putting in the SLIME, pump up the tire and IMMEDIATELY drive the car 50 -100 feet to coat the inside of the tire and see if the hissing has stopped. if it is still hissing, call the tow truck.


PLAN C - TIRE PLUGS - if you can take the tire off, and are a big strong 200lb gorilla, then carry a set of tire plugs and plug the tire and go home. I can post and example of how tire plugs are used if anyone is interested...
 
Safe or not, next tire rotation/change will be a nightmare costing you money.
Goo inside the the tire is gooing up everything, including rim.
And if it is a really good goo, it will take hours to clean off.

Even though goo might not harm the TPMS sensor, it will still plug the hole that
is exposed to tire air. Making the sensor useless.
 
arnis said:
Safe or not, next tire rotation/change will be a nightmare costing you money.
Goo inside the the tire is gooing up everything, including rim.
And if it is a really good goo, it will take hours to clean off.

Even though goo might not harm the TPMS sensor, it will still plug the hole that
is exposed to tire air. Making the sensor useless.

No, my friend. That is not correct. The "GOOP" or any inside-tire coating SHOULD NOT BE left permanently... It affects the tire balance also, so you should not drive the car more than 40 or 50 The Slime is to get you to a place to repair the tire (cheaper than a tow). As is said before, the GOO is when the tire cannot hold air and you are stuck in the middle of nowhere...

The next day, at the repair shop, the tire should be taken off the rim, and the slime washed away with water. Then the hole should be "patched" from the inside of the tire with a 2-3 inch patch. Lazy mechanics like to fill the tire with air and put in a "glue plug" from the outside. It is much better if you insist that it be patched from the inside, which is a much better repair.

there is nothing wrong with water-based slime. I have used it many times without problems..
 
Anyway, TPMS sensor-safe goo does not exist. Water can also damage it (depends on sensor design).
You are right. Wheel balance can be lost. So the best goo in the world is worse than I thought :lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T-rmhXUR8o
This is the only way I've done it the whole life.
Not a single failure. Always lasts until tire is worn to death.
Costs nothing. Takes no time (no need to remove tire). Worst case scenario:
it will start leaking again so repair must be done again.


Crap. I forgot to add pliers to my Leaf. It doesn't have OEM pliers. BMW does :lol: :lol:
 
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