Spare Tire Mod

[djjazzy]

I wanted a way to carry a spare tire in the car, and have an easy way to take it all out if necessary. No way I was gonna put that fix a flat stuff into the flat tire. Got a spare on Ebay along with the jack, all for $110. I figure if I have to use it once, it's worth the 110 bucks. But having the spare in the cargo area made putting things in the trunk a bit unstable, due to the tire being in there. Had to come up with a nicer looking and workable plan. And here it is.... the False Floor Cargo Mod. Under the false floor, I now can store the spare tire, the jack, wrench, emergency tools, and of course the Nissan 120V EVSE, (which I use every day to charge at work)
Here are some pics of how it looks.

Plenty of room for the tire and a bunch of other stuff too!




Another view



And here is the false floor covering up the spare tire, and I now have a level cargo area. Still have decent cargo space in the Leaf.







Just lift up on the left hinged panel, to pull out the EVSE

[mwalsh]

Nice job. Unfortunately not something we can do with our 11s and 12s.

[djjazzy]

@ mwalsh

What's different about the 11-12 trunk/cargo area, compared to the current 13. Why won't it allow the raised false cargo floor to be built?

[LeftieBiker]

I also have an Ebay spare (in a black contractor's garbage bag), and I considered something like this. I was going to make a platform with sides, but since your platform seems to sit flat it looks like the way to go. You could probably make a few bucks selling a template for it. I'd buy one...

EDIT: I can see now that you just used the carpet as a template. I'll do the same. Thanks for the idea!

[TonyWilliams]

@ mwalsh

What's different about the 11-12 trunk/cargo area, compared to the current 13. Why won't it allow the raised false cargo floor to be built?

You can build the false floor, but the spare tire won't fit with the charger and parking brake capacitors behind the rear seat in a 2011-2012.

[UBUYGAS]

The 11 & 12 have a 6" thick wall between the back of the seats and the trunk compartment. So the tire won't sit flat on the floor.

Did you see how I stored my spare tire?, uses up no trunk space whatsoever. click the link below - sal's leaf dot com

@ mwalsh

What's different about the 11-12 trunk/cargo area, compared to the current 13. Why won't it allow the raised false cargo floor to be built?

[ttime4four]

Looks clean.

Is that stuff secured in anyway? In case of a dynamic accident, would the jack and tire become missiles?

[LeftieBiker]

The 11 & 12 have a 6" thick wall between the back of the seats and the trunk compartment. So the tire won't sit flat on the floor.

And if you get the Premium Package on the '13, the subwoofer takes the place of the charger in blocking a spare - or at least an Altima spare - from sitting flat. I got away with removing the subwoofer hold-down screws and putting pipe wrap (which seems to be oddly vital in order to have a properly functional Leaf!) around it to pad it.

As for this stuff becoming weaponized, I can see only one scenario where it might happen: going over multiple large bumps while braking on a steep downhill stretch...

[djjazzy]

@Lasareath

I saw your spare tire mod before I did mine. Thought about mounting the tire under there, but didn't want to cut into the air diffuser, and get nearly under the car to lower the hinged panel and tire when needed. For me, the false cargo floor was the easiest to build, and if ever the spare tire is needed, it's a quick and painless way to get to the spare tire. Just lift out the false cargo floor, and the tire is right there. But your mount is a great idea, especially since no trunk space is lost. Seldom do I have a lot of cargo where I'd need that lost trunk space. I'm easily able to lower the seats, and get my bike in the Leaf without issues, in fact it's now easier to get my bike in the car, since the cargo area is raised up about 6 inches. Now I never have to leave home without a spare.

[Nubo]

...As for this stuff becoming weaponized, I can see only one scenario where it might happen: going over multiple large bumps while braking on a steep downhill stretch...

The forces in a collision are greater than most people imagine, and collision dynamics are unpredictable. Any heavy objects can become missiles in the cabin. You'd do well to fabricate hold-down mounts.