| lingan |
Hello fellow Canadians.
I know there has been a thread about this before but there does not seem to have been any conclusions.
I would like to know why it is that our full size tire (on U.S. cars) will not fit properly in our spare tire compartment when the Canadian versions will. I would very much like to put a full size spare in my car. The last thing I want is to have a flat when far away from home then having to limp home at 50mph!
Can anyone compare my pics with your Canadian car and see what the differences are?
Here are the pics I took of my car.
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| Snowride |
| I will be glad to make the comparison for you but unfortunately I'm in LA driving a Cavalier rental car. (man this sucks, the car that is) If nobody has responded by this Saturday, I will post my findings. |
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| Boobaba |
| What's wrong with your MO?? |
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| jaak |
Yesterday was crazy busy, otherwise, I'd have already posted pictures.... I'll do it later this morning. The first thing I noticed (and I have to check this) but I suspect the cover is a bit thinner on the Canadian model. Mine doesn't have a USA sticker on it either and I seem to remember a CAN sticker, or something similar, on there.
Later this morning... Pictures.:cool: |
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| jaak |
OK, I just had some time to pull all the stuff out of my trunk and take some quick pics...
When the cover's down, it does sit higher than the surrounding areas... |
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| jaak |
Here you can see how high it is, when closed.
You can also see the little cloth loop for pulling up the cover. There is no latch like the US version. Gravity holds it in place.
You can also see how filthy my poor MO is. Nice sunny day today, it deserves to be washed! |
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| jaak |
When it's open, you can see how high the tire sits. I suspect this is identical to the US model. However the Canadian cover has an indentation in the shape of a circle about a foot in diameter that helps the Bose sub wire clear the cover. In this picture you can see a mark from the tire, but it's not an indentation.
Looks like I missed a good shot of the whole cover, but the cord with the hook to hold the cover up, is mounted further to the right as well, to clear the tire.
So it looks like the cover is different.:mad: |
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| jaak |
Looking at the dirt just makes me cringe!!! We've had wet weather and there's still junk on the roads from sanding in the winter. I'll be detailing my baby soon, to keep it spotless for the summer!:D
Other than the cover it looks the same. That sucks that they did that!!! |
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| lingan |
| Hey Jaak. I can't really tell from the pics - is your cover also thinner then? Almost seems like an after-thought the way your cover also sit up a little high. Still better than ours. |
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| lingan |
YIKES!!!
Just got off the phone with one of the Nissan dealers in British Columbia. I asked how much the lid/cover will cost and they quoted me a price of $381!! And isn't there another 14% on top of that for taxes??? |
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| darrylburke |
From lookling at the pics, it would appear as if the cover has a deeper "recess" cut into it for which the tire will fit in (it may be the lighting)..
has anyone compared the recess (or what ever you call it) that they cut out so the lid will sit lower..????? |
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| jaak |
I haven't had a chance, but looking at your pics and remembering mine, I'd say the Canadian cover is not as thick, so that's where the difference is.
I'll get a pic on when I can, but right now I'm working, and then I'll have to pull out a bunch of equipment. Realistically, not until tomorrow morning. :( |
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| jaak |
| OK, more pictures... |
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| jaak |
| I didn't have a ruler or tape measure handy, so I grabbed a quarter to give you an idea of depth... |
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| jaak |
| In this picture, the cover is closed, and I pushed the quarter between the cover and the back, as far as it would go in... |
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| jaak |
| Here's the placement of the cord and hook to hold the cover open. |
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| jaak |
| Here, you can see the indentation to clear the wiring for the woofer. (Seriously, would you call it a sub? I think it's just a woofer!) |
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| jaak |
| Here's another shot from an angle. There's a fair bit of room to accomodate the full size spare. |
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| jaak |
| Here's the Canadian latch for the cover... (Latch, you call THAT a latch???) |
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| jaak |
| The wheel in place. This is the SL wheel that came with the MO. |
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| jaak |
| I used a Canadian quarter (that's what we use here, strange, isn't it!) and thought just in case someone's not sure how big that is, I grabbed a US quarter out of my change tray. (Almost always bound to have one...) |
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| lingan |
Thanks for the wonderful pics Jaak!
Just to be sure, I called up another dealer in BC and they quoted me the same thing although they were willing to give me a discount. Anyway, I guess they don't just sell the cover alone but also the back piece and maybe even the side pieces. A bit too steep for me for just a cover. Definitely have to explore other alternatives.
Here's another project when you have extra time to burn. If you don't like your little strap loop thingie, you can probably order the latch handle. It is a two piece unit and just needs a rectangular hole. Just a thought. |
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| jaak |
| Great idea, but I bet the tire's in the way! |
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| lingan |
| In your case, it wouldn't be in the way since you can place it anywhere you like ... so just place it towards the center more. |
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| jaak |
Not a bad idea. So far I find the 200 lbs of equipment on top is keeping it closed!
Funny, I was just looking at the pictures of the quarters and all I could think of was Rocky and Bullwinkle. I know, it's an eagle... I just saw the Moose, then the wings and my brain went off. (Lord, why this brain? Why, why did you give me this one???) |
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| nissanlove |
| i own a canadian murano also. regarding the cover i just put some peaice of velcro to ensure that the hatch dosn't pop around. that's what i thought was making the popping noise from the rear at first. |
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| FlyerNo9 |
I will be substituting my current spare tire [the donut] for a Full Size spare tire [the best Goodyear Eagle out of my original set] when I get my new tires tomorrow.
Is it safe to say I won't be able to use my 'Under the Floor' storage tray anymore?
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| hfelknor |
You got a wheel for the full size spare?
It won't fit on the donut wheel.
Homer |
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| FlyerNo9 |
| No Hfelknor. I am going to use one of the original Goodyear's as my new spare tire. Course now I have to buy an 18" wheel to put the OEM Goodyear on. |
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| zebelkhan |
| I am wondering if we could accomodate the regular spare wheels by raising the floor on the sides a bit to make it even? It probably could be done by putting a few thick washers under the screws. I will check it out tonight when I get home. |
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| Digital |
| I have full spare and fits snug tight. Have US model, and nothing is uneven.....everything is leveled. |
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| pcs15394 |
| That would be cool, I hate the donut spares. With the amount of wheels that are always on sale via EBAY and this site, it would be fairly easy to setup a nice spare. Could even do five tire rotation like our neighbors to the north get to do. |
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| jaak |
quote:
Originally posted by Digital
I have full spare and fits snug tight. Have US model, and nothing is uneven.....everything is leveled.
Do you have the Bose sub and if so, how squished is the cable? |
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| Digital |
| Its lil bit flat but not damaged or anything.....ill post pic tommorow.... |
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| jaak |
Fascinating... Someone else tried to do this and the cover didn't close well at all.
Is your latch pressing into the tire? |
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| FlyerNo9 |
I agree, I tried putting the full size tire in there before I mounted it on the bought and mounted it on the spare wheel. It didn't fit. Not only could you not use the cargo divider but the floor cover didn't lay flat either.
I'm not going to buy a spare wheel for my 5th tire until I see some hard evidence that a full size spare will fit in there nicely. |
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| Digital |
possibility someone might have modified it?
How else would it fit? |
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| pcs15394 |
| Digital, it sure seems like yours has been modified. That's a good mod. |
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| Digital |
| Ok so i found out how its fit....i called the seller and he told me its simple trick....tire is not inflated all the way......thats why there a small compressor that came with it....whenever i have flat tire use compressor to pump it up. Now who would have thought of that........ |
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| hfelknor |
Now that's a VERY clever thing.
It has the Homer Seal of Approval.:D
Homer |
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| Digital |
Believe it or not this was beyond my imagination and i didnt even think about it......who ever came up with it must be ....engineer if non the less...
Also as homer said...it is "Digital"-E approved. |
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| jaak |
That'll do it...
So when you're in a hurry and you get a flat, you have to pump it up first before swapping it? |
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| zebelkhan |
| You can make up the lost time by driving faster on the full size wheel and tire.....:) |
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| Digital |
Well, i ran a test.....tire is inflated about 10 psi....from there.....with 300 psi compressor....it takes about 4 mins and 28 seconds..to make it 33 psi....not bad ......
someone could be taking flat tire out and jacking the car....while other can inflate it.....or turn the compressor on and then take of the tire.....either way....4 mins is nothing against....benefit your getting from full tire.....
you can make it home hundereds of mile and worry about flat later..... |
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| jaak |
Sounds like a good solution! (Let's hope you don't get the dreaded Murano alternator failure at the same time!!!)
I've also wondered about putting the full size spare into the tire rotation. It seems like a waste to have it sitting there. |
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