Hi,
Unfortunately we don't have any special access to sourcing parts that is any different then what you have. The issue you are going to have is demand for this type of product. There are not many Leaf owners out there looking for lighter wheels or wheel skirts. Because of this, there are no companies that I am aware of that are making this stuff because if there are no customers (demand) then they will not make any money. A business that does not make any money is not a business.
You have to keep in mind that Nissan spends billions every year in research and development. Clearly not all that was on this vehicle but they have done their due diligence on maximizing range with the weight of the wheels.
I say that just to set expectations. You may be able to find lighter wheels because there are many aftermarket wheel companies, but I would not expect to see much gain. I would expect less than a 1% gain. Meaning if you have the average range of 150 miles now, you may be to 151.5 miles. So even if I am WAY off and you get a 5% gain, you go to 157.5 miles. If you can just lighten your wheels and get a 5% gain, Nissan would have done it, which is why I say you will get about 1%. If there was more to gain, Nissan would have done it already.
If that is the case, you have to balance the amount of money you are going to spend to do all this versus how much gain you are going to get. This is called a return on investment (ROI) calculation. Based on the gain that you are going to possibly see, how long will it take to recoup your investment.
If you look at it this way, it probably is not worth doing. However, this is your vehicle so if you just want to do it then go for it. The issue is you are going to have is finding the skirts. I did a search and did not find any. There are a number of wheel companies that offer wheels for a leaf, TireRack was one of them.
I would suggest starting with increasing mileage by doing these tips first. If you have maximized your mileage with these things and want to go further with these alterations, then you can, I just would not expect to see large increases.
https://youtu.be/0v8m2MLW2ls
Sunday, September 15th, 2019 AT 8:59 AM
