White Lightning (Nissan Leaf) Build Thread

[Flakbadger]

Picked up my plastic today from the plastic shop in Tualatin. Best highway trip yet from Salem to Tualatin. Had a tailwind of 10-15MPH and drafted (3 seconds distance) a semi truck at ~59 MPH, so I don't expect to see these kinds of numbers again any time real soon. For the record I was stopped in front of the shop when I took this picture, NOT driving as the little car icon would indicate.



When I ordered my plastic I asked for two 2' x 3' sheets of the ABS. Apparently the charge of $57 was for the ENTIRE SHEET of ABS, including having it cut. The salesperson didn't make it clear to me, but there's actually another 4'x4' sheet left over and I apparently get to just keep that. That's great 'cause there's all kinds of junk I can use it for.



Here are the sheets for reference. Please excuse the potato quality.



Anyway that's my quick update. Need to buy a new blade for my jigsaw, then it's cutting time. Should be resuming work tomorrow AM.

[oil pan 4]

Change the oil.

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Change the oil.

I assume you're talking about the reduction gear oil? I poked around a bit and saw it mentioned here and there; does it really seem to make a difference?

I had changed the oil in my Yaris' transmission to synthetic and noticed a pretty big difference so it's not surprising. What kind of recommendation do you have, or is there a specific how-to thread I should look up?

[oil pan 4]

I changed mine at 68,000, probably needed to be changed around 30,000 or 40,000.

[MetroMPG]

Subscribed!

Nice to see another EV modding thread, and the excitement that goes along with a new project.

Sounds like the majority of your Leaf driving is highway?

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Subscribed!

Nice to see another EV modding thread, and the excitement that goes along with a new project.

Sounds like the majority of your Leaf driving is highway?

Thanks, initially I wasn't quite sure which subforum to put this in, but eventually decided on Fossil Fuel Free since it's an EV, after all.

The majority of my driving is highway for now, because Salem OR is a highway town. You pretty much have to jump on I-5 to get anywhere around here. That or take a lightning bolt route of surface streets with constant switchbacking left-right-left-right-left-right turns. Also, most stores I want to go to either don't exist here, or are hideously expensive. For example the aquarium store in Salem is so overpriced that it actually saved me money to go buy my aquarium plants in Hillsboro and pay for the gas in my Yaris. So I spend a lot of time driving to Portland or Tualatin. The plastic shop is a good example, there isn't one here. My wife and I hate it here and we will be moving back up north toward Portland soon.

At that point, it should be a more even mix between highway and surface streets. But yeah, for now it's mostly highway, which is why I'm focusing so hard on aero mods initially.

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

I changed mine at 68,000, probably needed to be changed around 30,000 or 40,000.

I'll add it to the list

[MetroMPG]

Any plans to do rear aero? Box cavity?

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Any plans to do rear aero? Box cavity?

I would consider a box cavity as a stretch goal. Definitely something to consider but not my top priority just yet. I feel like the largest improvements could be made at the rear of the car for sure, but there is a lot of low-hanging fruit around the front and sides, and those things will be my priority.

First after side skirts, I want to make rear wheel boattails, sort of a larger version of the rear bumper on the Toyota Prius. I would also like to create a more wedge-shaped splitter ahead of the current reversed mud flap to better transition the air around the leading edge of the rear tire.

Next up, lots of people block the Leaf's front grille, and while I understand the logic there (and previously blocked the grille on my Yaris), I personally won't sacrifice any cooling given that the intake does cool the battery and is the only battery cooling system there is. However, I did notice that part of the grille is "fake" anyway, so I will be making plastic inserts to flatten the front grille in those areas with the rest of the bumper for smoother air transition.

I also will be making aggressive and deep front splitters ahead of the front tires, and boattails behind them as well. I had originally considered full-length skirts between front and rear wheels using gutter material, but found that the angles don't make sense on this vehicle. The gaps are too large between where the front tire ends and the skirt can begin, and my reversed mudflaps make a great mount for rear wheel covers, but confound the angle of attachment for side skirts. I will still revisit the concept, but only after I complete the rear wheel skirt work.

Another high priority; I want to take a look at the rear spoiler mount, and see if I can trim 'n shim it to drop the angle some, to better match the curvature of the aero template. As it stands now, the spoiler leaves something to be desired from its angle. I feel like only a few degrees here would have a dramatic effect with respect to attached airflow. Stylistically I suppose it looks cool or whatever, but it's an aero shortfall.

Also, since removal of the antenna mount is not an option (I'd have to cut wires ) I'll be installing an aerodynamicized cover and removing the antenna since I don't care about AM/FM/XM. EDIT: This cover, specifically

EDIT 2: I also want to take a look at making plastic inserts for the front wheel well, to make it more similar to the Honda Insight. Smoothed transitions on the 'trailing' edge of the well, extensions on the 'leading' edge to help mask the tire from airflow.

EDIT 3: I'd also like to Basjoos the panels, especially in the front of the vehicle. I can almost put my finger inside the gap around the charging door, which is ridiculous.

[oil pan 4]

If you have 5 temperature bars or less you don't need to worry about cooling the battery at that time.