I have some questions about the spare tire fitted standard with the 2010 Prius in th US. 1: What is the rimsize: 4J16? 2: What is the tire size on the spare: 135/80/R16? 3: is it possible to buy one of those? 4: Price? Reason for asking is that Toyota in the Netherlands (Europe) delivers the cars with a pump and a bag of paste instead of a spacesaver spare or a full size spare. the Toyota importer for the Netherlands won't even consider to get in on the list of options, although the demand for it is massive. Go figure....The ones we can buy form tireshops are very very expensive; hence my question here.
Try ringing Toyota UK. The space saver is standard over here - I've got one and used it I don't know how much they will charge or the cost of shipping or whether it's easier for you to pop over the channel and pick it up yourself? Let me know how you get on.
Do all Prius models come with a spare tire? I did not get one, did I get screwed and should I call my dealer?
What is the bag of paste supposed to do? I don't know how things are set up in the Netherlands. If you were in the United States, I would advise you to go to the junk yard with damaged Prius. Most spare tires in damaged cars are in excellent condition. Maybe a 2009 and earlier Prius spare would fit. But you should check for yourself. There must be some Prius in the junk yard.
I have thought of that. But I am not aware of any tire repair product that you just apply to a hole. Of course, this appears reasonable considering the only other thing you get is a pump. What else can you do?
I've used fix a flat twice, once on my gf jetta when she was missing a tool to remove the tire, then once on my old car when I was late for a race, ran to a gas station. It works really well. Just put it in the valve and its automatic unless you have shredded your tire. If that's what is in the kit I would just use it. It can hurt tpms sensors, but did not in my gf car. I'm sure you can get a spare that is the same size, otherwise I can help and ship some to Europe. But my advice is just use the repair kit (or buy fix a flat if the glue is different in your kit).
I see what you are saying. It is not a bag of paste as the OP said. But like sealant in some sort of dispenser to be injected into the tire after puncture and then pumped up. I see. I know the product too. OK. It is cleared up for me. I tried the product. It works on some punctures but not others. I remember 30 years ago GM cars have spares that are not inflated. You put the flat spare on. Then you inflate it with a can. By the way, I really like having the spare inside the car. Keeps it clean so you can take it out and check the pressure. On my former lexus and now Sienna, the spare was on the outside. Checking pressure after a few years was a dirty job. Does anyone know how often to check the spare's pressure? I wonder. Say you get a flat 4 years from now. Would the spare have enough pressure? I don't see people complaining, and I don't see people checking spare tire pressure, so it must maintain pressure well.
I don't know what is recommended but I check mine once a year and usually find it has dropped a few pounds. I refill it to 65 psi, I carry a gauge so I can let a little out if I need to use it.
this is how it works. Once u have a flat tire, you search for where the hole is and leave whatever caused the puncture in. roll the car untill the nail or whatevers in the tire points up. The pump pumps the paste into the tire, and pressurises it. Drvie the car for half a mile and stop. Tha paste rolls around inside and wherever it comes in contact with holes it stuffs it. Repressurize if neccesary and find a tire repair shop asap. Now u know why I'd want a spare tire
That sounds awful. They have stuff called fix-a-flat at most gas stations in america. The can has the sealant and compressed air in it. You just press the can onto the tire valve, and the sealant finds all the holes. I know people that have run on their repared flats for a week with no trouble, but I got my tire repaired the next day (tire store wasn't open on sunday).
It's becoming quite popular with the manufacturers over here in Europe not to supply a spare! A lot do provide them still but there is a growing minority that don't. My last Mercedes didn't have one - they provided the sealant kit. My gf's 2008 Civic didn't - it had the sealant kit or you could by a spare as an option! About £150 if I remembered. I believe the thinking behind it is that it cuts costs, cuts weight in the car so helps fuel figures and also Europe is mostly more compact than the States so you are not really gonna be in the middle of nowhere when you get a flat (relatively speaking) compared to the US or Canada. The sealant will get you moving again and if you have a blow out then the AA (our AAA) or similar won't be too far away to come tow you. I was actually surprised my Prius HAD a spare!
Inflate to 60 pounds. Also, you can buy an valve extension for less than $10, that allows you to check the pressure without removing the tire from the car!
While waiting for my Prius Advance I realized there will be no spare tire because I added the solar roof option. Otherwise there is a normal size spare. I do not really understand the reasoning, spares exist for Greece, they are just removed if the solar roof is added. Do they try to reduce the weight added by the solar option? I will definitely try to get one, I just hope the space under the trunk is there to store it.
I don't know the real answer but maybe they are trying to maintain the weight within a certain range to maintain the mileage numbers. Maybe if it gets too heavy, they have to retest the car. I know in the United States they don't allow solar roof with the bigger alloy wheels - maybe for the same reason. I used one of those sealant cans years ago. I remember the bottle says to be careful when removing the tire from the rim after applying the sealant because the can contains propane (some burnable gas). It was something that expands as the tires heat up and provide enough air pressure for driving. I hope they improved the formulation these days.
