2023 - Prius or Prime - spare tire?

Are we sure about that? AFAIK, we know nothing about the Prime SE in regards to a spare. And there's conflicting official information on the LE spare. The November USA data sheet says yes, the current trim level comparison on Toyota's website says no. I don't think we'll know for absolute certain until LEs start appearing on lots and people pull up the floor tray.

 

Yes, Prius LE has a temporary spare according to the owner's manual.

Prius and Prius Prime are the same car except for the battery size; so, I expect the same for Prius Prime SE.

 

Careful, you're assuming facts not in evidence.

While the odds are good that the LE will come with a spare, there is no absolute confirmation out there until we actually open up the back of an LE and look. The manual doesn't link options to trim levels, it just lists all possibilities. In the end, there's a chance Toyota will decide to not put a spare in the LE for some reason. But if a major customer(say Enterprise Rent-a-Car or something) came to Toyota and demanded a spare, Toyota could do that now and not have to change the manual for that one customer.

And as for the Prime, we simply don't know yet if the sheet metal is different on the trunk floor because of the larger battery. We can hope it's the same, but I don't think we can assume yet until journalists get to drive around in the pre-production cars and they pull up the rear organizers to look(or preferably, the Toyota parts catalog is updated so we can see if there's parts commonality in the organizers).

 

Toyota does not print superfluous information in their owner's manuals. If the owner's manual says there is a temporary spare, there is a temporary spare—no ifs and buts.

 

A temporary spare is useless if you have a flat 100+ miles from the nearest tire shop.

 

Like I said, the odds are that the LE will come with a spare, but the manual doesn't say "Temporary Spare (equipped on LE)" or something like that, it says "Spare tire & tools (if equipped)". And the most recently updated information(the trim comparison chart on Toyota.com) says all three trims come with the tire repair kit and not a spare. My gut says the chart is likely in error and the LE does comes with a spare like the November press release says, but I also acknowledge that we are in strange times in regards to supply chains and that decisions can change at the last minute on things like minor options on brand new models. IMO, there's still enough uncertainty on the issue to not make a declarative statement like, "the LE definitely comes with a spare, no ifs or buts."


Check for yourself. Go to this page and scroll down to Tires and expand.
https://www.toyota.com/prius/features/mpg_other_price/1223/1225/1227

 

Ah, OK, if there is a supply-chain issue, it should be an easy upgrade later for those who prefer a temporary spare, as the holes should already be there for at least the LE/SE.

 

Is Toyota selling other cars with those tire sizes? Any other make doing so? At the rate Toyota expects to sell the new Prius at, a plethora of options in a year is unlikely if the answer to those questions is no. Now, I do think more options will show than did for the i3.

 

It is trivial for tire manufacturers to make a tire of a different size. It is as simple as reprogramming the machine. They will do so.

 

What? No, it requires a new mold for the tire size. Now, there already factory lines already making the tire size. But Toyota is talking about selling just 35k in the US. That isn't exactly numbers to get tire companies to rush product to market.

 

…, which can be done by reprogramming the machine that makes the mold these days.

I hope they would only sell 35; then, I would be the only one driving one around here.

 

The 2023 Prius LE tire information is starting to shape up. wheel-size d0t com is now showing the oem specs:

Tire size: 195/60 R17 on a 6.5Jx17 wheel with offset of 40

and Yokohama has announced it will be providing the tires: Yokohama BluEarth-FE AE30

You can find the announcement in Yokohama's online press room.

For the higher trims, the specs are:

195/50 R19 6.5x19 ET40 and according to Yokohama the 19s will be BluEarth-GT AE51

I like to run All Weather (3PMS) tires, and currently the nearest compatible tires I see are 205/55 R17, such as Michelin Crossclimate 2 and Vredestein Quatrac Pro. In Crossclimate vs. Quatrac, the Crossclimate has better rolling resistance (according to some reviews), but I don't know how the Crossclimate compares to the oem Yokohamas since they're different sizes. Both carry an EU "B" rating for fuel efficiency, so the Crossclimates could be a decent choice. *I've read that a 10% reduction in rolling resistance adds 1% improvement in fuel economy.

All that said, I'm not a fan of directional tires because of the tire rotation issue, as well as having a mounted spare tire that can only be mounted on one side of the car.

 

One of the reviews I read was apparently incorrect. The OEM Yokohama BluEarth-FE AE30 with improved rolling efficiency has an "A" grade per the EU.

 

why is that?

 

I never trust "donut" temporary spares. Even when I have a temporary spare, on long trips, I carry a full sized one.

I bought a full size wheel from a salvager not more than 6 months after I got my 2012 Prius v, the first year the model came out. It was in like new condition.

It is more likely that full sized wheels will be more likely available than temporary spares, if they are of a unique size. Each car comes with four wheels, and not all cars come with a compact spare.

Age doesn't affect a tire sequestered inside a car as one exposed to the outside environment. I'm sure the unused spare inside the car will likely be still usable for more than 10 years.

 

Pressuring a tire on a wheel starts its service life. A tire inside a car has some protection from the elements, so it will have a longer service life than those installed on the car. Going past 10 years is pushing it though.

 

Still, how many here have ever replaced a spare, one that’s not seen more than sporadic (if any) use?

Our cars build date was August 2009; I’m not intending to change it soon.

I could be swayed though; i’ll be replacing snows next fall, maybe should ask them about spare longevity.

Addendum: Google sided with “replacement by 10 years, or after use”. Still, I’d suspect a survey would find hardly anyone following this. That doesn’t make it right though; the right course is not always the most popular. Hmm…

 

Actually, my experience has been that this is not the case.

Toyota will mention all the possible options and configurations... and then provide a disclaimer that not all features are found in all models.

My 2021 RA4 manual talks about the TPMS system.

Heck, even the French Canadian owner's manual talks about TPMS.

Despite the fact that Canadian cars don't have it.

 

Could you please share a link? Every EU sticker I found for BluEarth-GT AE51 or BluEarth-FE AE30 was marked as B for efficiency - at best.

 

Each rating represents a reduction of 3-4%. So a B rated tyre would reduce a consumption of 50mpg (for example) by 2MPG

i changed my tyres from A rated to B and accepted the hit as the Wet Distance rating went from C to A

i much prefer a shorted stopping distance by 5 meters than a loss of 2mpg tbh. But thats me.