Tires size possible deal breaker on 2023 Prius?

Yeah; I just got my LE and it does not have the spare. I love it, regardless.

 

What kind of warranty you get with those? Down the street and you're on your own? Gotta spend a few more bucks for a lot more style Bro!

 

I just ran into this issue; got my Prius 2023 LE and 4 weeks later, just 200 miles, I have an unrepairable tire, two shops told me so because the screw was closer to the tire wall. I was going to use the repair kit, but that just fixes temporarily so you can bring the tire for full repair; now, that kit comes with a compressor and a sealer, but dealerships won't sell the sealer only (once you use the sealer, you need to get another one); they sell the kit for $131. This kit is meant to be used for real emergencies (and wouldn't be bad if they just sold you the sealer since you'll already have the compressor); I live in Northern VA and couldn't find a tire that size at local shops, so I went to the dealership and quoted me $264 including tax and installation for the same TOYO tire. However, I needed to wait 3-4 days because the tire is not in stock. So I went home, plugged the hole in the tire, which was more than 1/2" away from the tire wall, and it's all working fine; i'm still deciding whether to get the tire or not or just run the one I plugged one. While at the dealership, I asked if there were Prius 2023 spares available for sale, and they don't have. However, I researched and found that the Prius V spare will fit in the 2023 LE since it's a 17" rim and have the same dimensions as far as were the lug nuts go (see link below). So I'm searching pick and pulls for a used one. The moral of the story is that it is a hassle if you get a tire damaged and it cannot be repaired for this Prius LE model. I'm hoping more shops will have these tire sizes available w/in the next 2 years.
Below are links of that video regarding the spare from a Prius V and also the shop near where I live where they have the tire size available from Firestone.

Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus 195/60R17 Tires | Firestone Complete Auto Care

2023 Prius Spare Tire Installation - YouTube


Good luck everyone!

 

Really good conversation. Lack of tire choices would definitely be a deal breaker, but most probably don't think about it when purchasing a car assuming that there's plenty of choice.

Has anyone tried simply using the 205/55/17 on stock LE wheels, or be willing to? The dimensions come awfully close to the 195/60/17's, and certainly should fit on the factory rim. I wouldn't think the extra 0.4" tire width should result in rubbing.

Am I missing something here? Happy to get educated

 

I'm really beginning to hate that video.

I'm not telling you to not do what the video says, just pointing out that the guy is ignoring two important details:

1. The overall diameter of the Prius v spare is not the same as the gen5 wheel. The spare is almost 2" shorter, which translates to that corner of the car being about an inch lower than the other three. Probably not a problem for a few miles at city speeds, but I personally wouldn't want to drive on it for dozens of miles at highway speeds.

2. All tires, including spares, have a limited lifespan. Regular tires are reliable for around 7 years, while spares can be pushed to maybe 10. This is from the date of manufacture, and it doesn't matter how the tire was stored. As long as the tire is in contact with oxygen, the clock is ticking. Even the newest original Prius v spare tire in the US is approaching 7 years old, and around half of them are already a decade old or more.


So what other options are out there:

1. Get the spare wheel and tire actually specified for the car. The wheel is 42611-21280 and should run about $75 new. The tire is a 145/90D16 and should run about $100. Then you'd need some tools. I recommend something like a cheap Ryobi impact wrench plus a 21mm impact socket(you can typically get the tool for free with a battery pack purchase during Home Depot's Ryobi Days, or get a similar one at Harbor Freight) and then find some type of jack that will work.

2. If you do decide to pick and pull, at least replace the tire with something the right size so that you can get the full 10 years of reliability. That 17" spare wheel from the Prius v will be the right height if you put on a 135/70D17(good) or 145/70/D17(better).

3. Try a pick and pull but search for one that's the right size and only a few years old. There aren't a lot of options, but one is a Toyota C-HR. Also maybe a Lexus UX. There's currently a used C-HR spare on ebay for $125(can't make out the date code).

 

I was thinking the new tire scarcity was more about the 19” size. I didn’t realize the LE 17” were also an issue.

 

Plus I didn’t realize the 17” were almost as expensive. : }

 

I can find the 19" at Costco. I think it's the 19" winter tires that may be hard to find or just options from different manufacturers. The 17" are a few hundred less than the 19" if you can find them.

 

I'm actually just getting another rim and tire as a full spare but just take on long trips when it's just me and/or a couple of people. I use this for local and less than 35 mile commutes. Thank for that info. though on the sizes. I wasn't suggesting for anyone to drive on highway or as a permanent solution.

 

If you’ll be using separate rims for the snow tires, you can very likely opt for 17”, even if your level came with the 19”.

As an example: the 3rd gens came with 15” or 17”. Ours had the 17”, but I’m using 15” snow tires.

 

Good to know; for my LE 2023 I'm just getting the xtra rim and tire as a full spare and will use the repair kit only for emergencies where I cannot have the car driven to a safe location and/or towed by AAA.

 

Thanks for providing the part #. I called the dealership and confirmed the 42611-21280 part #. They're quoting me $122 just for the wheel; that's not bad I guess.

 

I actually went to their website and I can get it at 63.22 with discounts!!! Need to get the tire now.

 

Don't overpay. $70.64 at Sheehy Toyota of Fredericksburg if you buy through the autoparts.toyota.com website. You need $75 to qualify for free shipping, so grab a set of wiper inserts at the same time at $7.48 each(you'll eventually need them anyway).

Wheel | Part #4261121280 | Toyota Auto Parts

RUBBER, WIPER INSERT
Windshield Wiper Blade Refill (Right) | Part #852140E130 | Toyota Auto Parts

That's a good deal, but check the shipping cost. The dealership I linked might still be cheaper after shipping is factored in. If you're having it delivered to the dealership and then picking it up, never mind.

edit: Actually, Sheehy has an additional 15% back to school discount running, so the wheel and both wiper inserts would run $76.62(including tax) and be delivered to your door for free.

 

Just want be certain, you're getting both a full-sized spare AND a compact spare, correct? The full-sized spare for long trips or with critical cargo, and the compact spare for daily use? Just checking because the wheel I gave the part number is for the compact spare.

Compact spare wheel: 42611-21280 ($102.18 MSRP)
Standard LE 17" alloy wheel: 42611-47701 or 42611-47651 ($532.12 MSRP)
LE 17" steel wheel(uses the same 195/60R17 tire as the 17" alloy): 42611-47641 ($178.23 MSRP)

If you go with the standard LE alloy wheel, then you can rotate the spare with your regular tires. That's what I would do. But you could also save a few hundred by going with the steel wheel. It's a standard 17" wheel for the base-grade Prius in Japan, it's just not offered in the US as a standard option.

 

The issue is that both tires are narrow for the wheel size; 195mm. Typical OEM tires for those wheel sizes on other models are more than 200mm.

 

That's awesome; thanks for providing the part #s. For now, I'm thinking of getting the full sized-spare and will go with the steel wheel. For daily use, I'll just rely on the repair kit since I live in N. VA. and can call AAA if anything. Thanks again for all the info., much appreciated.

 

Sorry, I know I'm on the verge of beating a dead horse, but I just want to be certain there are no misunderstandings when I'm giving out info. I don't want people to spend money using my advice, only to not get what they're expecting because I didn't explain well enough.

The three basic options:

1. Compact spare: Roughly $175 total. $70 for the wheel, $105 for the tire(T145/90D16).

• Positives: Cheapest option on its own. Can be hidden beneath floor with additional parts or modifications. Both wheel and tire are easily available right now.
• Negatives: Should only drive 50 miles at 55mph or less when installed. Hiding beneath floor with OEM parts can get expensive.

2. 17" alloy full-sized spare: Roughly $500-$550 total. $360 for the wheel, $145(Toyo)-$180(Bridgestone) for the tire(195/60R17).

• Positives: Can drive on wheel/tire indefinitely. Identical wheel and tire means you can rotate all 5 tires every 5000 miles to actually get use of the spare. Possibly extends the life of your tires by up to 25% (50k miles of driving = 40k miles of actual wear). If you rotate the spare with the other tires and need a replacement tire after the set has gone past 50% wear, you won't need to replace the entire set because of one bad tire. Just continue using the remaining 4 worn tires and use the brand new tire as the dedicated spare until the worn tires need to be replaced. Then start rotating all 5 again.
• Negatives: The most expensive option by far. No way to hide tire under floor. Tire is difficult to get right now, wheel might be impossible to get for a few more months(I haven't tried).

3. 17" steel full-sized spare: Roughly $265-$300 total. $120 for the wheel, $145-$180 for the tire.

• Positives: Can drive on wheel/tire indefinitely. Cheapest full-sized option.
• Negatives: Wheel weight is likely different than the other 4 alloy wheels, so I probably wouldn't use the steel wheel in rotation with the others. I don't know if the wheel cover for the alloy wheels will mount to the steel wheel(the steel wheel in Japan has a different wheel cover). Since you can't rotate the spare without remounting all five tires every 5k miles, you can't use the spare to avoid getting a new set of tires if one is ruined beyond 50% wear. No way to hide tire under floor. Tire is difficult to get right now, wheel might be impossible(I haven't tried).

 

New owner and digesting all this good info. Can you tell me the part numbers for the compact spare wheel, tire and full size wheel? 2023 XLE with 19" wheels. Thanks in advance!

 

Again, much appreciated. Excellent info.