PIP TPMS/no spare tire/fix it can

HaveNo

You want a spare? Get a spare. There is room in the cargo area and there are tie downs to keep it from shifting around. Sure they could have completely redesigned the car and they may yet, but this is the first year of the PHV and they had a need not to make it even more expensive than it is. In Texas, you probably need a spare as much as anyone so get one. One of my mounted snow tires will work like a charm. (Those are tires you put on in the winter when it snows and gets slick.)

 

No need to worry about me. I would never buy a car that didn't come with a spare. It's simply ludicrous to drive a car without a spare unless you only drive in the city during normal working hours. I would think waiting for Toyota care to come to your rescue late at night on a less than well travelled road would be an experience I wouldn't want to go through. Hey but go ahead and support a car that doesn't have the interests of the customer at heart, no skin off my nose.


iPad ?

 

Unless they've done research and found that a larger percentage people have never used a spare tire in their life, and roadside assistance is more than enough for a huge percentage of the people. They may not have YOUR interests at heart, but methinks that perhaps you might be in the minority.

 

Have you looked at the back of the PiP and noticed the much larger li-ion battery pack extends over the area formerly occupied by the cargo "tray", thus covering the spare under it? I don't know if the battery goes further down and also occupies where the spare would be.

It's becoming a growing trend, but not necessarily for the above reason. See Spare tires ditched as automakers seek efficiency | Reuters. FWIW, the Leaf doesn't have a spare either (it really would cut into the amount of room in the back). Some people get Altima spares from junkyards to use as Leaf spares. They apparently fit and are of the right lug pattern.

 

Good idea. Where is the best place I can get a cheap donut type spare that I can keep in my trunk? I can always strap it down.

 

I believe those "people" were talking about the Prius Liftback, not the Plug-in. They were going without a spare by choice.

I believe the battery charger is where the spare use to be, not more battery.

 

All that I am saying is by purchasing a car that has no spare you are basically letting the auto companies know that this practice is ok. Once you lose any benefit from a corporation you rarely ever get it back. This is going to be a much stronger trend unless consumers stop it in its tracks.



iPad ?

 

A junkyard that has a wrecked Prius would be the cheapest.

 

The reference was to the batteries in the TPMS sensor/transmitters, not the 12-v. battery in the car. The statement (which I can neither verify not deny) was that when the transmitter batteries die (in five to seven years) the whole transmitter/sensor must be replaced.

More and more car companies are going this route.

Not to mention that cell coverage is not universal. Last time I got a flat, I had no cell signal. Luckily a good Samaritan stopped to help me get the spare on. I was royally pissed that it's only a doughnut. But had I not had a spare at all I'd have had to abandon the car and hitchhike into town (sixty miles away) to get a tow truck.

 

Sadly the above is true, but the momentum can be stopped by voting with our wallets. We don't have to settle for anything. If enough people complain to the sales people that no spare is unacceptable it will eventually be transmitted to the manufacturer. The good car companies will respond to their customers. If we purchase these cars things will worsen. No spare NEEDS to be a deal breaker. It's the only way things will change.

A spare tire is a huge safety issue. We have air bags coming out of our butts. We have state-of-the-art traction, and braking systems. We have superior headlights, and cars that can park themselves, and a smart cruise control to keep a safe distance from vehicles in front of you, but God forbid you get a flat tire. Nope, you're on your own with a fix-a-flat kit, and a telephone number for toyota care if you happen to still be within the 2-3 years of the purchase date, and of course you also have to be within cell phone range.

I will now get off my soapbox because I know this is not very popular with people trying to justify their purchase. I do know however that whenever I need more room in my car the FIRST thing I do is take out that pesky spare tire.

 

It's important to close your mouth at the onset of a collision.

Tom

 

I see now they do have a jack kit under the drivers seat ( nice touch) but, what good is a jack w/o a spare tire? I do not buy that weight excuse, I did stop by parts at Toyota today and asked them what a new doughnut, mini-spare cost ? Over $300.00 for rim and tire. Tire alone is over $200.00 That may be the real reason.

 

I don't believe you're correct. I've seen the 2010 Prius PiP demo vehicle and it was bulging w/batteries as Danny described it. There was no spare either (due to the larger battery) and the cargo shelf was higher.

On the '12 PiP I saw at Green Drive Expo, the shelf didn't stick up (wasn't higher) anymore and IIRC, what would've been access to the spare is still blocked by the battery. Take a look at the ERG for the '12 PiP at https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/staticcontent/en/techinfo/html/prelogin/docs/priusphv.pdf.

 

This kind of is a bad thing for me. I have used that donut in my 2006 Prius three times at least. Twice for myself as I commute 100 miles round trip and have 176k+ miles on my car. Once for my spouse who had gotten a flat. Considering I have been an American Tires customer, I always took the messed up tire back to them and get it repaired or prorated for a new one. I'm going to have to figure out how I'm going to carry one. This is very essential to me!!

 

I'm going to buy a used rim & tire from a junk yard and strap down when I take long trips out of town, just for peace of mind!

I had my last Pruis for seven years never a flat but that must mean I am due!

 

In the case of a Prius Plug-in, it isn't strictly losing benefit. It's trading one thing for another. Prius Plug-in owners prefer having a larger battery over a spare tire, b/c they value a larger battery which they will use more frequently over a infrequently used spare tire. If someone values the spare more, then a Prius Liftback is the car for them.

You are talking about getting rid of the spare tire with nothing to replace it, which Toyota has not done in the Prius Liftback or Prius Plug-in, so it is not relevant here.

Presumably the money saved from not having a spare could be used to purchase additional Toyota Roadside assistance or AAA for after the 3 years.

I would present the situation less negatively biased and IMO, more reasonably. For most situations, a driver will likely be in cell phone range and Toyota Roadside Assistance or AAA can come to the rescue. If the driver is not in cell phone range, then the fix-a-flat is an option. Admittedly, this does not cover things like sidewall blowouts out of cell range, but that should be rare.

Also keep in mind, a lot of people don't even know how to change a tire. When a friend was driving and had a flat, I had to change the tire. This was on the side of the freeway at night and did not feel particularly safe to me. Especially since my other friend did not have the sense to keep looking out for cars that might run into us after I asked him to... In that particular situation, AAA might have been safer as they would have a tow vehicle safely blocking off our car and other safety procedures. I believe there are quite a few accidents involving cars hitting people/cars pulled over and this danger should not be ignored.

The battery charger was moved from under the driver's seat in the pre-production to the spare tire well in production. The battery is also smaller, b/c in the preproduction they had the regular Liftback NiMH battery, plus 3 or 4 Li-ion battery modules for a total of 5.2 kWh. These batteries were combined into a single 4.4kWh Li-ion battery module that fits above the spare tire well and has the same usable capacity.

On pg. 46 of the Emergency Response Guide, it shows the charger assembly and charger assembly cable is in the spare tire well, so I think you have actually proved me correct...

 

I think we're arguing the wrong points here. Regardless of what's located where (charger assembly, battery pack, etc.), the point is, on the PiP, all those components along with the larger battery pack (yes, I know it was combined from 3 on the demo vehicles down to 1 and made smaller) blocks access to the spare tire well and where the spare tire would've been located.

It's blocked in a similar manner as if someone had a HyMotion or Enginer kit w/batteries in a liftback located in the black tray area, above the spare.

As for whether PiP owners prefer a larger battery over a spare tire, well, Toyota made that decision for them. There's no included spare on the PiP, the former spare tire well is inaccessible and AFAIK, there's no easy mechanism to allow someone to access it to get to a spare (if one were placed in there). If it were a choice, I think many PiP owners would prefer the same sized pack and a spare stored somewhere w/o cutting into the amount of cargo room.

PiP owners: If my statements are wrong, please chime in. I'm quite sure you have no easy means of lifting out/moving out of the way the big li-ion battery and accessing what was once the spare tire well.

 

i think you nailed it. i'm fine day to day, but when i take a trip, i'm going to bring along a jack and a compact spare.

 

maybe you should try something besides american tires. i haven't had a flat in 8 years. just toss a spare in the back, no biggie.

 

Haha. I've had numerous flats but have only had to use a spare 2x. I posted about it at http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-v...v-you-wanted-but-cant-have-7.html#post1468472.

None ever had American tires.

Back to the Leaf, that I mentioned, the solution about getting an Altima spare is mentioned at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=164512&sid=5fc6e6028fe307f0cee240f0b63bd0e5#p164512. I recall someone (might've been Tony himself) even saying that in front of Mark Perry, Nissan NA's director of product planning. I think he got a chuckle out of Mark.

There's some more info on possible/known usable Leaf spares including pics at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/index.php?title=Wheels,_Tires#Spare_tire.

Perhaps going to a junkyard looking for a Gen 3 Prius spare, jack, lug wrench, etc. might suffice? Once someone has found a suitable PiP spare, they can add an entry for the PiP and spare info at http://prius.wikia.com/wiki/Prius_Wiki. Hint hint...