Undeleting the spare tire from a 4

it's been over 1.5 yrs now since i had my Two Eco full spare tire mod and never regret, 130 lbs added but no change in fuel mileage what so ever.

 

More like 40~50 lbs?

 

Nice post! But I'm still not sure that you listed the correct part numbers here. It looks more to me like your parts would be:

64995-47050 --Rt storage compartment
64997-47060 --Lt storage compartment
64993-47110 --storage box

I have a 2017 Prius 4 that I'm going to get a spare for as soon as I can figure out how I want to go about doing it. I also looked at a post up here by another member who cut out the original foam pieces and rested the floor cover on top. You said that you didn't do that because the top of the tire was too high but he said it was level for him. I may just get the spare first and then see which direction to go at that point.

 

I kind of like the idea of having a spare, it gives you one more option. I will have four full size spares once I get new tires mounted on my new wheel I picked up at Tire Rack a couple of weeks ago and may look into the full size route. I do wish I would have kept the spare from my Gen 2 when I traded it in.

 

I went about undeleting the spare for a 2017 Prius 4 a little differently than others have done. I did not want to cut the original foam sheets and also did not want to purchase over a thousand dollars worth of foam and side panels from Toyota. Instead I decided to purchase foam and cut it myself. After consulting an expert in foam products I had a local company, Hibco cut foam to the size I needed. So I started with a 2-1/2 inch thick sheet of 35”x54” EPP foam. EPP (extended polypropylene) was chosen because it would tolerate heat in excess of 160 degrees Fahrenheit and was the same firmness as the original foam from Toyoa. Although I could have traced it out from the original foam pieces I used builders paper and cut a template to lay down on the foam to mark using a white marker. This foam can be cut with a long jig saw blade easily. Any special cuts were done with a hot knife purchased at Harbor Freight. I could have made cutouts on the foam for the tire changing tools but instead wrapped them in bubble wrap and placed them with the tire.

The only parts purchased from Toyota this way were the spare wheel, part# 42611-47630 and the wheel retainer, part# 51931-47030. The compact spare tire was purchased from Tire Rack, a T125/70D17 Yokohama. Below are photos that show the old foam and the new foam installed. When done this way the height of the cargo area stays exactly the same and there are no gaps to deal with.



This first photo shows everything just as it came from Toyota before any changes were made. Compare this one to the last photo and you can see that it looks exactly the same--only underneath the last picture there is a spare tire under the floor cover.



The photo below shows the foam laid out "upside down" so you might be able to see the cutout towards the top that was needed to fit properly in the area closest to the back seat.

Two cutouts were made with the hot knife so that the foam pieces attached to the bottom of the floor cover fit perfectly into my new foam. One I did have to cut off two small pieces of foam on the bottom of the floor cover where it otherwise would be laying down on the spare tire.


The foam used to cover the area inside the spare was made from two 1/2 inch scrap sheets that Hibco gave me after cutting the foam I needed.

The total cost for all of this including the wheel and tire was about $350. This seemed a bit cheaper than the alternatives other people have come up with plus it is just as well supported under the floor cover as it was before I started. I wrapped up the foam inserts from Toyota and have them ready to put back so that if I need to the car can be put back to being "spareless" again.

 

Great job!

 

That's rocking! Still frustrating, that even with a DIY like that, you're looking at so much.

 

Excellent job, I suspect most of the cost was the wheel, hold down bolt and tyre ?
There must be a market for this at half the Toyota price.

 

A used wheel with a tire $40 to $50.

 

The spare wheel, compact tire and retainer cost a total of about $200 including shipping costs.

 

I solved my problem of not having a spare for a cost of about $50. I went to Pick and Pull auto wreckers and took the Donut tire and the hold down bolt out of a 2008 Toyota Corolla. I removed all the items on top of the spare area inserted the tire and cut the hold down bolt down to fit the car. It is to long when you first get it. Then I purchased some 2 inch foam in a 4 ft by 8 ft sheet at Home Depot. I used the top of the old foam as a pattern and cut out the new foam to match. I took the excess foam and cut out spacers to fill in the hollow area since the tire sits higher than the new height of the new floor. I spray painted the foam black so that it does not stand out if seen. Now I put the carpeted pad back on top. This raised the back cargo area a few inches but the back area is now level with the back of the seats when they are lowered down. I have found I can sleep in this area if needed on a long trip. I need a spare as I travel in places where you have no phone service and I do not wish to be without a spare at those time. Hope this helps others, Pictures attached. Bob

 

You're probable fine, but one concern: that's a 10 year old spare. Yeah I know: nobody changes them, myself included, and they live a sheltered life. But something to keep in mind, it shouldn't be too much to update just the tire.

 

We have just decided it is time to replace the factory tires on our 2000 Tundra pickup truck.
Tires can last. I think we have about 55K miles on the truck.

 

I've got Michelin Pilots with manufacture date Feb of 2009, but am starting to get nervous. Took the plunge and put them on for one more season (they're in a covered stack through winter), but they're starting to get cracking, and a little bit of tread chipping. Around 6/32" remaining though.

 

I looked at that foam from HD when I started my spare tire project. The temperature rating for that foam is borderline for a high temperature application. I researched temperature maximums that could be reached in a vehicle parked in the sun at about 100 degrees and I was worried that the extruded polystyrene that HD sold could possibly be affected--160 degrees is a possibility inside a car parked in that kind of heat for a few hours. Also, since you really need 2 1/2 inches to come even to the top of the tire or you would have to fill it the way you did I chose to get a foam that was just a little thicker and had a higher temperature rating even though it did cost a little more. Looks good though!

 

Thank you. I am not concerned about the tire as it has been stored in the darkness of the truck and has never been on the road. It should work fine to get me to a tire shop to fix the flat.

 

I take your point, but tyre rubber loses volatile constituents along its life which does debate the integrity, hence the cracking and chipping of of bits at the end of its safe working life. Sometimes the damage is not obvious to the naked eye, like when it's previously been kept unused in the dark.

 

I did not have anyone that knew about foam. But it has been in my car now for a few months and I have had no issues with it. Seems to stay cool back there.

 

Hmm, maybe I better take the plunge, with our Feb 2009 OEM tires. That sums them up. To re-tire, or not to re-tire: that is the question.

Sums up my work experience.