Donut Spare for 2017 Prius Prime?

Yeah there are lots of threads on this, but anyway:

I think you're really being shortchanged by that dealership. The Prime is basically a fourth gen Prius, in MANY aspects, and the fourth gen temporary spare will work fine. It's deplorable that they didn't at least have the gumption to try putting one on, drive around the lot, check it out.

Probably third gen temp spare would be fine too, I think they're the same as well? Second gen, probably the rim will be fine, the tire slightly undersized though.

Note, if you were to start looking for used, keep in mind tires age, might be best to stick to recent vintage.

 

They might have been considering the weight of the car being several hundred pounds more than the regular Prius and most cars on average. I'd imagine that would make the "no more than 50mph for 50 miles" reduced further.

Have you ever considered a patch kit(with the plug and stuff)? I looked into it and the process is actually pretty easy looking. Much cheaper and lighter than extra tires and then you don't lose ABS and get error messages.

If you do buy a junkyard tire, maybe getting a full sized one and just leaving it at home if you had someone that could bring it to you in an emergency would remove the concern about using a spare.

Not really answering your question but I'm in the same boat as you trying to consider what to do about the lack of spare.

 

Good to have both, spare tire and plug-repair kit. Then you can remove the flat, put on the temp spare, and plug-repair when you're home. Using the plug-repair kit is much easier standing over the tire, using your weight. And much more comfortable, less risky, than side-of-road, in the elements.

I got a BlackJack kit soon after getting our 2010: one tire had a tiny finishing nail, about an inch from tread edge, and dealership deemed it too close to edge for a "kosher" inside/outside style patch/plug repair. I did an outside-only plug repair, that was maybe around 25K kms, and the tire's still on the car now, around 75K. I've used the kit also on one of our snow tires, and at least a couple of other times on other family cars.

Putting on a 4th gen temp spare should not do anything to the Anti-lock Brake System or trigger error messages. If you're thinking due to different tire OD, that is not the case: temp spares have the same OD.

 

The only problem I can foresee with either sized spare for the Prime is securing it when not in use so that it doesn't take your head off in an accident.

 

I keep thinking about coming back from Costco, with four loose rims and tires, stacked akimbo in the hatch.

Are there some D-rings at deck level, or are the lower ones "submerged" in the Prime hatch. Also, there might be a tire retaining belt supplied? There was one on our 3rd gen, excerpt from Owner's Manual:

 

PiP has 4 D-rings. I was not able to find any in the Prime Advanced I looked at. And I looked diligently for them.

 

I'd suspect the weld-nuts for them are there, but buried by the raised deck? If really lucky, the D-rings are down there too, but I doubt it.

 

Got a donut spare for my prime from the first auto salvage yard I went to. $30 and it had never been used. It sits behind my driver's seat very well. Also got a small vinyl cover for it. The guy at the salvage yard did a bit of research and said that the 2016 Prius's donut is also cross-listed with the Corolla's and Matrix's. Just make sure it has 5 holes, not 4

 

I'm using Corolla full size 15" steel rims with snow tires.

 

Check the date on the tire. Temp spares do tend to live a sheltered life, but a 10+ year old tire that's been been maybe out in the elements more, is past it's due date.

 

Have you tried it on your car yet? what is the size of the tire? thanks, Im getting crazy trying to find a spare donut. A lot of suggestions but no one seems to e saying they actually put it on their car.

 

--Is the compact spare the same outside diameter as the original tires?
--If not, will the unique Prime drivetrain be OK with the compact spare on the front?
--Good point above about comparing the Prime weight to the weight of the Gen 4 or Corolla or whatever the compact spare is designed to be used on.

 

I bought a temporary spare from a Lexus CT200H online. Size is T125/70D17. Made by Bridgestone in Japan and says to inflate to 60 PSI. I installed it on the back of my Prime and drove around a couple of blocks to see how it would drive and it was fine. I would recommend that if you have a flat in front, replace that tire with one of your rears and only use the temporary on the rear. I keep the spare in the garage so I can have someone bring it to me if I have a flat on the road somewhere. If I ever take a really long trip I will probably take it along, upright behind the driver's seat.

 

I have a full size spare on steel rim kept in my garage. My driving is 99% of time within 30 miles of my home, and I can just call my home to have it brought to me in case of flat on the road. For remaining 1% of time I drive out of town, I should take the spare in my car, but those longer trips are the ones that requires more cargo space, so I have been driving without a spare. I don't think a full size spare will fit behind the seat, but I haven't tried that.

 

Well the genius in the parts department at the Toyota dealer today told me that you can't put a steel wheel on a Prius because the regenerative braking system works by determining the weight of the wheel, and if you use a steel will you will ruin the system. I then went into the service department and asked the service manager who brought a mechanic in and said that a wheel made of steel can be used and has nothing to do with the regenerative braking system whatsoever. We then went back into the parts department to talk to the genius. After the dust settled the service manager apologized at which point I said he should have put his brain in gear before he put his mouth in gear.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Probably not. Prius’ with 15” and 17” wheels use the same compact spare size.

 

1. The 15", 17" and the temp spare are all very close in outside diameter.
2. Will be fine. Just keep speed under 50 mph, and get the original tire repaired and reinstalled asap.

Some conflation going on?