My 2019 base model Prius ECO came without a spare tire. Can I buy a "doughnut" tire and the associated gear (tie down, jack, etc.) and fit it all in the back where a spare normally lives? And am I right that I can save some money by not buying the spare from Toyota? Thanks for your help!
Eco's not supposed to have a spare. In lieu, it has a patch kit with air pump. You can retrofit to have a spare.
I had the same reaction when I brought home my 2021 AWD Prius this year! No way am I driving my 45-mile (one way) commute to work without a spare tire! My wife had a flat in her 2017 Prius this summer, on the interstate, and we were so glad for the spare. Look in your trunk, you should already have the jack and the crow bar...mine does. I searched EVERY tire store in town and nobody sells spare tires for Toyota....weird! I ended up buying the wheel from McGeorge Toyota (on-line) (I think it was about $110) then ordered the spare tire from my Toyota dealer (I think it was about $90) I brought them to Discount Tire to have them mount it for me. After using the Toyota scissor jack, I didn't like it, so I got a better scissor jack on Amazon to replace it. The tire you'll need is T125/70D17 and inflates to 60 psi. The jack is
That's the fourth gen spare spec, and I believe 3rd gen (16") spec is also ok. Fourth gen Owner's Manual screen grab: And 3rd gen: The latter is actually closer in OD to the stock 195/65R15 tire size (common to both gen's), something you can verify with one of the online tire calculators. You can plug either of the above spec at Tire Rack site, see what's readily available. For the rim, go to any of the online Toyota parts websites, and you can find the temp spare rim details.
Not only can you put a donut in it, if you don't mind losing floor space you can put a full-sized spare in it - which is what I did.
I ordered one off ebay for, I think about $140. The tire looks to have never been used, There are usually several on there. I just store it in the hatch with the groceries.
One thing buying used spares, especially temp spares: how OLD is that rubber... Yeah I know, our spare has 11 years since we bought the car, closer to 13 years from the car's build date*, more'n likely at least 13 year from tire manufacturer date. * languished on dealership lot for ~15 months.
That's true...especially with spares that are exposed to the elements, like in my Tundra....the spare is mounted underneath the bed. I should lower it down and make sure it's still good. (It's a 2014 truck) Thankfully, we are pretty dry in this part of Colorado and they don't use salt on the roads in the winter. (But, despite not having salt, I get the undercarriage sprayed with water in the winter often at a car wash.)
Don't remind me: our daughter's Pilot had underslung spare, ugh. It looked terrible, dried out and cracking. She got an irreparable flat, got the temp spare put on, on a front corner, 4WD vehicle. Drove thus for months, including a couple of forays to the States... Bank of Mom-n-Dad had deposited a grand in her account, but hey, she was busy...
If you have stock rims, it may be easy to find a matching rim and new tire. I did this on my 07 Tundra-OEM rims are easy to find since so many people upgrade to aftermarket rims. I was in need of new tires so I went ahead and bought 5 (spare was from 2007). I’ll do a 5 tire rotation now with 5 matching new tires.
When I lost my 2016 to a kamikaze deer in 2020, I kept the donut so that I would have it for my new 2020 AWDe. I keep it with a cloth cover in the space behind the front passenger seat as the normal spare tire spot is filled with the power electronics that drive the rear axle motor. JeffD
