guys it finally happened - flat tire

I’m thinking the most economical thing is to buy a spare tire/donut rather than an extra tire. I buy an extra tire and Murphy’s law I will NOT get a flat. Putting that money towards a spare donut will give me extra security in case the wheel also gets damaged, right? In an ideal world where money flows freely I would have both an extra tire and spare donut. I don’t have backup help when I get a flat.

I would really prefer smaller tires (cost) but I guess my brain is too overwhelmed with other things and I can’t grasp how this is done without it costing a fortune. I already checked with dealer and they said they would not swap and sell the 19”.

 

The simple solution is to buy the LE or LE AWD that comes with 17” tires and save money upfront as well. If heated seats or digital mirror is more important than tire size then buy the more expensive model. In the long run the low end model is the best value and has 99% of the same technology and 100% of the safety features. Arguably the 17” tires add a percent of safety for no cost.

 

I thought of buying a compact spare for my gen 3, but in all the 12 years I drove the car, I never had a flat. The original flat repair pump was never used, and I suppose it might have become unusable over time anyway. At any rate, I have roadside assistance on my 2024 Prius Prime, something I may never need to use either.

 

Lucky you! : ) I’ve had multiple flats through the years. Mostly a magnet for sharp metal objects I guess. I have AAA and they work fine when I have a spare in the back. Otherwise I’m out of luck. I don’t have someone to call and pick me up while car gets towed to the tire store. Plus with tires for the Gen 5 being so scarce, my car would be stuck at the unsafe tire store for weeks. Then I’d be dealing with possibly getting cat converter stolen. I know that can happen anywhere since it happened in my safe apartment complex parking lot but I need to be proactive.

 

Wish I could deal with LE but I’m getting XLE for the ease of seat adjustment, softex and I don’t like the plastic parts above the tire. I’m forgetting what that area is called.

 

Was it the plug-in? All the other 3rd gens came with a spare.

Still, what do you expect roadside assistance to do? It will for sure be more costly, inconvenient and time consuming, compared to swapping to a spare.

 

Few cars come with spare tires these days. In fact, PHEVs and BEVs almost never come with one.

With TPMS and inflation kits, the only times you would need a spare could be when you hit a large pothole.

Therefore, I wouldn't base my car selection on the availability of a spare tire and miss out all the new car technology and electronic safety features. If you must, then buy one and secure it somewhere inside the car if not on a ski rack.

 

Google's telling me 70% still have spares.

Yeah...

 

Driving over a bolt or anything that’s more than a quarter inch thick isn’t easy to repair. Pot holes and big bolts tend to be what give me flats.

 

Got lucky. This morning I got a low tire pressure alert. I’m like definitely has to be a nail in my tire cause I topped off all my tires the other day. Sure enough there was a nail in my tire. It was almost too close to the sidewall but now close enough. I was able to get it patched. Whew.

 

At least they do exist in the plug-in field. A spare tire is still part of my selection criteria. Earlier this year, I was about to get a new Toyota PHEV with spare tire as standard equipment.

I very much doubt that any inflation kit would adequately seal the big jagged debris that took out one of my Prius tires a few years ago. I though it was a type of pipe hangar, though can't currently spot an example image online.

 

Shockingly, the low-tire-pressure warning light came on the other day. I pulled to a gas station, and there was a small screw in the tread of the right rear Dunlop Enasave 01 A/S tire. It had about 35 psi before, but it had gone down to 25 psi. I inflated to 45 psi and drove on. It seemed to leak about 10 psi in 30 miles but none when sitting.

The Toyota dealer said that they didn't repair tires. I took it to an independent tire shop in Long Beach, and the technician quickly patched it with a combined patch/plug from the inside and balanced it. I asked how I would pay, and he said, "This one is free, but you can tip me if you like." I gave him $20 and drove happy.

 

Interesting… My local dealership does plug and patch but maybe only during desperate times. I never go to them for tires but I was sitting there waiting a month or so ago and a woman had a brand new Toyota vehicle with a flat. They couldn’t get the tire in time for her to go on her trip so they fixed it. My low pressure light came on yesterday and I was in a panic thinking I had another nail in my new tires. They were all down to 30 which was a relief because the tire store couldn’t fit me in until the next day. Being a damsel in distress is the pits. I don’t check the pressure as often as I used to because full service station won’t do it now unless light is on.

 

Are you going to get a Gen 5, @daisy555? They are abundant at the Southern California dealers at the moment unless you are looking for an LE or an SE. I did see a white SE at West Coast Toyota of Long Beach yesterday though.

 

I’m still waiting for my small local dealership to get one in. There is one coming in any day 45 mins away. They are a challenge to deal with and I don’t need the added stress. They are huge and get allocation priority. They have so many Primes right now that they are discounting them.

I don’t mind waiting as long as this car holds up. I had a messy summer and a new pristine car wouldn’t have been fun. The scraping sound that occurred last night had me calling this other dealership as my back up.

I’ve seen a few silver and red roaming around in the wild over the past few weeks. If red wasn’t so darn flashy, it would be my second choice.

 

So what’s wrong with a Prime, price? Pot holes do in wheel bearings. I went to a gas station for air once and pure water came out. I ran it a bit and it still was all water. Long run to the compressor I guess. Some have compressor at the hose area. I take along one more thing, an air pump. Ryobi that takes the 18 v battery. And a spare tire is always in the G4 Prime I have.

 

Yes, Gen 5 Prius Prime higher trims are too expensive. Few people want a $44,000 Prius, which is the MSRP of a loaded XSE Premium. With the initial excitement now gone, dealer lots are full with XSE Premiums, probably most selling below MSRP now. The SE is reasonably priced at $35,000 but hard to find.

LE is priced at $30,000. I would skip the XLE, Limited, XSE, and XSE Premium because of the 19" wheels, which hurt the ride and fuel economy. 17" wheels also look better on a Prius in my opinion. Even if you want a Prius, you might want to get a Prius Prime SE because of the lease and other discounts, and it is great to have a car than can go without gas. But both the LE and SE are still hard to find because they are the best buys for a Gen 5 Prius. The higher trims, which are expensive, are very easy to find now.

 

This reminds me of what customer service used to be about with auto repair... You do something quick and easy and free for a customer and they return the favor in a tip as well as being the person they refer their friends to so you have too many customers and only work for the ones you like the most.

Toyota Stealerships are the exact opposite of this!

 

For air, all I’ve used for about a decade now, is a floor-standing bicycle pump. 20~40 strokes to add a few pounds; I’ve even aired up tires near-flat after plug repair.

 

I've been using foot pumps.