4th generation coming 2015!

In 30 years, I've had to "be stranded" seven times.

Twice because of a blown hose.
Once because of a failed alternator.
Once because of a cracked radiator.
Once because of an air intake hose that came off.
Twice because of flat tires.

One of the flat tires was caused by running the tires beyond their wear bars.
The other was caused by running the tires at a low pressure under very high load in high temperatures.

In 30 years, I've never had a flat tire on a properly maintained tire, and I've thus carried spares around for nothing for all that time. And the spare tires didn't help with real problems I've had with other components.

There are plenty of other things that can go wrong besides tires. Should I carry a spare set of hoses, a spare radiator and a spare alternator too? How about a spare ECU, a spare 12V battery, and spare serpentine belt? Why are tires the one thing we have to carry despite the fact that they take up a ton of room, modern tires are very reliable, and many other things can go wrong that will also leave you stranded?

 

Well, we don't have a "serpentine belt" in the GIII. But your point is well made. I put Nokian WR tyres on Pearl (GII) and, due to an idiot vandal got seven nails in her tyres over a two month period. They never went flat, just lost a little pressure over several weeks. All were repaired (no charge). The idiot was placing the nails against the tread when the car was parked.

 

I too never had to use a spare tire, 18 years driving.

 

@Lee Jay and kensiko: That's all well and good, but living in Chicago and driving cross country multiple times I have had to use a spare tire on more than one occasion, so what? If you don't want it and won't use it, fine, but I will. So an option would definitely be nice. And I've found it to be invaluable when needed.

 

Lucky you. We had a hail storm go through neighborhood with 50-60% of the roofs being replaced. Between all family cars I've been plugging tires weekly. Don't judge others needs by your experiences.

 

First seven thousand miles on the GenIII Prius I had to use the spare twice. At 2,000 miles I ran over some metal at night and badly sliced up the bottom corner of the rear tire. Had to be replaced. At 7,000 I had a puncture and couldn't trust it so the spare came out again. Tire was plugged. The set completely wore out at 30K miles (Toyo Proxes). A set of Ecopia's are now on my car.

Previous to the Prius, I averaged a flat ~every three years. I will buy a full spare for my next car if it doesn't come with one.

 

Unfortunately inflated full size does not fit in Gen3. So if you puncture front you have to put spare in back and move back tire to front to avoid running different size tires on drive axle.

In addition to spare we carry pump and tire repair kit, but as you say some punctures cannot be fixed so spare comes out.

 

I have had to use the spare at times. Except for a tire blow out while of vacation back when I was a kid, they were all cases in which a plug may have worked. For the iffy ones, run flats should have been the trick until getting home or a tire shop.

Tires are much better made now than they were in the '80s when we had the blow out. Pot holes and other hazards nasty enough to severly damage a tire could take out two. Nearly everyone has a cell phone these days. If they don't, the cars that come without spares probably have their own built in.

Ecomodders, and even hot rodders, have been taking the spare out to reduce weight for years. Going on a long trip, or in an area with spotty cell service, the spare can go back in. For the majority of the population, those aren't the norm in daily driving.

 

Run flat tires have HIGH rolling resistance and can DECREASE MPG by as much as 10%. They are not the tires that most Prius owners want. I found that a deflated full size tire (185/65R15) tire will fit in the spare area of my 2004, but it does take a while for my 12v air compressor to fill it back up.

JeffD

 

Most car insurance includes roadside assistance or you can always get AAA cheaply these days. You can often get dealers to throw in roadside assistance when haggling. Been two years with my Prius and have never had to use it. Knock on wood. Think it is acceptable to lose the spare in exchange for more storage space or better yet more battery capacity on the next gen.

 

Toyota Motor Corp.'s North American CEO, Jim Lentz has to say about Gen4 Prius.

The new Prius will be the first vehicle on that new modular platform. But the marketplace for hybrids is considerably more crowded now than when the third-generation Prius came out in 2009. How does Toyota stay ahead of the pack?

It's a much more crowded segment, but it's still a segment that we have over 60 percent share. There are a couple million Priuses on the road burning gas today. It's a relatively loyal buyer base.

I think what's important for us is Prius still remains a Prius. It's still high mileage. But at the same time, it needs to get more aggressive in styling, and it needs to become a little bit more fun to drive. And I think we will achieve both of those goals, partially through TNGA as we end up with platforms that have a lower center of gravity. I've driven this car, and it's quite strong. My wife is on her third Prius, so I have a pretty good sense of what Prius feels like and drives like, and this is quite strong.

Now, this won't be a hot rod; it's not going to do 0 to 60 in three seconds, but it still is fun to drive. When you talk to non-Prius owners, it's difficult for them to understand how a Prius can be fun to drive. But when you talk to Prius owners, they feel that their cars are fun to drive even today. It's not G-force; it's not 0-to-60 acceleration. It's just a different fun.​

Plano pioneer: Lentz plots his next moves at Toyota

 

I'll throw in my two cents (because we don't have pennies anymore in Canada so they're worthless).
You -can- deflate a full size wheel/tyre combo and squeeze it in the current Prius. Do be careful though. Note that collision tests are done with the "temporary spare" in place. The damage and forces will be different with a full size deflated wheel/tyre. Probably ok but something to keep in mind.
Many cars that don't have a spare anymore come with a tyre "seal and inflate" can. Of course they may damage/destroy the pressure monitor, but they will often get you to help. But they won't fix every possible failure. Nothing will. Not even a "real" spare.

 

If it fits I should try to get a rim and put one in with used tire. The spare has 16" rim, so I doubt the damage will be greater with deflated 15"

 

You can get a temp spare in there, well, except for our PIP brethren. It works. Just saying.

Since there's an informal poll going, I too have had to use the spare once, caught a small bolt in tread. Drove home on the temp spare, plug repaired and reinstalled the flat tire. It was a freezing cold day, would not want to be sans spare.

 

Good point about the collision tests. reminded me of a stories of police being severly injured when rear ended in a Crown Vic. Turns out the third party police gear removed the spare, and this completely changed the collision dynamics of the car's rear end.

 

MY next car has a 'spare tyre' or it won't be my next car...simple as that!

 

http://bravenewcarz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016-Toyota-Prius-rendering.jpg

The next Prius was said to have borrowed styling cues from the Toyota CHR concept. I think the next Prius will look 70-80% like the rendering I've posted, judging from the video shown of (Allegedly) the Gen 4 Prius and taking an extensive look at both, though it is difficult to inspect the covered car

 

Front looks very C-like, which would make sense if they lowered engine. But the grill looks like departure from 2015 ugly nosectomy so many models suffered from, and rear too short for hatchback

 

Jumping to conclusions that "short" equals no hatchback is rather rash. Go look at a Prius C. It is VERY short and yet still a hatchback.

 

Didn't look like much changed. My money is on only some slight tweaks to the:

• Headlights
• Taillights
• Grill
• Rims
• Dashboard
• Center Console

Can't imagine Toyota would want to stray too far from the iconic Prius look.