No spare tire?

We will not be visiting the Macro-world and doing anything of value for many years but, the micro-world is all about us, it is us, and in every other vegetable,animal and other assorted inert objects composed of atoms and electrons whizzing about at the speed of light. True, it is all alive. Incomprehensible but true. Thats why things deterioate and rot. Including: Tires.

 

For those who do not routinely seat more than 3 folks, you might try putting the spare in a protective cover and placing it behind the driver's seat. These photos are taken with the driver's seat in a comfortable position for a 6'3" driver, and the wheel assembly is secured firmly so that it will not flop back and forth as you accelerate and deccelerate.

I get my PIP next week, and will then look into how to best secure the spare to prevent it from becoming a hazard in a collision - perhaps a strap securing it through the lowest bolt holes to the driver's seat in a manner that will allow forward/back/up/down/recline adjustments.

For the rare occasion I seat four or five (I can count the times I've done that over the past decade on one hand), Ill strap it in the trunk.

One thing I will not do is drive past the end of my driveway without a reasonable backup for the vehicle's most likely failure. I have a job, and cannot afford to be delayed by more than the 10 minutes or so it takes to change a tire.

 

that looks good. is it a space saver?

 

It is. A 135/80D16 from a junked 2010 Prius. Recommend you purchase a spare from 2010 or newer (Prius, Corolla, Matrix, or Scion), as spares prior to that have a slightly smaller diameter, and might unduly stress your drivetrain.

 

thanks again, that's exactly what i plan to do. where to you get the nice tire cover?

 

Amazon. They come as a pair. Do a search for "Tire Tote". About $22.

Be sure to first place your spare in as thick a plastic bag as you can find and suck all of the air out before sealing it as thoroughly as you can. It will extend its usefull life.

 

Great idea, just make sure its not blocking the battery vent under the left rear passenger seat

 

I have the spare, but not the car, yet. I plan on the same procedure, but maybe the right rear.

 

Isn't the new Toyota service policy free for 3-years? I know when I was watching one of the "training videos" one of the topics was the tire repair system. The person on the video mentioned that it's expected that the preferred method would be to use the Toyota service to repair or replace the tire.

I assume they probably have some kind of contract with towing companies. Which works great in urban areas. But in the more rural acres, I'm not sure how well that would work. I guess you hope the tire's not shredded - or you carry your own donut.

AAA is always an option, too.

 

These cannot possible meet ultraturtle's 10 minute requirement.

Many places I go, any method involving a cell phone will not work. Period.

 

(I transferred this from the thread that I started. That thread is being closed.)

The only thing that I really do not like about my 2012 Plug-in Prius is that it does not have a spare tire, nor does it have a well where one could be stored. However, for some reason the car does come with the usual tire changing tools - neatly encased under the driver's seat.

I don't so much mind driving around San Diego without a spare (in case the car suffers catastrophic tire damage) but I do not want to go on a long trip without a spare tire. The last thing I want to do is find myself stranded in the middle of nowhere without a spare tire and miles away from a tire store and help.

Does anyone know if there is a space saver tire from Toyota that will fit properly on our cars (the same diameter)? If so, perhaps we can buy one and put it in a bag to protect the car and its contents on road trips. How much does one of these tires cost? Is there a tire bag that fits it well? That could provide a business opportunity for some entrepreneur.

As for using the provided pump and tire sealant, has anyone else read all of the cautionary warning statements in Toyota's owners manual? They just stop short of telling people not to bother using it. I, for one, have been sufficiently discouraged that I will probably not ever try to use it.

 

wow, didn't know i had the tools under my seat ... was about to buy a spare, bag and the tools ... so thanks ...

read this thread ... message #104

 

In another thread I saw this:

(In the other thread, Tracksyde responded with "I'm pretty sure only the Prius v uses the 5x114.3 bolt pattern." so there may just have been a confusion between the 2012 Prius Liftback and 2012 Prius v spare tire sizes).

Does the 2012 Prius Liftback come with a different spare tire than the 2010 Prius?

Have the bolt patterns changed?

Is there an official specification list for spare tire sizes used in various Toyota models published somewhere online?

 

amazing how confusing a missing spare tire can be.

 

No, the bolt patterns haven't changed.

The standard Generation III Prius uses the same 5 bolt pattern as the Corolla. The 135/80D16 spare is correct for all Generation III Prius models, including the 2012 models,

The Prius "v" uses the same bolt pattern as the Camry, The 135/70/17 spare is correct.

Hope this 'splains it, once and for all.

 

i wish there was a place for easy reference for things like this, instead o fhaving to weed thru a search of threads that may or may not have factual info.

 

Prius Wiki is a good place! Maybe Rude person's or somone else motivated can add the info. We should could use some info on the Prius v and PiP there...

I don't care for the Prius Wikipedia entry (which I've submitted edits to a few times before) as some genius there decided to call the generations XW10, XW20, etc. even though Toyota has never done that AFAIK. It's always been NHW10, NHW11, NHW20, ZVW30, etc. Changing it would have too many downstream repercussions and might be wasted effort, as it might get undone.

 

Has anyone actually bought a spare and tried it on a PHEV? I have a used parts dealer searching for one that will fit. He says his computer lists several options, and that there has been a change between the 2010 and 2012 spares. Since the Prius Hatchback has different road wheels, I wonder if we would need different lugnuts to make the spare from the Hatchback fit a PHEV. The lugnuts have a collar on them that fits through the road wheel on the PHEV. That is one of the reasons for my concern.

 

All 2010 thriugh 2102's use the same 135/80D16 spare tire, excepting the Prius "v" and the "c."

The spares have steel wheels with "cone" seated lugs. The tips of the OEM lugs are "coned" to accomodate the spare, while the straight shanks and washers hold the alloy wheels.

 

So, to those who do not know: the PIP does NOT include a spare tire. There is half-space in the trunk to carry a punctured tire once it is replaced, or to carry a spare if you're going on a long summer trip. A puncture sealing kit is included, as well as road service if that doesn't do the job.
I should add that when I bought my seat covers, they threw in a tire tread gauge as a gift, which will come in handy if pennies are ever eliminated (like what was done in Canada recently).