On models with no spare tire, what are folks doing?

AAA Plus membership with 100 mile towing including for me.

 

What happens for the next 600 miles? And how do you contact them when there is no CellPhone service?

 

Plus the hassle of a probable grease monkey bottom out your front end while towing jt

LG-H901 ?

 

smoke signals.

 

Ok , so I removed the Prius 4 rear bits and bobs. I'm left with a rather shallow looking area to accommodate a space saver wheel 135/80/16 Toyota spare ?

Looks like the parts needed for the project and will be the bolt that screws down the spare, new polystyrene foam parts and I'm thinking also the rear black plastic trim that sits around the hatch latch horizontally?

Pics taken, since it would rude not to share.

LG-H901 ?

 

look around, i think someone has done this for you.

 

I have done two of these conversions on 4T's. Not a big job.
Look at these pages for some photos: Compact Spare for Two Eco | Page 8 | PriusChat

 

number 11 on your spread sheet.

Also someone deleted/moved my GEN 2 2009 Touring spare tire thread. Really needed that info today before I trade.

Should I keep my 2009 Gen 2 Touring spare for my new 2016 Four Touring? Or forget about it. Sucker is getting really old like me.

 

I suddenly realized that the size (circumference) of the donut spare is not that critical if you use it on the rear wheels. If the sizes of the two front tires are different, the car's "differential" will be constantly working as though the car is in a turn, which might cause wear if the car is driven far. On the rear, that is not a problem.

Putting a donut spare on the front worries me because its contact patch is probably much smaller than that of the regular tire. So if you slam on the brakes in an emergency, it would break traction more readily than the regular tire on the other side, sending you into a spin away from the donut spare side. Which could be inconvenient in an emergency. If I had a front flat, I would always swap tires around so that the donut would be at the rear.

For the same reason, on the road I stay away from cars that have a donut spare on the front. Actually a donut spare anywhere on the car, because on the highway they are usually running much faster than the 50mph the tires are rated for.

I was surprised to read in the Owners Manual that Toyota recommends avoiding putting donuts on the front only when driving on snow or ice. But the manual has a long list of things that may not work properly when a donut spare is attached (p.685), beginning with "ABS and Brake Assist". I think they should have added "Brakes" to that.

 

Yep/OBE/ that would require two tire changes. I am not going there. I will just die by the side of the road. Easier solution.

 

A donut spare is only used to get me to the tire store. Unlike some of the hill Billie's around me .

LG-H901 ?

 

Bet 4 donuts would get great mpg

 

not if you eat them, they'll weigh you down.

 

hot Krispy Kreme falling off the conveyor belt

3 dozen please

 

and more coffee!

 

I wouldn't worry about putting a compact spare on the front, it gets done with no ill effects. Does 4th generation manual specifically caution against against this? I scoured 3rd gen manual, found nothing.

Our (procrastinating) daughter drive her 4wd Pilot for MONTHS with temp spare on front. Drove to your country. Twice.

You can imagine my opinion. Even shot her some $'s, but hey: busy, lol. Finally got it done.

 

As long as you don't need to brake really hard, especially if it is raining, you should be just fine. If you aren't planning on having an accident you won't need any of that silly safety stuff like ABS, Brake assist, VSC TRAC, EPS, PCS, LDA, TPMS, etc. that Toyota says won't work with the compact spare mounted.

As I said, on ice and snow, yes it does.

Glad she made it! The laws of physics don't apply to the young, or at least they think so. The reason the compact spare says "TEMPORARY USE ONLY" on the side is that it's for temporary use only.

Personally, I like it here and would prefer to stay a while longer.

Come to think of it, visiting this country was pretty dangerous too. Maybe the compact spare was the least of her worries.

 

This is the way to go.

 

I'd like to pop for a trim level 4 but I too am worried about the lack of a spare. I happen to live in an area that does not have cell service. As a result, I don't have a cell phone. I check with the providers every year... still no service where I live. Odd, since I live next to one of the largest National Parks (Yosemite). I'm pretty meticulous when it comes to taking care of my tires. But in 2009, I did get a flat on my current car. I picked up a half inch bolt. That little donut spare did come in handy. I'll probably ask the dealer if they can add a spare as part of the deal. I'd be willing to pay for it.

 

...odd isn't it - re no cell phones? We were just up there a month or so back...nice territory!

If you're following the recent threads, you can convert 4 for spare via a couple options, or just carry one.