Poll: Are you getting a spare for your prius plug in?

I'm strongly considering purchasing a full size spare (assuming I can keep it under <$100), and take it with me should I go on longer trips. My car is leased, so I really don't want to invest too much into accessories, etc.

 

Your sispision is korrect.

 

Anybody traveling W-O a spare is Mad, sad, bad.

 

naaa....I havent had a flat in so many years i cant recall..lol

Im sure now that I said that i will get one now!

with cell phones, AAA, toyota care....i dont see why i would want to take up space. But for a long roadtrip it would be a nice "peace of mind".

Dan

 

You're korrect Andy .... I'm bad. We're leaving Sat morning for a 3100 mile trip to Miami....then 2 weeks later we'll return. No spare.

Wanna make a bet ... I say no tire problems and you say flat or flats??? How much?

 

I have had one flat in 24 years of driving. That was in a bad part of detriot on crappy roads. It was a puncture the fix a flat would have fixed. I have driven accross country twice and in every state without issue.

That said, the wife got two sidewall flats on her new IS within 40 days of buying it.

Its a calculated risk, but I would go to Vegas on the odds I have been seeing. (and actually have, twice with the PiP)

 

Get a spare tire. Or buy a regular Prius that comes with a spare. You do have options as a consumer that will alleviate your concerns. PiP is not the right car for everyone.

 

I have a spare because, a) I don't want to gum up my wheel or the TPMS sensor, b) I don't want to be dependant on getting timely roadside service to get to my destination, and c) I don't want the hassle of having my car tied up at a dealer.
If I put the spare on, I have some control over getting the tire repaired or replaced. The spare takes up some space in the cargo area, but we've gotten used to working around it with groceries, etc. To me, the peace of mind is worth it.

 

I dont plan on using the fix-a-flat. I do have a plug kit in the back though. But my first option would be to call AAA. Second would be to call Toyota Roadside. Third option, plug the tire.

Since the compressor connects to the fix-a-flat can, I'm still wondering if I can just empty the can and use that as the "connector" to pump up the tire. Seems plausible.

 

short of funds right now. will consider when I do. meanwhile, I don't get out much, cept work, so Toyota roadside assistance, and/or AAA I got.

 

The compressor doesn't work without the can?? Am surprised to hear that. Guess I really need to finish reading my manual.

 

AAA's been mentioned in this thread, and other similar threads. What exactly are they going to do? If it's a minor puncture they do an on-the-spot plug from the outside? And if the tire is torn or somehow unrepairable they tow you, somewhere? And then you wait for a replacement tire to shipped to you?

D.O. for Toyota road service?

I don't see that as replacement for having a spare.

 

like I said in several other posts,I'm only 2.7 miles away from work, AAA can tow my car to my local Toyota dealership which is also about 3 miles away. I can walk home

 

Back in July on my 5700 mile road trip I happened to get a slow leaker
(TPM light came on at about 20PSI at 5:45 pm) and was able to top it off at a gas station.

I called the Toyota Care thing and they said all the Toyota Dealers in the area were closed so I would have to call back tommorow morning. ---Wow that was Fu**ing helpful...not----

Anyways I wasn't too far from an America's tire Co. which were also close to closing for the day, and they plugged it for free and oblviously I didn't even buy the Prius tires from them. No wonder I buy all my truck tires from them for my other vehicles, Good Atitude and customer service goes a long way with me. I had the AAA card as another back up as well.

However, what if the tire had a bad leak late at night when I was in the boonies outside of Aspen Colorado driving to some tiny town to stay the night before going into Rocky Mountain NP the next morning? "Screwed" is what I would have been. I will not do another long trip without a spare of some sort.

 

In my case, I'd have it towed to my friend's shop where I'd get a tire mounted (or mount it myself using his machine) and then drive home. For those who do not have a friend who owns a shop, I'd imagine just taking it to a local tire store (or the dealer if you want to pay Toyota for a tire).

If I got a flat after regular business hours, then I'd just plug it and drive home and worry about it the following day. If its unrepairable, then I'd tow the car home, remove the wheel and take it to my friend's shop/tire shop the following morning.

I'm not sure why you'd need to wait to have a tire shipped to you. The regular Prius 15" tire isnt a hard tire to find locally. I also regularly see whole sets of 15" Prius wheels on Craigslist for a couple hundred dollars. Come to think of it, if I had one tire I needed to replace, I'd probably just break down and shell out for a set of 17" wheels and tires. In which case I'd end up with 3 spares in my garage.

 

No bets, BUT, Have a good trip.

 

Im taking a cruise out of Maryland in January. I may buy one just for that trip because Id kick an adorable puppy before I miss my ship.