Dreaded flat tire and I dont like it a bit :(

oh ya! can you say rav 4?

 

Somewhere on these forums I think there was a gag photo of a Prius with a Continental Kit. I wouldn't know where to begin to search ..........

 

Google....

 

That will work!
Also takes care of bugs and front and rear bumper protection, all in one step! GREAT!

 

Squirt, it was a different one, but yours is better with spares both fore and aft! Thanks for posting.

 

Bye-bye to the 0.24 drag ratio...

 

Run-flat tires are typically only good for 50mi once punctured. Realistically, any mileage you put on them once they're flat would probably do enough damage that you'd have to replace them anyway... and they're not cheap either.

I'm sure if it was required/mandated car makers could find a creative way to include a full (diameter) size spare in every vehicle. If I can come up with the idea for a two part space saving folding rim that you snap together inside an uninflated tire- they can come up with much better, but they get an easy out by claiming people just call roadside assistance anyway, or it takes too much space inside the vehicle, or the old standby; it adds cost to the vehicle, etc... so we get cars without spares.

 

I'd be happy if they just mandated a temporary spare.

 

I'll start looking for a puncture-proof tire...

 

Hear, hear! We need more government mandates!

Just poking fun, but the reality is that if you want a spare, you can just go and buy one. I picked up a Corolla spare at the local u-pull last weekend for $8. (50% off)
Taking it a step further, Id be happier if they sold vehicles without wheels and tires, so you could just pick your own and not have to dump the OE wheels.
If you do your research before buying the car, you know what to expect.

 

I hear ya, and agree- I bought a spare for my PIP, and I bought one for my Volt now too. I got both at the local salvage yard for $50 each.
But it's inconvenient to lug it around in the back hatch area taking up precious cargo space.. It would be nice if they gave you a proper place to store it..

 

One factor in the swapping out of OE tires/rims has got to be those plastic wheel cover over utilitarian black alloys....

When customers are voting with their cheque books, upgrading wheels and getting spares (in the case of the PIP) there is something amiss with Toyota's design decisions.

 

Or more specifically "lack of" design decision in the case of the PIP- it's pretty clear that they did the bare minimum to make the PIP from the regular Prius. Anything that didn't absolutely require a redesign wasn't addressed.

I could imagine the conversation between the design team and management....
[Design team] "By placing the larger PIP battery in the spare tire area we save XXXXX yen in redesign costs... but we have no room for the spare tire then".
[Management] Brilliant! Make it so!
[Design team] Did they hear me say "we have no room for the spare tire"?
[Management] Now how about those new colors for 2012 boys????

 

Rob,
How is the Volt working out for you?

 

i disagree with it being a poor design decision. while i agree that money is always a part of the design process (and a good thing too) finding space for the battery without removing the spare was probably next to impossible before gen IV. and i for one, am glad they didn't wait until gen IV to make a pip. it has been an exciting 28 months!

 

i don't think you'll find a car on the road that someone isn't modding/upgrading. while i also purchased a spare, and would prefer it to be underneath, i have yet to see another manufacturer do it better.

 

Last week when I was driving home, my low tire pressure light (TPMS indicator) came on. The next day I checked the pressures and sure enough, the right rear tire was down to 23 lbs. This doesn't happen by accident, so I got my tools out and my speed jack, took the tire off (man its nice when you have to take the wheel off and you used the correct torque with a torque wrench to put them on) and yep there it was, a glint of metal. Got the tire plug kit ready and loaded it up. Took the needle nose pliers and pulled out a 1 3/8" (35mm) nail, then plugged the hole and cut off the remaining part of the plug. Filled it up back to 37lbs. Checked it yesterday and hasn't lost any air.

And while I had the air compressor all charged up, I checked the wife's donut in her Venza. Yep flat.

I'm beginning to believe the automobile manufacturers created the TPMS to actually replace the spare/donut tire. And I don't think the donut (or a fifth tire) is hooked into the TPMS system since the TPMS indicator didn't go on in the Venza.

 

As relating to this particular thread... it didn't come w/a spare either, nor does it have storage for one. I bought a space saver from a CTS at the local junkie and keep it in the rear hatch area.

In regards to EV vs Gas usage... it's better than I hoped for!
I've put 8,000 mi on it since I got it in March and have burned 17 gal of gas. Mostly all of the gas was burned on a summer road trip from L.I. to R.I. On that road trip where I never plugged in- I got 43mpg on gas only.

My everyday 50 mi commute to work is completely covered by the Volt's large battery and the ability to charge at work for free.
It seems counter intuitive- but my electric bill at home has actually gone down from when I had the PIP... because every evening I used to arrive home with a completely empty PIP battery requiring a full recharge for the next day. With the Volt I arrive home sometimes having enough charge left to make it back to work the next morning, so no recharge is needed that evening. Other times I only need 2-3mi charge and I calculate that a 24 cents/kWh it costs me about 7 cents for each EV mile- so that 2-3mi recharge only runs me 21 cents or so.

Thanks for asking.....

 

I'd call it a "design compromise"... at least they did give us the fix-a- flat goo (which ruins the TPMS sensor (now that's a poor design decision) if used).

 

It doesn't really ruin the mag as well as the sensor, but what tire mechanic do you know that is going to clean that green goo off the mag before mounting the new tire? who's gonna know anyways.
agreed: poor imitation of a spare.