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Compact Spare for Two Eco

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by krousdb, Feb 9, 2016.

  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    can't imagine why it would be any different.
     
  2. gvp1995

    gvp1995 Active Member

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    I feel the same. But sometimes exactly things happen which we cannot imagine. Does cargo area in Four Touring look the same as Two? What if they installed something there that cannot be removed? (Just my speculations). I spoke to one dealer, and he said the spare tire will not fit in Touring Four, although I don't believe it. Most likely it will. But it would be nice if somebody confirms this
     
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  3. ATHiker

    ATHiker Senior Member

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    I'd like to help, but it's 16* fahrenheit now and going to -10* over the weekend, so not a chance anytime soon.

    Where can you order a new donut on the the rim, anyway?
     
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  4. bisco

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    been watching the temp drop all day long.:eek:

    you can get a rim and tyre from the dealer, expensive. best to investigate the correct size, and then look for salvage or ebay from any model that fits.
     
  5. gvp1995

    gvp1995 Active Member

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    Close but no cigar. Went to a dealership today to service my II Gen. Stopped by the sales and looked at the new Touring Four (looks beautiful!).So I asked the salesman about this spare tire business. He said they did not have a training yet, will have in a couple of week, but he was interested himself and wanted to look underneath. But he never could unscrew those 2 white plastic screws somehow. So we spent 15 min tying to look what was beneath the cargo trays but failed. He opened the manual and there one could clearly see there is a space for a spare like krousdb showed in his photos
     
    #45 gvp1995, Feb 12, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    To state the obvious: one very simple way to get a spare is to get a model that comes with it. If this happens enough, if the sales numbers and customer comments are enough to get through to Toyota, maybe this situation will change.

    Or if you're stuck on a model that doesn't have the spare, tell the salesman you'd buy if it could be fitted with all the components of a model with spare.
     
    #46 Mendel Leisk, Feb 12, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
  7. energyandair

    energyandair Active Member

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    Post # 10 mentions pop in fasteners. Maybe they just look like screws
     
  8. gvp1995

    gvp1995 Active Member

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    True! Thank you. I will make a second attempt when I go to pick my car
     
  9. gvp1995

    gvp1995 Active Member

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    Spare tire is a must for me. We travel a lot in places that don’t have any cell reception. And I did have a couple of tire damage that could not be fixed, so I don’t want to take a risk. On the other hand I would gladly go with Three [Touring] if they had auto-dimmed mirror with HomeLink. But this option is only available in Four Touring! My current Gen II is package 6 with all those things, and it is amazing how fast you get spoiled. But I just don’t see myself reaching for a bulky remote each time I want to open the garage door
     
  10. bisco

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    agreed, i got a mini that fits the visor well, but i'd prefer home link.
     
  11. ATHiker

    ATHiker Senior Member

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    Some random thoughts --

    * Some models (including my spare-free 4T) have an SOS button. Free for the first year, then God only knows how much they charge for that. Would this be any more likely to connect one with the cavalry than a cellphone on Verizon? I drive mostly in civilization, but find plenty of spots in VT that I can't get a signal.

    * My last car had a great many miles, so relatively speaking there were many (many) other things that were more likely to leave me stranded far from home than a flat. I made a point of always having warm clothes, and basic tools (not that I would have know what to do with them) and a good battery charger. With all the focus on having a spare tire, I wonder what else I should do to be prepared. I couldn't part with battery charger so its in my hatch now -- is that dumb?

    * Out of curiosity I asked the Toyota dealership the cost of a donut -- $164 for the rim and $267 for the tire. Yikes! I would not hesitate going used (if I were to ever go that route) , but I would want to be 100% sure of getting the exact right spec -- easy for the tire (its printed on the sidewall) but how about the rim?

    * If one were to take on the project of adding a spare, why not go with a full size tire? The owners manual pictures one (perhaps for when they sell cars in other countries?). The additional weight is not going to screw up my mileage that much, right? If so, I could probably offset the delta by going on a diet, any way.

    * I miss the under floor storage of the 2010. My roadside emergency preparedness fantasies inspired me to buy the same kind of reflective triangles the truckers use, and I they no longer have a home (not to mention my emergency supply of Deet and other crap).
     
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If you want to bring your car to a model with spare status, you've still got a ways to go, getting the pieces that fit around the spare.
     
  13. gvp1995

    gvp1995 Active Member

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    Still inconclusive for Four Touring. I went to the dealership for the second time, saw the same guy and wanted to tell him about pop in fasteners, but he said they already opened it and there is no way to put a spare in there. Too shallow he said. And then he did not have time to talk to me more because he was with another customer. I still don't believe they make different body for different models, and still think it should be possible to do with Four Touring what krousdb did with Two Eco.
     
    #53 gvp1995, Feb 12, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I too would doubt the sheet metal is any different, but there's a lot of variation in the plastic and styro.
     
  15. bisco

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    maybe the floor is lower? but if the cargo space is the same, it shouldn't be.

    anyway, i wouldn't trust a salesman to tie my shoes, never mind something this complicated.
     
    #55 bisco, Feb 12, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
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  16. energyandair

    energyandair Active Member

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    Models with the spare have their rear floor close to the level of the hatch opening and the folded rear seat. Those like the Four Touring with no spare have the rear floor significantly lower . A spare probably won't fit under your present floor level. A compact spare or a 15" spare should fit under the higher floor level and a 17" spare might.

    If a 17" won't fit. I would go with a 15" rather than a Compact spare because it will take you further at higher speed and is likely to cost less. People have been buying 15" steel Corolla rims for snow tires on the Gen 3 and saying that they cost much less, are readily available, have the same bolt pattern and the same offset. I would look into one of those for use as spare.
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't follow you. you're saying a compact spare won't fit under the floor of a model that doesn't come with a spare, even though someone already installed one on the two eco?
     
    #57 bisco, Feb 12, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
  18. energyandair

    energyandair Active Member

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    I wrote this when your post just read "I don't follow you" and assumed that you were addressing my post. Now it seems not but this may help anyway.

    GVP 195 wants a Four Touring but regards a spare as a must.
    The Four Touring comes with no spare and the low trunk floor.
    A spare will (probably) not fit under the low floor.
    With a higher floor, the compact spare fits and it appears that a full size 15" wheel will too but a 17" wheel may not.
    A full size spare is more functional than a compact spare
    If it fits under a higher floor, a 17" spare would be nice
    If not, a 15" spare would be much more functional than a compact spare and may cost less
     
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  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thank you. i didn't realize you were talking about changing out the existing donut in the models that come with it, to a larger size.

    but back to the models that don't come with a spare and have the lower floor, someone has already fit a donut under the lower floor of the two eco, and we're wondering why the salesman says it won't fit under the four touring.
     
  20. sfv41901

    sfv41901 Masta S

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    It's always good to have a spare.

    I'd rather have it & never us it than need it & don't have it.


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