Not impressed w/lack of spare & flat-sealant

I just had a flat tire in my PHEV, and am not impressed with the flat sealant and compressor supplied with the new Prius.

Somehow, in a 10-mile trip on the Interstate, my rear right tire suffered a cut to the side of the tire, almost at the sidewall, rendering it impossible to re-inflate with the compressor and tire sealant.

In the process of trying to re-inflate, before I could see where the hole was, I managed to pump the entire bottle of sealant onto the pavement. The hole sealed somewhat for about 10 miles but then leaked, leaving my tire flat again.

This morning I had to call Toyota Roadside Assistance, and after almost 4 hours, I have a new tire (at $167) and had to order a new bottle of sealant, which was an additional $150.

I really dislike not having a spare tire; my confidence in this car for long trips has just taken a huge hit. No longer can I reasonably assume that I can get going again after a flat tire; not only that, but I had to buy the new tire and replace the sealant, whose usefulness was nonexistent.

To make matters worse, there were no tow bars in the car; we found one at the dealership in a new Scion, but mine had none to be found. Not a big deal, but there should have been at least one in the car.

I know that nothing can prevent a slice to a sidewall, but having no spare meant a four-hour process with a tow truck; had there been a spare, I could've been back in business in 15 minutes, driven to a local tire dealer, and gotten a new tire in about an hour.

I find it nothing less than appalling and arrogant that Toyota and other car manufacturers fail to provide a spare tire. I bought a donut spare on EBay and carry it around, but Toyota should have included a spare with my new PIP.

I agree that it sucks that it's becoming a trend that automakers are not including spare tires for weight savings, and sometimes due to lack of space. But, where would it be stored in the PiP?

I bought set of 4 original OEM wheels/tires on eBay, it was $1,000 with shipping.
3 members of PriusChat each got one for $250 a piece, I keep mine in the rear hatch area, strapped down with the strap Toyota provides.

I just went round trip Boston to Mawah, NJ (to test drive the Tesla Model S, actually), no way I would have done that 500+ trip with no spare.

I suggest keeping a lookout on eBay, there are several sellers so have 2010/2011 wheels, then you just need a tire.

I would just get a full sized spare, the "donuts" don't really save you much space...

Here is the auction from eBay I won, check the same seller, he does have other Prius wheels/tires every so often: 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS PLUG IN ALLOY RIMS / WHEELS WITH TIRES 15" === TAKE OFF. | eBay

Here are the problems with carrying a spare: 1) I don't want to fill my hatch with a spare; 2) if I'm going to get a full-sized spare, I'll buy a premium tire rather than try to save a few bucks; 3) on top of a spare, you also have to carry a jack, which of course I'd have to buy.

I don't want to make my car look junky with a tire in the back, nor do I want to spend $120+ for a tire, more for the rim, and yet more for the jack. By the time I did all that I'd spend several hundred dollars.

I really dislike this new trend towards not providing spares in vehicles.

There's already a jack stored under the driver's side seat.

#1 The jack is stored under the drivers seat, go check

#2 I spent $250 for an original wheel/tire/TPMS sensor

#3 only keep it in the car on longer / distant trips, if you get a flat locally, at least you KNOW you have a spare in the garage, get towed to your house, change it.. Done.

Fact is, there is NO place for a spare in the 2012 PiP, that's where the battery pack is now. All of the whining in the world can't change that fact.

Yep. And, for the benefit of the OP, there was this thread: No spare tire? | PriusChat.

That is a fact, but one that should be rectified by Toyota: the current arrangement, sacrificing the spare to accomodate the extra batteries, would be deal breaker for me, if they were available up here.

i don't mind not having a spare locally, but if i plan a trip, a spacesaver will be part of my plan.

I'm sure the dealer would have been happy to sell a rim & a tire to you when you bought the car. Historically, how many times have you gotten a flat or destroyed a tire? Instead of buying more sealant why not buy a plug kit so you can plug your own tire when needed?

Toyota's next opportunity to find a place for a spare tire in the Plug in Prius won't be until the 4th generation design (2015MY), which will likely be availble mid-2014, however, I wouldn't count on it.

It's outrageous, we know that, it has been discussed ad nauseum on this forum, Toyota screwed up. Write them, tell them, possibly they don't get it. You don't like the world, help change it. If enough people complain something will be done. One big advantage of not having a spare.......is better gas mileage! If you believe that the Brooklyn Bridge is still for sale. All that crap under my seat I removed, except the tow bar, I found a place for that. My jack is 12 VOLT, It works on all my cars amazingly.

I haven't had a Flat on my last 4 cars.
Then I got a flat on my PIP, as previously reported, that cost me $25 to plug. Having a Spare tire would have only saved the time to get the tow.

Then 4 weeks later the same tire was losing pressure. This time I drove the PIP to the Dealer that fixed the last flat and they transfered me to and from work. No time lost not having a spare tire.

However, IT WAS ANOTHER SCREW IN THE TIRE.
I have no clue where I'm picking up these screws, but it cost me another $25.

I will NEVER use the tire sealant. Lesson learned with Fix-A-Flat years ago.
It makes a mess in the tire, that has to be scraped out and it plugs the Pressure Sensor, costing another Sensor.
And I will NEVER buy a plug kit to fix it myself.
Have you tried removing the tire from the rim without a Tire Machine???

yea, it's a lot of work, trick is to drive over the side of the rubber to break the seal, even with good tools, it's a lot of work. As for the sealant, that looks like a gimmick to me too.

You don't remove the tire from the rim when fixing a tire with a tire plug kit.
How to Use a Tire Plug Kit

There should be a towing eyelet stored in the tool tray under the driver's seat along with the jack, jack handle, and lug wrench.
See owner's manual page 448.
If its missing, ask your dealer to replace it.

I plan on ordering a cheap aftermarket wheel from Tirerack with the OEM tire, no TPMS sensor, should be around $250 or so and there is my full size spare for out of town trips. Add $70 or so for TPMS if you want but for a spare I dont see the need for it, the wheel will come off once flat is fixed or tire replaced.

Ryogajyc,
The dealer said they plug the hole and then add a Patch Seal from the inside.

Where do you store it?