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

i doubt run flat tires would be good for mpg's.

 

I picked up a compact spare from ebay for $100. I figured the peace of mind was worth $100. I can take it on long drives or commute and take it out when we go shopping locally.

 

Keeping a full size spare for winter driving on mountain roads, using my original tire and wheel as the spare, counting chains, I'll add 50 lbs to my weight for day to day driving, the difference between a 150# driver and a 200# driver.

I wonder if weight placement will also have an effect? Putting the 50# of wheel and chain on the cargo area right and my 150# on the driver's seat left. Will that "twist" the car enough to make it less fuel efficient?

 

hoe did you go about searching for it? thanks.

 

Bisco I gave a link to recycling yards earlier in the thread as well as the tire specs. Just look at those and punch them into search. Note that the compact is 16", not 15".

 

i can't find any terminology for 'compact spare tire'. is 'spare' enough? or 'spare tire'? i spose if it's compact, it's compact. also, they want your info before telling you what they have. why is that?

 

Oh, you just choose Wheels w/pics part. That's all you need. And then choose the spare. The page you hit is when there are no parts available matching your criteria.

 

thank you.

 

yeah it took me a while to figure that out too. and then it took me a second to realize that you weren't in CA so the original link wasn't very useful to you

 

i'm in cali in my mind. unfortunately, that won't get me a spare tire.

 

I searched under Prius spare and then looked for 2011 or 2012 model. There are a lot of spare for older Priuses so you have to be careful not to get the wrong one.

 

thank you.

 

Just wondering....have you checked w/AAA on this? Will they tow it to your home if it's close to 100 miles away, even though there is a repair shop within a couple of miles? I like your idea, and I just got AAA, but just wondered if they would actually do it.

 

Automobile Club of So. Calif (AAA) gives you 7 miles towing with a basic membership, 100 miles with "Plus" and 200 with "Premier" for the first tow, 100 miles each tow for the remainder of the year. I couldn't find any mention of a requirement to go to the nearest repair shop.

 

I think you give too much credit to the driving public in wanting to changing a tire. I'll admit, my survey sample is small, but of women I know, zero will change their own tires. Some actually know how to, I showed them how to. But they'd rather wait in their car for roadside assistance. That's 50% or the market right there where a spare tire is meaningless. Of the men, there is a stigma to admitting you don't know how but a few have said to me, that they'd rather just have roadside assistance do it rather than get outside and get their hands dirty. The wait is typically 30 minutes anyway. Not a long wait. Your's is egregious only because it is a holiday weekend.

My opinion is that weak sales aren't due to a spare tire. You and I both think not offering a spare tire is a deal breaker or very near to it. Guess what? We both have PiPs in our garages. I think it's more to do with pricing and rebates. People don't know you can get the Leaf or Pip for $25k and the Volt for a couple $k more. They think they are $40k cars for rich tree huggers. It's going to take some time for people to understand what a PHEV is just as it took time for people to accept hybrids.

 

I keep a spare in my garage. I can always get to the house or get someone over TO for a tire. I won't carry it with me. Too heavy and not needed till it's needed.

 

hi di, how much is a complete compact spare from your parts department? thanks!

 

I got a flat last week. Toyota Care would only tow to a Toyota dealership 10 miles away and not the Big-O Tire a block away Not a real fan of Toyota Care. Though they did send a flatbed and it only took about 20 minutes.

It was a large slit in the tire and I had to buy a new tire. $160 or so included everything. I do believe the slime would have sealed the hole after I removed the metal from the tire.

Instead of a spare, I picked up a 32oz can of slime and will put that in all 4 tires. This will prevent small punctures. Works great in mountain bike tires. I will put 8oz into each tire.
Amazon.com: Slime 10009 Tubeless Tire Sealant - 32 oz.: Automotive

I also bought this for $49 which gives you everything you need to fix a flat. More slime, plugs, and a compressor.
Slime 70004 Power Spair 48 Piece Tire Repair Kit : Amazon.com : Automotive