Prius Plugin's lack of spare tire.

Discount Tire charged 0. I didn't even buy the tires from them. (OEM Toyos)

SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 ? 2

 

As with a M/C, carry inflate flat, tire plugs, mini air compressor. Thats' what I do on my bike. The above mentioned has gotten me out of flat tire situation in the past

This only works on tubeless M/C tires.

DBCassidy

 

That is only half of the story. My wife ran over a curb at the grocery store yesterday and got a hole in the sidewall. She called me and I went over to change the tire only to discover that there is no spare. I pulled out the pump and sealant thinking it might get us to the mechanic 2 miles away. After assembling the pump I read the manual. (I know, I know, I don't ask for directions either.) In the manual I learned that with any hole in the sidewall the pump is useless. After assembling the pump I further learned that you can't remove the tire sealant once it is attached to the pump. The pump unit is single use and costs $250 to replace.

So we called the dealer and they informed us that for two years you have free towing. Great. We called Toyota roadside assistance and they informed us that they will only tow you to the nearest Toyota dealer (so that they can sell you a tire with a hefty markup). If we wanted to go to our mechanic, two miles away (vs. 20 to the dealer) it would cost $80. Ok we decide to suck it up and go to the dealer (no AAA, why would we need it, we have a brand new car.) We call the dealer and it doesn't have the tire in stock. They can "probably" get it by the next day. "Do you have a loaner car?" "No but we can arrange for a rental." At this point my head is about to explode. What should be a minor 30 minute inconvenience of changing a tire has become a huge cluster@#$%. I can't believe what a huge scam this is. I thought a $500 key replacement was bad but this is worse.

End of the story, I seemed to remember that our auto insurance, Liberty Mutual, had road hazard assistance. I called them, towing for a flat was covered, the tow truck showed up in 30 minutes and delivered the car to our mechanic. Fine in the end but my stress level was off the chart and I am extremely disappointed with Toyota. Rant over.

 

...unfort spare tire becoming optional for autos these days, not sure if there is any plug-in vehicle on the market with a spare.

 

Sorry for your experience. I NEVER leave home without a spare...and never will.

 

Well that didn't work at all.

 

Chevy did beginning with their 2003 SSR truck. I have one. It has a 12volt air compresser and a can of tire sealant. and tire plug set.
Someone made an after market spare which displaces the battery in the rear for those who want a full size or compact spare.
I think that sooner or later spares will be phased out with 'run flat' tire system as well as maybe not even rubber tires at all but plastic.

 

Moral of the story: If you do not have a spare tire. Purchase roadside hazard coverage.

We're going to get a whole lot more of these stories now that half the 2016 Prius trims do not include a spare.

I came to terms with having no spare years ago. I went so far as taking my deposit back on a PiP when I found out it doesn't have one. But like the end of 3000 mile oil changes and mandatory TPMS, it just keeps coming. I just wish auto companies would at least give me the option of a spare tire kit with secure points so that I can choose to have a spare or not. I will gladly pay it instead of forcing me to buy a rear wiper that never gets used.

 

The funny thing is that everything needed to change the tire comes with the PiP, except the spare.

 

As a lifelong motorcyclist with numerous trips about the country, I've had to deal with no spare for decades; bottom line be prepared.

As a PHEV owner, I purchased a spare tire, jack, and necessary tools. Besides the OEM compressor/goo, I carry the jack and tools along with my personal flat repair kit (motorcycling) and keep the spare in the garage since most of driving is local. Very long trips (rare), I bring it along; shorter trips I don't and run the risk. Backup plan: AAA.

 

The thing I don't understand is why these cars don't come with run flat tires. My B-class, like all plug-ins, doesn't have a spare, but at least it comes with run flat tires so that a) if something happens I'm not screwed and b) i don't drive around with a useless bottle of goo that requires TPMS sensor replacement + goo replacement anytime you use it.

 

Indeed. I'm unaware of a single EV/PHEV in the US that comes w/a spare. And, most don't have run-flats either.

The only plug-in I'm aware of with a spare is the Australian Leaf! Spare tire down under! - My Nissan Leaf Forum

 

Right now we use our PiP for longer trips but the lack of a spare was always a concern. Indeed, I did end up running over a screw but luckily that only caused a slow leak. It would take many days before the TPMS would even come on. I managed to use it for a while just with a pump.

After we get our RAV4 Hybrid, that will become our long trip car. The PiP will become the local car. I've always had roadside assistance though regardless of car, since flats are only one of many things that can go wrong.

 

could it be that they don't give good mpg's?

 

Probably. Are there run-flats that are also LRR tires?

 

good question. the trouble with ev's is, no one looks at them like a hybrid. how can we get another x miles per kilowatt? all we want to know is the range. 80? 120? 200? 300?
with mpg, everyone is trying to squeeze the charmin.

 

...sounds like the Gen4 is just going to make it worse...sounds Gen4 is so good MPG, the differences between E0 and E10 for example will be more pronounced in terms of miles per tank contests.

 

imagine if gassers were advertised by range like ev's?

 

Yep, just EVs and diesels.

 

Well, if you drive an EV and are trying to squeeze more range, you will look at miles/kWh.

Forgive the crazy looking chart at Range Chart - My Nissan Leaf Forum, but basically, if you have brand new battery on a 24 kWh Leaf (2011-2015 any trim, or 2016 S), if you drove 35 mph exactly on level ground w/o HVAC and head or tailwinds, you should achieve ~6.3 miles/kWh or be able to go ~132 miles until dead. If you go 75 mph, you should achieve 3.0 miles/kWh or 62 miles.

132.0 miles at 35 mph is what was achieved at Driving It To The Bitter End - 2011 Nissan Leaf Long-Term Road Test.

If you use tools like Leaf Spy (Leaf Spy Pro - Android Apps on Google Play), it can from battery gids give you a guess/tips on how many miles you can go before you reach LBW (Low Battery Warning), VLBW (Very LBW) or (it's guess of) 5% if you achieve x.y miles/kWh. So... you can then reset your miles/kWh display and adjust your driving to make it to your charging stop/destination. Example: if you're achieving only 3.0 miles/kWh, need to drive 30 miles and it says you can only make it 20 miles at 3.0 miles/kWh and then hit 5%, you can use the +/- buttons and it will tell you what you need to achieve to make the 30 miles.