Prius Prime and spare tire

When I bought my new donut spare/wheel for my Prime, I had the mechanic put it on the front of the car, so I could try it out on the parking lot; it worked fine. Whatever custom spare tire system you adopt, I'd recommend testing it under safe conditions; the peace of mind is wonderful. I only plan on lugging the thing around on long trips, and will rely on flatbed towing or repair kit while traveling locally in Socal.

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P..S. I have the Advanced, so I have the Toyota panic button to summon help; it worked great for me, although it would be interesting to see how it worked in your poor-reception area.

 

A good excercise for all owners is to go through the steps of putting on a spare, themselves, with just the scissor jack. A few additional items to have in the car:

1. A large wheel/tire sized plastic bag, the kind you get from tire places, just to keep the car interior clean. And a few rags or paper towels.
2. Work gloves. If you're in colder climates: insulated. It's no fun fumbling with lug nuts in January.
3. A pair of wheel chocks. These are actually shown in the Owner's Manual (but not supplied), recommended to be placed fore and aft of the tire diagonally opposite the flat, before raising the flat corner.
4. A small square of plywood. This is necessity, for use as a sub-base, if you're trying to use the scissor jack on dirt or gravel.

Always half-loosen the lug nuts, before starting to raise the flat corner. This avoids fighting with tight nuts when the car's bearing on the scissor jack.

Also, be prepared for a rim that may have corrosion-glued itself to the hub. If this happens on the side of the road or some parking lot: put the lug nuts back on, snug them, then loosen them all a turn or two, lower the car down to the ground, and if needed: "bounce" it a bit. This "should" break the wheel loose. If not, drive it a foot or two, that should do it.

In my garage I'll take a sledge hammer, wack the inside of the tire at the base, with a sledge hammer, with a 2x4 cushion against the tire. But that's not an option on the road.

I don't recall this gluing happening with steel rims, guess it's a "feature" of alloys.

 

Don't forget the flashlight; flats never happen in daylight!! This is why I love my Toyota Panic Button; my back and leg are screwed up, and my heart is unreliable at best; push the button on your Advanced and wait for help. If you're lucky and you get a flat in daylight, on a decent road, and your spare is with you, in good condition, have at it; otherwise, it's Button time!

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I wonder what that button would do on mine, since I never created an Entune or SafetyConnect account.

 

Ejection seat?

Sorry, sorry...

 

Mr. Mendel, be nice!!

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A breakdown wouldn't be a good time to find out!! Get 'er dun, son! You paid for it.!!

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Don't plan to. Can't see the point, and I certainly wouldn't pay for it after the three years expires.

 

My Advanced Prime came with Alloy Wheel Lock and the dealer told me that it is a special key to unlock and remove the tire. I forgot to ask about the key and I couldn't find the key any where. I have a AAA service, so if I get a flat tire, will AAA be able to replace the tire with a spare (if I buy one) or AAA will not able to unlock the Alloy Wheel locks and I have to call Toyota?

 

There's maybe a special socket pushed into a crevice in the tool kit, the scissor jack and peripherals?

Alternately, if you see a package for the locking nuts, in the hatch floor somewhere, that socket might be in the middle of package.

You NEED it, unless you want to call Eric the Car Guy.

 

Check in the back under the carpet storage area.

On our Lexus RX450h there is a slot in the spare tire carrier and that's where they chose to put it . I know that's the first place I would look. Now keep the wheel lock in the glove box for easier access.

The first time we took it to the local dealer they forgot to put the wheel back and I had to let them know about it.

Might be near the tire goo.

 

I found it in the jack 'pouch'. One of the first things I did was buy four, Toyota lug nuts at AutoZone and the potential problem solved.

Source: Huntsville native returns to the Rocket City to avoid Hurricane Irma | WHNT.com

Hann and his partner headed back to Huntsville. "We brought a suitcase of clothes, our work computers and we brought our dogs," Hann said.

The normal drive took a lot longer than expected. "We got about 73 miles south of Orlando and had a flat tire on our car," Hann explained.

He said waiting for a tow truck and getting a new car added several hours to their drive time. All in all, it took them 26 hours to drive from their apartment in Miami to Huntsville.​

Bob Wilson

 

I did the same thing, about a year back: swapped the locking nuts for regular. Got "Gorilla" brand, they look identical, apart from a number on one of the side faces.

Before that, taped a scrap of paper with my phone number to the barrel of the locking socket. It's too easy for someone rotating your tires (for example) to forget it in a pocket.

 

I've changed tires in my 09 Prius but don't think I'm up to it any more. About every third year I hit a snow-covered median and get a flat.

Question - if you call for help via Roadside Assist, does that mean dispatching from a Toyota service center? And what exactly would they do for a flat - tow the car?

I live in an urban area and all of our dealerships/service centers are way out in the burbs.

 

Thanks for the video and tips. I didn't know that these alloy locks will be such a hassle if I dont have the key. I will search it under the mat. I am glad that I asked the question.

 

I've never noticed a tow truck at a dealership, would assume Toyota has arrangement with local companies, they'll probably drop it off at a dealership, and they'll deal with it next day during business hours.

It IS an increased level of delay, inconvenience and possibly more expense.

 

The wheel lock is located in the rear compartment pouch with jack handle.

I purchased a 2017 take off wheel on ebay for $117.00 delivered.
Purchased a matching Dunlop tire for $100.00 mounted and balanced.

P.S on a side note just filled up the prime 2.7 gallons of gas for 500 miles driven.
Sounds like about 185 MPG. Car driven mostly local, so on battery power most of the time.

 

That sort of "is" what they are made for. To be a hassle to those that don't have the key.

 

Lee Jay, you should go ahead and activate it! (said with a totally friendly nudge) There is not really a good reason not to activate the 3 years of free service. Even if you don’t think you’ll ever use it, there are some features that could really help you in time of need. For example, if you are in a crash they will automatically try to reach you and if you don’t respond they will notify emergency services. In certain situations, this could make a huge difference in the outcome. If your car gets stolen, it can be tracked. And it provides a means of activating remote climate control, which can be nice if you’re pretty far away from the vehicle. I can totally see someone not paying for these features later on down the road, but when they’re free...

Glad to see you finally got a Prius Prime! I saw that you didn’t have to travel to Rhode Island -- I’m glad you found a satisfactory deal closer to home! I know it’s already been mentioned, but most dealers attach the wheel lock to the tire jack, so take a look inside of that pouch and see if it is already attached. If it is not in there, then it usually is in the glove box. Congrats and enjoy the new car!

 

Thanks Guys. Yes I was able to locate the Wheel Lock in the pouch.

In my old car, there is a spare tire (see the attached image).

The spare says: T125/70R15 95M Tubeless Radial (Inflate to 60 PSI) (Firestone)

Will this spare tire work for Prius Prime Advanced.

 

What was your old car? 3rd Gen Prius would be fine. Probably Corolla too. And Maybe Matrix.

You can check OD compatibility by stacking both wheel/tire assemblies, on a flat slab, and aligning with a carpenter's square. And check rim fit by trial installing it.

 

My old car was 626 Mazda 1999 model. So it has a spare tire. In 17 years of use, I only used this spare once and it looks in an OK condition. Specs of this spare: T125/70R15 95M Tubeless Radial (Inflate to 60 PSI) (Firestone)

Can I use this tire as a spare.