2023 - Prius or Prime - spare tire?

shopping-guide-2021-why-you-should-demand-spare-tire-your-new-vehicle

i wonder if all the rav4's do, as this article claims they did in 2021


a list of new toyotas that don't come with a spare:

the-great-toyota-spare-tire-guide-everything-you-need-to-know

 

This discussion often talks about the weight of a spare versus a repair kit as a factor for why no spare is included. I would note that a glass roof is optional on the XLE and standard on the Limited. I'm guessing that adds considerable weight versus a standard metal roof. Yet that doesn't seem to be a factor that anyone (either Toyota or owners) cares about.

 

It looks like vehicles that would actually go off road have the full size spare. Not sure why the rav4 is not considered an off road vehicle. Granted my 1987 baby blazer had a compact spare.

 

Worth noting for those not familiar, I learned the hard way that a) the goop works well AND b) no one will service the tire after goop has been applied....so be ready to purchase a new tire before using the goop.

 

Weight is a big factor to Toyota, and other manufacturers. It has an impact on the efficiency, emission, and safety tests. Weight is the big drive for switching to electric power steering and parking brakes.

In order to not require separate testing, higher trims will arrange features to reduce added weight. In the gen4 Prius, this meant the higher trims were the ones to delete the spare. The gen4 Primes with the solar roof overseas didn't have other features standard to their trim level.

Cause most SUVs, including the Rav4, are wagons with a lift. The unibody frames really weren't designed for the flexing going literally off road could entail.

The trucks on that list with full size spares are body on full frame. Besides being tougher, the frame also has plenty of unused space in which to stick the spare. Most pick ups and vans stick the spare underneath the rear, between the frame rails.

 

New Prius officially announced in Mexico, 1.8 engine and a full size spare tire, it can be seen in this review at the 8:53 mark, the spare makes the cargo space very small according to the guy in the video.

People in the fb group are also annoyed about the small engine and the "ugly" wheels

 

how can they be annoyed by a small engine that is larger than its predecessor? do they want a v8?

i love the spare, wish it were at least an option here. you always have to choose between a spare and space.

 

They wanted the 2.0 with 200hp, the 1.8 is also on the Corolla hybrid

 

ah, didn't realize they didn't get the 2.o, thanks!

 

The 1.8 will likely get better mpg. And a spare, praise God. Notice the rims are steel?

 

yeah steel rims with plastic cover on both versions

 

Speaking of weight, my 2023 Limited has an additional yellow sticker in the driver's door jamb stating something about the weight of the vehicle changing (increased 16lbs) after manufacturing and therefore the passenger+cargo capacity decreased by 16lbs. My only guess as to what might have weighed 16lbs is the factory floor mats, but they were on the factory window sticker and included in the factory invoice price. Do they possibly produce the floor mats in the US and install them after the car arrives from Japan?

Has anyone else seen this sticker and know what triggers it?

 

Tire size differences and their impact on the speedometer had come up earlier in this discussion and I wanted to share some links to a site I found for comparing tire sizes. There are really 3 sizes to consider from the owners manual for the 2023 Prius, the 17" LE tire, the 19" XLE/Limited, and the 16" spare ("if equipped").

It looks like Toyota did a fairly good job of keeping the outer diameter of all three pretty close (within 0.5"), the big difference is the width of the spare, it's about 2" narrower than the normal 17" or 19" tire.

It's unclear to me where the speedometer/odometer gets their revolutions from, and if there will actually be any change in the displayed speed if only one of the four tires is a slightly different size. Is there a specific wheel's speed sensor that they use, or do they average all four? If all four tires were changed then it seems that there would be a display difference, but for just one, I'm not so sure.

16" spare (145/90 R16) vs 17" LE (195/60 R17)
https://tire-calc.com/comparison/145-90-r16-and-195-60-r17-inch/
Spare diameter is 26.3", 17" Tire diameter is 26.2", car will travel 0.2% faster than the speedometer if using the spare on all 4 wheels.

16" spare (145/90 R16) vs 19" XLE/LTD (195/50 R19)
https://tire-calc.com/comparison/145-90-r16-and-195-50-r19-inch/
Spare diameter is 26.3", 19" Tire diameter is 26.7", car will travel 1.5% slower than the speedometer if using the spare on all 4 wheels.

And for completeness
17" LE (195/60 R17) vs 19" XLE/LTD (195/50 R19)
https://tire-calc.com/comparison/195-60-r17-and-195-50-r19-inch/
17" Tire diameter is 26.2", 19" Tire diameter is 26.7", car will travel 1.8% slower than the speedometer if a 19" car had 17" tires.
17" Tire diameter is 26.2", 19" Tire diameter is 26.7", car will travel 1.8% faster than the speedometer if a 17" car had 19" tires.

This makes me wonder if the factory calibration of the speedometer/odometer is different between the 17" LE and the 19" XLE/LTD models to more exactly match the installed tires. If not, then the MPG measurements, and warranty mileage expiration is probably slightly inaccurate.

I can also imagine the potential for the tire's diameter to shrink by 0.5" during it's life as the tread wears, so I guess in reality the speedometer / odometer should be considered an approximation.

 

In the discussion about the cars being put into a quality hold at the port, a dealer had mentioned that it was because of a recalled part. Could be because of a change in parts. Then it could simply be because of a mistake on the original sticker.

 

Are the full size tires specified for the Prius unidirectional, or could they be part of a 5 tire rotation? I’m wondering if that might be more cost effective and faster than finding a donut.

 

At the moment, just a full sized tire will cost you $260 for a 19" and $175 for a 17". A matching spare wheel will run another couple hundred.

A donut will run about $175 complete* and is available right now(I've had mine in my garage for a couple months already).

*$75 for the wheel and $100 for the tire



But to answer your question, I believe all stock tires are omni directional.

 

Where did you buy your spare tire? OEM spare?

I just called dealership and they have the spare rim listed but no tire yet. The jack/wrench kit is $514. Any time AAA comes to deal with tires they use their own tools. They even left a nice wrench once. Would I only need this expensive bag of goodies if I was planning on changing my own tire? I used my Gen 2 jack to put risers under my bed. It’s a great tool to have. Thanks!

 

x 2!!

 

I’m hoping to keep the jack from my 2009 unless dealer does an inventory. : )

I’m thinking I don’t need the two items circled in this photo. L They are specific to Gen 2, right? This is not a photo of my kit. I’m keeping the jack and the tool that cranks the jack.

 

Circled items

-lug nut wrench- NEED

-plug for towing… ?…assume new car comes with