2023 - Prius or Prime - spare tire?

C-HR, Lexus UX 200, 200h, 250, 250h.

 

I'm a new owner of a 2023 Prius LE. There is no spare tire. I've complained to my dealer and they say there just isn't one.

Could someone tell me what's the best thing to do.....there are so may comments here, it would be VERY time consuming to read them all.

I'm in the U.S.

 

you can buy a donut, reconfigure the foam, or buy new foam that accepts the spare

 

LE has the lower floor, so no foam nor decking to go over the tire.

With an LE, there are two basic options for adding a spare.

First is a factory retrofit. Replace the LE foam cargo floor covering with the parts a spare equipped car would have. The owner's manual has illustrations under the 'fix a flat section' for an idea of those are. The car will end up with a raised cargo floor. The parts aren't listed yet, so no idea on price. Might have to import them from a market that gets a spare.

The other is to cut a hole in the floor covering to get access to the bolt hole for securing the spare, and getting a bolt and hardware to secure the tire down. Might need to trim some other pieces of the foam. Depending on how you use the cargo space, you can call it a day after that. Or come up with a cover for the spare, maybe make a raised floor to put on top of the spare, like the factory set up.

Make sure you have a jack, if you add a spare. The manual sounds like that is optional.

 

Don’t buy it.

Addendum: ok, see you’ve bought already. Simplest/cheapest option is #1 of the following post by @Hammersmith.

 

You have 4 basic options. I'll sort them by price.

1. Do nothing($0) - Accept that you're not getting a spare and leave it at that.

2. Minimal(~$175) - Get a spare wheel(~$70) and tire(~$105). You might be able to shave some money off by finding a spare wheel/tire at a junk yard or on eBay or something. You're looking for one out of a 2018-2022 C-HR or a Lexus UX 200/200h/250/250h. I doubt you'll be able to find one this way, but you can try. Once you have it, you toss it in the back and tie it down. I'd use this method if you only need the spare every once in awhile. Say you occasionally go to a wilderness/rugged area or you do a cross country trip once a year. The rest of the time, the spare sits in your garage.

3. Ghetto(~$200-$300) - Get the spare wheel and tire like above. Also get the wheel carrier(the name for the bolt that holds the wheel down)(~$15). Maybe also the cushion/support(the name for the tray that sits inside the wheel)(~$45). From that point on it's modifying what's already in your car. You cut the deck boxes(those white foam trays) to fit the wheel. Then you fashion some type of frame out of plastic or plywood or something to create a new level floor. How good it works/looks will depend on your skills and how much you spend on materials. You will also need any tools that don't come with the car(jack, lug wrench, etc.).

4. OEM(~$500-$600 for an LE) - This method creates a perfect factory spare tire installation. You need all the OEM parts from the above list plus several more. There are two new deck boxes to replace the ones already in your car. Those will likely run ~$165-$210 for the pair, but we haven't confirmed the part numbers yet, only narrowed it down to a couple possibilities. Since you have an LE, you might need a new deck board(the cargo floor board) for maybe $180 or more, but you might be able to use the one you already have. They're technically different between the trims, but the LE one might be similar enough to work. Only way to know for certain would be to stick an LE board into an XLE or Limited and see if it works acceptably.

Parts list:
Spare wheel: 42611-21280
Tire: T145/90D16
Carrier bolt: 51931-10040
Cushion/Support: 64777-F4030 or 64777-10020 (maybe - these two were used in the C-HR - the Prius might get a new one)
Left Deck Floor Box: 64997-47100 (maybe - 85% confidence)
Right Deck Floor Box: 64995-47120 (maybe - 85% confidence)
Board Assembly Deck: 58410-BZ280-C0 (total guess)

 

I bought a spare for a Venza and it fits.
Tire is about 1/2 inch taller but already found a tire slightly smaller that matches perfect.
For now not worried about the 1/2 as it only changes speedometer a little and will only be used to get me to a store to fix or replace the OEM tire.
My OCD will have me get the new spare tire size but for now feel much better having a spare.
I cut the foam out so the spare fits where it should.
The Venza spare is 165/80/17, found it on EBAY for $150, wheel and tire.
The new tire size that matches is 155/80/17, $97 for new one.

 

Or, if you’re a person who likes having a dedicated set of winter tires on rims, carry one of those as a spare during the summer, and one of the all seasons during the winter.

Kind of a 2A approach to Hammersmith’s detailed post.

This assumes, of course, that the OD’s are similar enough.

Did this with our 2005 AWD Sienna. Yeah it had all season run flats when new, but they were only rated as being good for 50 miles or so as I recall…

 

If you haven’t, would be good to test drive; car “may” throw a code due to diameter diff.

 

I also wonder if there are implications for the awd system of a Prius so equipped. Maybe not, as it’s not a mechanical linkage to the engine.

 

Yeah if one tire OD is significantly different, the car'll get upset. With our 3rd gen, the OD of the temp spare is about 1/8" less in OD, very close. Checked by stacking them on the garage slab, slid a carpenter square up against one side, lined them up, then went around the other side and checked the gap.

 

What I’ll be doing when I have a flat is cancelling my plans : / and calling AAA to request a flatbed tow to wherever I service my tires or a place that sells tires depending what’s going on. PIA but at least putting a spare on / towing are equivalent road service calls.

Oh…and then wait for my future car’s expensive replacement tire to appear. : }

My flats never happen near home. Last time it was very stressful driving home slowly on the highway with that little spare tire.

Toyota parts told me the tire kit might patch a glass cut at best.

 

This is my plan as well. I pay for road side assistance with my car insurance, so I might as well utilize it when needed.

 

i keep a spare on the hatch floor

 

Yes, I found out the hard way. Toyota Towing said they couldnt tow to the dealer because the dealer was closed. Ended up having it towed to my home. Dont know what I would have done if I had been out of town on a road trip with an elderly family member on the trip with me.

 

Toyota Towing won’t tow to a dealership that’s not open? Whats the point of their road service? My car rarely breaks down during business hours. Even a tire store would be closed at night. Sorry you had to deal with that.

 

2 things to consider - do you believe elecxtricity where you live is clean energy? I live where it is coal burning. Big questions : DO YOU WANT TO BE STUCK WITH ONE ENERGY SOURCE
/I was on the highway once where a 1 hour drive turned into 6 hours due to heavy snow and another time traffic. I love knowing I'm good for 500 miles with 10 gallons of gas. and that "biofuels" may get to my area before clean electricity and power stations on the highway.
And the prius has been around since 1997? and my grandmother has a 2004 with 200,000 miles, she loves it.

Yopu have to decide what is important to you where you live and the energy source = electric is sort of a fake clean energy -- 4 now.

 

Get AAA

 

Yes…I have AAA. I’m taking a very long road trip with my old Prius and going to upgrade to the Premium for remaining two months of my membership for a prorated cost of $11. Will give me one 200 mile tow and car rental for one day.