OEM spare tire install

Robmoo · Aug 16, 2025

Hammersmith said: ↑

I got two of my three decals in this week and installed them. The third one(driver's door jamb) was the one that was listed as backordered with no date given. Apparently ordering it triggered Toyota to make some, because it's now supposed to arrive in about two weeks.

Here's a photo of the 100% completed conversion(now with decals! lol). I don't know with absolute certainty if the 80/50 decal was supposed to go on the spare wheel, but it seemed logical given the parts diagram. The two sockets are because I got fed up with constantly swapping between the impact wrench and torque wrench. The extension is for the torque wrench, as I was brushing my knuckles(or sometimes the fender trim) when I was torquing the nuts down.

View attachment 271094

If it looks like I rotated the tire so the Yokohama logo is at the top and the valve stem is toward the bottom and easier to access for pressure testing, you'd be correct. lol
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I have to find a way to do this with my LE. The wife is from Minot. We met when I was up there for a year in the Air Force. In what part of North Dakota do you live?

Robmoo · Aug 16, 2025

Ahimsa9 said: ↑

I completed the swap yesterday on my LE. My biggest takeaway is that the deck is now raised by ~3 1/2" compared to the stock height, which causes a host of fitment issues (see pics of screenshot of LE with stock height deck board and the new foam height on each side after the swap). This causes the deck board to "float" on top of the foam pieces, compared to it sitting flush with the side panels before. Now, the flaps at the front of the deck board, if moved back slightly, can bind on the back seats when you return them to the upright position. The deck board is also shaped to fit the shorter foam pieces/side panels, so after the swap, in the front corners near the back seats, the white foam is exposed (see pic). The cargo mat is also shaped to fit the lower foam configuration and match up with the stock side panels, so it doesn't match after the swap. There are two "ears" that now hang over "voids" created by raising the deck board on each side. Another issue, especially if you have a cargo mat, is that the rear cargo hooks are below the level of the mat. You can still access them, but the mat height makes it tricky. In order for the cargo area to function like an LE with a factory equipped spare, new side panels, a new deck board and new cargo mat are required. I think I can live with the ill-fitting pieces. I plan on adding something under the voids on each side so the cargo mat lays flat and possibly getting some fabric to glue over the top corners of the white foam pieces so it doesn't show when the back seats are laid down. I may also use a few Velcro pieces between the bottom of the deck board and foam pieces to help keep the deck board in position. The LE deck trim was easy to remove. First, remove the cargo hooks. Then, pull up on the trim from the bottom to pop the clips out of the body. One thing I wonder about is the additional weight of the spare wheel/tire (which sits off-center) and jack components to the cargo area. Do Priuses with the stock spare tire setup have heavier duty springs to accommodate the extra weight (~35-40 lbs.)? Maybe I'm tripping, but my car seems to now have less clearance between the top of the tire and the wheel well on the passenger side.
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Did you buy new foam pieces? I was thinking that I'd just cut what I have, but it sounds like that won't work well. If you ordered the foam, was it the parts that I see on Hammersmith's list?

Ahimsa9 · Aug 25, 2025 at 7:55 PM

Robmoo said: ↑

Did you buy new foam pieces? I was thinking that I'd just cut what I have, but it sounds like that won't work well. If you ordered the foam, was it the parts that I see on Hammersmith's list?
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Sorry for the delayed response. Yes, I bought the foam that was on Hammersmith's list and it was expensive. I'm not too keen on the fit of the new foam with the old deck board (it "floats" and the foam shows, so I may have to spring $236 to get it through Lewis. Did you purchase the foam and other parts by now?

Ahimsa9 · Aug 25, 2025 at 8:00 PM

Robmoo said: ↑

Where did you get the yellow tire retainer? I'm probably going to go with the value spare and modifying the existing foam for my LE. I'm at 13,700 miles and have had 3 punctures. Enough is enough!
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If you want everything to fit nicely in the back, you may want to reconsider modifying your own foam. My deck height was raised a few inches and I replaced the trim piece at the back of the car to accommodate the taller foam. I would assume the spare wheel/tire would be higher than the stock (cut) foam if you added the carrier to the deck floor.

OEM spare tire install

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