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Another Spare

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Canvasback, Mar 1, 2022.

  1. Canvasback

    Canvasback New Member

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    Hi all. I'm new enough to this Prime thing that I still don't have spare. I've been back and forth on the many Prime Spare threads, but still have questions due to the many options.

    Seems nobody recommends Gen 2 spares, only 3 and 4. Is this purely due to the tire size, and nothing to do with the rim. If it would work, I would buy that rim at the right price and replace the tire. Are there any 54.1 bore 5X100 bolt pattern rims that DON'T work for some reason? Like would there be any issue using wheel from an earlier model that was 6" (45 offset) rather than 6.5 (40 offset) as a spare?

    Thanks for any help.

    P.S. There is a lot of good info on this stuff here already, but a sticky thread with what is known to work (and not work) could be really helpful to folks (and probably a lot more to come).
     
    #1 Canvasback, Mar 1, 2022
  2. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I have never used Gen2 wheels on my PP, so I don't have a definitive answer for you. But my understanding is that Gen3 and 4 shares the same wheel and tire specs, so they are interchangeable including the spare. I would think if the wheel fits and offset is within the limit so that it does not interfere with the brake, I think it can be used, especially for temporary use.

    But, if you are looking for a spare for a PP, finding a used Gen3 OEM spare would be just as easy (or hard) as finding a Gen2 spare, I would think. Moreover, if you go with a full-size spare as I did, the aftermarket wheel and tire are cheaper than a new OEM spare. It may be even cheaper than the used OEM compact spare. I paid only $50 (wheel and installation) using a used OEM Gen3 tire (EP20) when I had to change tires in pairs. The one tire had an unrepairable flat, but the tire on the other side was still OK with only 10K on it, so used it to make a full-size spare by mounting and balancing it onto an aftermarket cheap steel wheel.

    upload_2022-3-2_8-49-32.png
     
    #2 Salamander_King, Mar 2, 2022
  3. Canvasback

    Canvasback New Member

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    Thanks for the reply @Salamander_King (I know you've posted a lot on this).
    I wish Gen 3s or 4s wheels were more prevalent at the moment where I am. I'm not too enthused at the idea of paying $100+ on ebay for a doughnut that is of dubious age (and at least more than 5 yrs old), because I'd want to replace that tire. If I can get a doughnut salvage for cheap though, I'd happily put a new tire on it.
    The reason I'm wondering about Gen 2s (for doughnut at minimum) is 1) I've seen overlap from Prime to Corolla spare, and then from Corolla to 2nd Gen (of course some of this may be incorrect, as it's coming from ebay listings. I've looked at tire sites to confirm, but if it's not listed as such in the OEM catalog, they are not gonna' climb out that limb. Example, Toyota says 42611-20A50 will fit a '14, but not a '20), and 2) they are popping up here on marketplace and craigslist (and I've been striking out calling salvage yards). There seem to be some Gen 2 wheels available for cheap, and I'd trust those tires for endurance (after testing) as they are not as likely to be compromised by age.
    If something doesn't materialize soon, I may just go @DonJ's route and purchase a new spare rim and tire for what looks like now about $200 (wife's car, she'd prefer doughnut). Given the legwork I've done already, probably should have gone that route to start. But I'm gonna play the game for a little longer.
     
    #3 Canvasback, Mar 2, 2022
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  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Why do you want a compact spare as opposed to a full-size spare? For regular Gen4, there is a spare tire well where you can securely store the compact spare out of the way. But for a PP, there really isn't any place to store the compact spare. You will have to sacrifice either the deck space or the rear seat footwell. A full-size spare will be slightly thicker and heavier than the compact spare, but it will be far more useful if you are to have a flat on a road far away from home or the nearest tire shop. There is no limit on miles or speed you can drive on the full-size spare. And, for all practical purposes, a brand new full-size wheel and tire will cost you less than a new OEM compact spare, or even a used OEM spare wheel and new compact tire fitted.

    If you don't regularly use the rear seats, the rear seat footwell is a perfect place to store a full-size tire. It gets wedged in very tightly so that you don't need to tie it up. With a thinner compact spare, I am sure there is some wiggle room such that the tire will rattle if you do not tie it down somehow. If you have to carry the spare tire on the deck in the hatch, then you will have to find a way to tie it down either for a compact tire or full size for safety reasons, although, I have temporarily put my full-size tire on the deck without securing when I had to use both rear seats.
    upload_2022-3-2_10-44-19.png
     
    #4 Salamander_King, Mar 2, 2022
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  5. Ovation

    Ovation Active Member

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    Once I saw this setup, I immediately did the same thing, right down to buying the same tire cover.
     
    #5 Ovation, Mar 2, 2022
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  6. Canvasback

    Canvasback New Member

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    Well, today I came across a Gen 3 spare and Gen 3 rims with usable tires. The guy selling them is essentially a Prius salvage mechanic. His opinion the full size Gen 3 at 6" and 45 offset would be no issue. Can anyone here confirm?
     
    #6 Canvasback, Mar 2, 2022
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  7. Canvasback

    Canvasback New Member

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    Seems like the extra 5mm offset would be more than compensated by the 1/2" narrower width, but it's quite possible I'm misunderstanding something important.
     
    #7 Canvasback, Mar 2, 2022
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  8. Canvasback

    Canvasback New Member

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    #8 Canvasback, Mar 3, 2022
    Salamander_King likes this.
  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yeah, I just realized that Gen2 and Gen3 OEM wheels had the same spec of 6Jx15 ET45, which is different from Gen4 and PP's 6.5Jx15 ET40. But the OEM tires for Gen2 and Gen3 sizes are slightly different. Gen2 has 185/65R15 whereas Gen3 is 195/65R15 which is identical tire size as Gen4 and PP. Since I know the Gen3 wheel is compatible with Gen4 and PP, it makes sense that the Gen2 wheel also will fit on PP fine. FYI, the full-size spare I have was used for both Gen3 and PP without any problem.

    Gen2
    upload_2022-3-3_8-49-40.png

    Gen3
    upload_2022-3-3_8-50-28.png

    Gen4 and PP
    upload_2022-3-3_8-51-32.png
     
    #9 Salamander_King, Mar 3, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2022
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  10. Canvasback

    Canvasback New Member

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    Thanks for the confirmation!
     
    #10 Canvasback, Mar 3, 2022
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