guys it finally happened - flat tire

I’m thinking the most economical thing is to buy a spare tire/donut rather than an extra tire. I buy an extra tire and Murphy’s law I will NOT get a flat. Putting that money towards a spare donut will give me extra security in case the wheel also gets damaged, right? In an ideal world where money flows freely I would have both an extra tire and spare donut. I don’t have backup help when I get a flat.

I would really prefer smaller tires (cost) but I guess my brain is too overwhelmed with other things and I can’t grasp how this is done without it costing a fortune. I already checked with dealer and they said they would not swap and sell the 19”.

 

The simple solution is to buy the LE or LE AWD that comes with 17” tires and save money upfront as well. If heated seats or digital mirror is more important than tire size then buy the more expensive model. In the long run the low end model is the best value and has 99% of the same technology and 100% of the safety features. Arguably the 17” tires add a percent of safety for no cost.

 

I thought of buying a compact spare for my gen 3, but in all the 12 years I drove the car, I never had a flat. The original flat repair pump was never used, and I suppose it might have become unusable over time anyway. At any rate, I have roadside assistance on my 2024 Prius Prime, something I may never need to use either.

 

Lucky you! : ) I’ve had multiple flats through the years. Mostly a magnet for sharp metal objects I guess. I have AAA and they work fine when I have a spare in the back. Otherwise I’m out of luck. I don’t have someone to call and pick me up while car gets towed to the tire store. Plus with tires for the Gen 5 being so scarce, my car would be stuck at the unsafe tire store for weeks. Then I’d be dealing with possibly getting cat converter stolen. I know that can happen anywhere since it happened in my safe apartment complex parking lot but I need to be proactive.

 

Wish I could deal with LE but I’m getting XLE for the ease of seat adjustment, softex and I don’t like the plastic parts above the tire. I’m forgetting what that area is called.

 

Was it the plug-in? All the other 3rd gens came with a spare.

Still, what do you expect roadside assistance to do? It will for sure be more costly, inconvenient and time consuming, compared to swapping to a spare.

 

Few cars come with spare tires these days. In fact, PHEVs and BEVs almost never come with one.

With TPMS and inflation kits, the only times you would need a spare could be when you hit a large pothole.

Therefore, I wouldn't base my car selection on the availability of a spare tire and miss out all the new car technology and electronic safety features. If you must, then buy one and secure it somewhere inside the car if not on a ski rack.

 

Google's telling me 70% still have spares.

Yeah...

 

Driving over a bolt or anything that’s more than a quarter inch thick isn’t easy to repair. Pot holes and big bolts tend to be what give me flats.