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Make more Cargo Space by Removing Spacesaver wheel?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by GT4Prius, Feb 14, 2017.

  1. GT4Prius

    GT4Prius Active Member

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    Sorry in advance if this question has been asked before - I did a search but found nothing.

    With (Gen4) cars that come with a Spacesaver spare wheel, is it possible to remove the wheel and all the padding that raises the trunk (boot) floor, and have a neat, bigger trunk with more cargo space, that looks just as good as if the car came without the spare wheel?
     
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  2. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Lol, grass is always greener eh? Those that do not have want, and one that has does not want.

    I'm sure you can find someone who wants your space saver spare. Not sure if you can interchange the other bits to get what you want.
     
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  3. GT4Prius

    GT4Prius Active Member

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    No it's not that. Am considering buying a Prius in the UK and because of Road Tax changes end of March, I can't get the model I want, in time to beat the changes.

    So, just wondering whether, if I buy the alternative model, I can convert the car to the bigger trunk size, just by removing existing parts, padding etc, rather than needing any different or additional parts.
     
    #3 GT4Prius, Feb 14, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2017
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  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    In the USA, the two 2016 models (with and w/o spare) appear near equal so it is directionally possible to swap out the foam floor and go either way on it. Both models have the circular depression for the spare in the body itself.

    Usually in the USA, we get the opposite question, some want to add a spare to the no-spare, which can be done by cutting a hole in the foam, or more expensive, swap out the foam floor. Sometime dealers will do that latter. Posts here on these things. I do not recall anybody in USA swapping out the with/spare foam floor to the no-spare foam floor, but the other way around works. My theory is there could be minor differences in rear seat heights, so the fit may be very good but perhaps not perfect.

    Not sure about 2017 and not sure about your Country.
     
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Try it? I suspect as the hatch floor piece goes lower it'll start hitting the walls, which taper closer together the lower you go? And also create ill-fitting at the hatch floor to backseat transition?

    I would leave it as-is, definitely would prefer the security of having the spare.
     
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  6. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    I was one who bought my model specifically since it has a spare tire.
     
  7. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    If you took the spare and all the stuffing out of the hole under the rear mat, leaving just the hole - you'd certainly get some good storage space. But you'd need some sort of board to make a floor - possibly you could adapt one which is made for the spare-less cars. But you'd still have some items to stow - the jack, air-pump, wheel-brace towing hook etc.
     
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  8. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    You could but if you want it to look like a factory finish, you will have to pay a pretty penny to get the proper foam pieces to fit into the floor. (Another UK member... @kithmo I think, changed his from no-spare to with spare so he might be able to give you some insight on how to change it in reverse)
     
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  9. GT4Prius

    GT4Prius Active Member

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    Thanks v much for the replies.

    What is folks' impression of the cargo space compared with my Gen2?

    I have the Toyota UK cargo space specs for the Gen4 with and without the spare wheel but have tried v hard and failed to find any comparison figures for the Gen4.

    And then there's the question of the under floor extra storage in the Gen4.

    In summary, is there still a lot more cargo space in the Gen4 under the tonneau cover with seats up, even with the spare wheel and higher boot floor?
     
  10. GT4Prius

    GT4Prius Active Member

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    Sorry I forgot to speak American. I of course mean "trunk" floor in your language!
     
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  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    "Trunk" would be in a sedan. It's "hatch", as in "hatchback". "Trunk call" is some sort of long-distance call in UK?

     
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  12. GT4Prius

    GT4Prius Active Member

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    That's right. Although the expressing is rather old fashioned now. Thanks for the correction.
     
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  13. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    OK GT4, I do not show these numbers often because they are only my educated guess at Cargo Space.
    Good cargo space data is pretty much impossible to get due to different types of measurements, and when we do get good numbers, they rarely tell us what spaces are included in the numbers. So I am thinking Gen4 with spare is a little bigger than Gen2 with spare, however, Gen2 wins in my estimate if you include the under floor space.

    upload_2017-2-15_16-1-31.png
     
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  14. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    The US brochure lists the Gen 4 cargo space as 24.6 cubic feet with the spacesaver spare. Trim models with no spare are 27.4 cubic feet.

    See http://www.toyota.com/content/ebrochure/2017/prius_ebrochure.pdf
     
  15. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    ProdigyPlace that is "EPA Cargo Space" which is questionable metric for liftbacks. Believe EU quote is 502 liters (17.7 ft3) for the no spare Gen4 and about 445-liters (15.7-ft3) with spare. I am adjusting these up about 10% to account for the fact the EU method is loading boxes so not all space is filled.
     
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  16. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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    While you're at it pull the rear seats out for even more room.
     
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  17. GT4Prius

    GT4Prius Active Member

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    Thanks very much for your help WJTracy. This is the info I needed. Very useful.

    P.S. Your 10% adjustment seems reasonable to me, but in any case, as you are adjusting all the figures and therefore comparing like with like, and as I just need comparative figures between models etc, it would be fine with me either way.
     
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  18. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    I replied before I saw your post. I thought some information was better than none. When I first saw your posting I was unsure of how it was determined so I left my reply as an additional data point.
     
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  19. GT4Prius

    GT4Prius Active Member

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    We have just had a price reduction of GBP £3,200 on the PHV Prime in the UK. Any thoughts/info as to how the Prime fits into your table?
    Thanks, again, GT4.
     
  20. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    I forget if we have EU cargo space data for Prime.
    It is believed to be about 11-12 ft3 (310-340 liter) quite small, maybe slightly larger than Volt in rear.
    Compared to Volt, Prime has quite a bit more total volume, but that extra volume is located in the seating area. Rear seat area I think is big plus for Prime over Volt.