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OEM spare tire install

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Hammersmith, May 31, 2023.

  1. KMO

    KMO Senior Member

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    I only looked at the right rear. Front was covered in ice...
     
  2. Hammersmith

    Hammersmith Senior Member

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    Ok, now I feel a little better about my life. lol ;)

    We're completely thawed out here. Last snow storm was a week ago, and it's all melted now(we're now in the teens C for highs and lows above 0C). That's why I felt comfortable swapping tires yesterday.
     
  3. KMO

    KMO Senior Member

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    At least a couple more weeks for the Hakkapeliitta 10 studs here.

    But beginning to ponder if I'm going to need a jack adapter soon.
     
  4. Hammersmith

    Hammersmith Senior Member

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    The parts for my dash LED conversion from blue to red are coming today and, with temps approaching 20 next week, I plan to start working on the car again. When I do, I'll do a good inspection of all the lift points and use the scissor jack on them to see how they hold up. I'll take photos of the whole thing and post them afterwards.
     
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  5. KMO

    KMO Senior Member

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    Going back to this, the diagrams you see in parts sites like that really can't be relied on. They're almost always generic for the part type and pack contents, and not actually indicating the specific variant for a particular model.

    The "diagram may not be specific to your vehicle" isn't a cautious disclaimer - it's a massive understatement. It's very unlikely to show the part for your vehicle, unless the part doesn't vary.
     
  6. Hammersmith

    Hammersmith Senior Member

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    I totally get that, but Toyota is pretty good about showing the correct interface for their scissor jacks in their drawings. I checked 30 or 40 different jack part numbers while double-checking everything last night. And I also cross-referenced the part numbers against real images whenever possible(resells of used parts, for instance).

    Everything points to Toyota deliberately choosing to use the jack version I've purchased for all TNGA-C models. I actually wanted to be wrong because Georgina Rudkus makes a really good point about it looking like we should be using a pinch weld style jack. But every single bit of data points the other direction, and I can't deny that. And it's not like this is a brand new platform; TNGA-C has been around since something like 2017.

    What it looks like to me right now is that Toyota has added a section of reinforced pinch weld in about a 10cm span and doubled it over to create a flatter surface. And they want that section to be lifted by the flatter type scissor jack. I'm a little concerned that the doubled over section would be too wide to fit inside the claw of a pinch weld type jack. I'm also concerned about correctly matching up the depth of the claw of a pinch weld type jack to the depth of the actual pinch weld on the TNGA-C. If you're going to use a pinch weld jack, you need to make certain the dimensions of everything are correct and it's not applying the wrong pressure to the wrong area. And then you have to make certain the overall load rating of the jack matches what you need. It's not like Toyota publishes a list of all the different jacks and their specifics.

    What I'm most concerned about is that I think you would tend to jack the wrong spot if you used a pinch weld style jack.

    This is what a section looks like:
    Code:
    ------=======---------
      ^      ^       ^
    normal  doubled  normal
    
    I think someone with a pinch weld style jack would tend to place their jack under one of the 'normal' sections because the 'doubled' section might not fit well in the jaws. Are the 'normal' sections built to handle the load like the doubled sections are? I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe no. You can also see from my photo that there is plastic on the outside portion of the pinch weld. A jack placed in that area would be placing the weight of the car on that plastic. Is it going to hold up? I doubt it.

    The more I think about, the more I'm convinced that the flatter jack is the correct one.
     
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  7. KMO

    KMO Senior Member

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    That was one of my thoughts. But then the jack illustrated is clearly asymmetric, and seems to be intended to be putting the weight on the other side. But is that asymmetry sufficient for this particular model?

    Also not seen that sort of asymmetric head anywhere else - I can't find any standalone adapter doing that.
     
  8. Zeromus

    Zeromus Member

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    I was planning on using my existing Toyota scissor jack in a week or two to swap to all seasons where I am too, but its a lot older. It came with my Matrix and I've been using it to do tire swaps on that for a couple years now. It doesn't have one side with a big lip, the two lips are the same size.

    I guess I'll go grab a floor jack sooner than originally planned and grab one of those pinch weld adaptor pucks for the fin at the same time. That's probably safe. Or I'll just try to reach the jack way back for the fronts at the proper lift point. Though I wasn't exactly planning on getting jack stands as a back up to that since I have a slightly sloped driveway and super tiny driveway. For quick one wheel at a time swaps, jack only has been fine. But if I'm lifting two tires off the ground, things get different.

    On the note of weather - currently going through a 2 day snow event here, snowfall warning and all. Already shoveled 2x and will probably be out again later today. I never change until its regularly above 8C for a week straight. Overnight it normally goes below zero through to sometime in May, its normal to get snow early April. Lots of folks were swapping tires this past weekend because its been so warm. Well, surprise, slushy 20cm of snow. And it was even in the forecast all weekend lol
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Especially if using scissor jack on slight slope (not optimum, but…), consider a set of wheel chocks, preferably heavy rubber one, and jam them fore and aft of the diagonally opposite wheel.
     
  10. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    In our 12 year study of jacking systems, we have discovered that the security of the connection between the top saddle of the jack and the chassis of the car is the most important parameter to prevent jack operational failure. Sliding off the top of the jack is the most common cause of jack failure.

    The Tesla socket is one of the most secure.

    Selecting the correct jack with the most secure top connection is most important for the Toyota vehicle. Using the wrong jack can result in failure.
    IMG_2821.JPG

    Tesla 3 jacking socket.jpg IMG_2820.JPG
     
    #210 Georgina Rudkus, Apr 4, 2024
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2024
  11. Zeromus

    Zeromus Member

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    Oh chocks are always needed.

    For me the concern is the lip being too small for a secure hold.
     
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  12. Hammersmith

    Hammersmith Senior Member

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    That worries me a bit, too. I was kinda hoping to take measurements while my car was on the lift, but I had already been waiting over an hour and a half, and I just wanted them to finish the stupid thing.

    It was the local Ford dealership. They supposedly have the best rate in town for dismounting and remounting a set of tires ($72), but if it takes a full two hours, I'll probably go back to my previous place that charges about $100 but also gets the job done in under an hour.
     
  13. Hammersmith

    Hammersmith Senior Member

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    The Tesla jacking point is nice, but my favorite will always be the system on the W123 Mercedes. (It was probably used on many other MB chassis, but I know it from the W123.)
     
  14. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    The jack point system on the Fisker Ocean is even better.

    Fisker Ocean jacking point 3.png adapter on jack 2.jpg jacked up Fisker Ocean .jpg
     
  15. skyemiles

    skyemiles New Member

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    Did you ever find out if the Modern Spare fits? I have the same setup and was going to do the trunk conversion.
     
  16. KMO

    KMO Senior Member

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    So, do you want to point us at your solution - it sounds like you have one. Both the Toyota scissor jacks we've seen look designed to mate well with the G5, in different ways, but where are the equivalent adapters for other jacks? I'm not managing to find them - plenty of other shapes, but not those.

    I'm actually a noob to having to regularly change tyres, and it appears I've been blissfully unaware of the potential compatibility issues. Seeing all the other manufacturers' designs above has made me realise I missed a bullet.

    I've only ever dealt with the Prius G2, and it has the knife-edge with notches that just mated perfectly with the "ring" head on the jack I happened to have access to. That's not going to be the case with the G5. I had assumed that notched knife-edge arrangement must be universal...
     
    #216 KMO, Apr 5, 2024
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2024
  17. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    This univeral Lexus-Toyota pinch weld adapter allows for adapting flat top scissors jacks, steel jack stands, and aluminum jack stands.

    1.jpg 2.jpg 3.jpg 4.jpg 7.jpg 8.jpg 9.jpg
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    For wheel swaps, scissor jack is not the way I’d go. My son’s coming over today with his CX-5 (Mazda), doing oil change and taking off the snow tires; as usual it’ll be:

    1. Level concrete slab
    2. Wheel chocks on rears
    3. Raise front and settle onto safety stands
    4. Raise rear and settle onto safety stands
    5. After swap, lower in reverse order

    With our ‘10, anything other than side-of-road install of the temp spare, the scissor jack never sees use. Also, I never use the the proscribed scissor jack support points for the safety stands; opt for sturdier locations.
     
  19. Hammersmith

    Hammersmith Senior Member

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    Agreed. I only intend to use the scissor jack if I'm on the road and have a flat. In fact, for the next year with free ToyotaCare, I'm just going to call them and have them change it for me if I'm in a populated area with quick tow truck response.

    If I'm going to change tires in my garage or driveway, I'm going to use ramps, a floor jack, and jack stands using the 4-post lift point locations. It's way safer and faster overall.
     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  20. Jabog6

    Jabog6 Junior Member

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    Sorry if this is off topic, but if you raise the car using the jack points, how can you settle it on to safety stands?

    (very noob question, I know)