Prius Plugin's lack of spare tire.

there's no spare tire? i haven't even looked under the rear platform. are you pulling my leg?

 

See The one and only Prius Plug-in FAQ! | PriusChat
and Dreaded flat tire and I dont like it a bit | PriusChat

I bought a brand new Prius 2010 spare "doughnut" tire for $63 and a nice cover from Amazon for $16. The spare sits on a shelf in my garage except when I make trips out of town. There's a jack and lug wrench under your front seat.

 

this is crazy talk.

 

Why?

 

who would build a car with no spare tire?

 

Bisco, if you are still looking for a full size spare, I'm probably selling the one from my Advanced PiP (which is also for sale), I bought an entire set of original PiP tireds/wheels/TPMS sensors and sold off the other 3 last year.

 

“One in every seven cars sold today does not have a spare tire,” said Dusty Holcomb, president of AAA Car Care. “Many car buyers don’t check for a spare tire when buying a new car and they are not proactively told one doesn’t exist.”
Many Cars Sold Without Spare Tires - Easley, SC Patch

 

well that's just not right.

 

There are more and more cars each year that don't include a spare.

 

I thought this was disclosed before the PiP hit the market.

From CaliforniaBear's link:

"Manufacturers with some models without a spare tire include Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Lexus, Lotus, Mazda, Mercedes, Mini, Nissan, Pontiac, Porsche, Saturn, Scion, Smart, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo."

 

The lack of a spare tire on the Prius Plugin is a serious safety issue since it doesn't have run-flat tires like on the BMW cars and other brands.

If you get a flat which cannot be repaired out in the middle of nowhere on a highway without cellphone reception - and there are thousands of such places - then you are screwed. For women, this is a particularly true serious risk.

 

As someone who frequently travels in areas without cell coverage, this growing trend of omitting the spare tire is a serious consideration in car choice. But:

This part is mostly a perpetuation of old fashioned sexism and fear mongering.

 

Although I don't like not having a spare, there are plenty of other vehicles which come w/no spare and don't come w/run-flats either.

 

With 24/7 coverage with AAA, Toyota and Auto Insurance Co., I am not worried about lack of spare tire.

 

Do you go on long trips? Does your cell phone work Everywhere? What can AAA actually do for you 10pm on a Saturday night if you don't have a spare?

 

All good, but as mentioned above.. "If you get a flat which cannot be repaired out in the middle of nowhere on a highway without cellphone reception - and there are thousands of such places"...

If you regularly travel in areas w/out cell coverage- carry a spare. Get a donut type from a salvage yard- clean it up and keep it in the back compartment.

 

Sounds like some people are looking to cover absolutely every scenario for a spare tire, but overlooking many other probable causes of being stuck on the side of the road.

Ignoring the fact that so many other problems could potential leave you stranded (with any vehicle), what about the source of a flat in the first place? There's nothing stopping that debris in the road you encounter from taking out more than one tire. There's also the reality of not being able to swap out tires in some situations.

If you are really worried about tire problems on a long trip, pack a donut spare and hope for the best.

 

And then , there are those that have a spare and never put air in it.