My 2017 Prius Touring has no spare tire. There appears to be room for one underneath the foam insert that is there now. I read there is a replacement insert available for purchase. Does anyone know about this?
Lots of cars today have no spare tires, when was the last time you needed one ?
Your dealer should have the answer .
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Many newer models equipped with “flat proof” tires are not equipped with spare tires to help fall into EPA guidelines.
Your Toyota dealer knows about this and can tell you whether there is a different foam insert and spare you can buy. Talk to the parts counter person.
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Other trim levels come with a temporary spare, should be available over the parts counter from the dealer. You’d still need a jack though.
The last time I needed a spare tire was in 2003 or 2004, and I discovered that my car was missing the jack and lug wrench. I was also on my lunch break from work, and running late.
Since it was a front wheel drive car, and the flat tire was on the rear axle, I decided to chance it and drive the 10 miles or so back to work. Amazingly, nothing was damaged, other than the tire itself, which was bad anyways. I figured I was going to ruin the wheel, which was just a basic steel wheel, but even the wheel was ok.
Now, I make sure all my cars have a functional spare wheel, and of course, the jack and lug nut wrench.
Our Rav4 came with a full size spare. We need to get the tires rotated every 5k miles to keep wear even to prevent problems. Having a full size spare is nice, but I wonder what would happen if tires are 3/4 worn and I throw on the spare due to a flat. Is that going to screw things up? My other car the spare lifting gear, plastic almost 1 time use kind of deal broke, $200 to fix, “I Don’t need no stinkin spare” I thought. Got AAA, and these rotation suggestions never say anything about a spare with full tread on a car with worn tires in anything I have seen.
I got a brand new, or at least never been used, donut spare tire for my Dodge from a junkyard online. That with a jack cost me about $100 total.
Since tires rarely go flat on a schedule, I sleep better at night. Your results may vary.