I hit a curb by accident several months ago – it was part of a roundabout I wasn’t used to and blew out a front tire. Fortunately, I got to a convenience store parking lot before losing all the air in the tire. When I changed the tire, I realized the donut spare was nearly out of air so this was like a double insult. So if you are traveling a long distance this holiday season with your Prius, I suggest you check the air in the spare tire. The max PSI is 60, but 50 something would be OK should you have a roadside emergency. Also check the valve stem cover – mine had the tip of the cap broken. If you have some old raggy towels; there is space around the spare to tuck them. Should you have to change a tire on the open road, you could kneel on the towels while changing the tire and then wipe off your hands when done – much more comfortable than kneeling on rocks and stones. If you have a small LED flashlight, perhaps rolling it in one of those towels would be helpful too. I hope you all have safe enjoyable holidays!
Very good points! A few more items to bring along: 1. A pair of wheel chocks (use on the wheel diagonally opposite the flat) 2. A small square of plywood or shelf board. (as a base under the scissor jack when on soft earth or gravel) 3. A pair of insulated waterproof, grippy gloves. (invaluable for changing a tire in winter) 4. Reflective vest (Just got one of these finally: high fashion when you're wandering around on the side of the highway.) 5. Reflective triangle or collapsible traffic cone. (Sim to above)
I keep the flashlights up front, in the console and glovebox, where they are more accessible for other needs and checked more frequently for dead batteries.
Triple insult: convenience store doesn't have an air pump! Most don't now-a-days. A small pack of baby-wipes (or similar) makes for quick and easy cleanup after minor emergencies (both car and personal). New and unopened otherwise they'll eventually dry up stored for long periods in a hot car.
i always pump the spare to the 60psi max every time i do tire rotations. however, once i was surprised to find a big hole in the spare tire (it was 8 year old corolla, not prius). it basically exploded from the car sitting in sun. so, not sure what to tell you besides check the condition of spare tire.
LOL! Oddly that convenience store/filling station combo had an air pump, but I didn't realize the spare was low until I was almost home. Good idea on the wipes though.
Especially with the Prius and how hard it is to find replacement tires in a pinch (not many places around here carry the better options), it's worth it to ensure the spare it properly inflated and in good condition at every wheel rotation.
You can save yourself a lot of trouble by keeping a portable vehicle air pump in your car . They are cheap and available at car's accessories shops .
This was an issue I previously had where the jack kept sinking into the sand/dirt. This is a very dangerous situation because if the jack is unstable, your car can fall off of the jack and a whole lot of other issue arise, including injury to you. I ended up calling AAA (and lost my cell phone, too, but that was because I was stupid). Mike
the only positive about no factory spare is that you're forced to keep it above decks. makes it super easy to check the pressure anytime.
