Aftermarket Spare Tire Kit for 2024 Prius Prime

My drill, with floor jack, 4 safety stands and 4 wheel chocks:

1. Chock rear tires fore and aft
2. Release parking brake
3. Raise front
4. Settle front onto safety stands
5. Raise rear
6. Settle rear onto safety stands
7. Reverse through the steps to get car back down

it’s a bit more involved, but that’s a thumbnail version.

 

Safety stands? Are those floor jacks?

Also, I am curious, why do you release the parking brake in this process?

 

Floor jack:



Safety stands:


Wheel chocks:

I release parking brake (after chocking rear wheels fore and aft) so that the rear wheels can rotate freely while the front is being raised, acting like a hinge point, but still pinned from rolling the whole car. It's not mandatory, but if you don't the parking brake will be "fighting" as you raise the front.

Again, it's a little more complicated. For example: if you don't employ an impact wrench to remove the lug nuts, it's best to "slightly" loosen them while the car's still on the ground.

 

Ah, yes, in hindsight, that makes perfect sense. Thanks.

 

A lot of information regarding aftermarket spare tires and kits for the Gen 5 Prius. I decided to go with a used factory 19" Prius XSE wheel and the Michelin Primacy All Season tire. Wheel is "like" new, zero damage, and tire is patch free, no sidewall scrapes with excellent tread. Purchased separately, with mounting and balance $431. I also ordered a tire kit off Amazon for $31, Total $462. My question is what type of jack to use. Manual, page 502, shows two jacking points, front and rear, using a floor jack. Can we safely use a scissor jack at the four corners where the reinforced pin welds are? Suggestions, hints, considering most flats will be far from home?

 

I believe you can use a OE stock toyota scissor jack (one that is sized for the prius and with the right head) at any of the car's 4 pinch weld points for repairs in the field. I think the directions and guidance for this are in the gen5 prius manual.

 

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

I was able to rotate all 4 of my tires no problem using a special heavy-duty high-quality scissor jack and 2 jack stands and some wheel chocks. It all went well. However, I disagree with one thing you said: releasing the parking brake. When you lift the front of the car, you are not "fighting" the (rear) parking brake, the car simply rotates around the rear tires' contact patches. It does the same around the front wheels' contact patches (with the car in PARK) when you lift the rear of the car.

I think leaving the car in PARK and with the parking brake engaged adds considerable safety as it highly reduces the chances of the car rolling back (or forward) during the lift operations.

 

When you’ve chocked the rear wheels they can’t roll.

 

Generally true. But a chock slipping is not an impossibility.

And having the brakes set and the transmission in P adds another layer of safety. And there is no apparent downside to doing so, correct?

 

If the parking pawl is not strong enough, it can be broken with enough force.

A better alternative would be using the parking brake, unless you are removing a rear wheel.

 

Exactly. But it is still easy to remove the rear wheel with the parking brake set.

And, luckily, I rotate my tires on a flat surface. And I use the parking pawl PLUS the parking brake PLUS chocks.

 

When raising car in past I left parking brake set, chocked rear wheels, and when raising front could hear noise from the rear, the parking brake fighting/slipping. If you’re on a level slab and have rear wheels solidly chocked, I’d recommend to release parking brake, but up to you.

 

Interesting. When I did this, I heard absolutely nothing. I wonder if you were hearing something else going on? Like, for example (if you use a hydraulic floor jack), if your jack was effectively trying to "drag" the car slightly forward due to the geometry of the jack's lift mechanism. And then that was what was fighting your parking brake?

 

Jack has roller wheels, moves toward rear of car as the arm lifts. Chocks are heavy/solid rubber, neither they nor rear wheels budging. The only thing that could give was rotation of the back axle. Releasing parking brake, no more noise.

Again, just a suggestion, feel free to take it or leave it.

 

Try Modern Spare. I just got my full kit today, all fits well in trunk, although I may do some modification to the styrofoam boxes so it fits hidden beneath the trunk area. Link: Engineered Spare Tire Kits For Modern Vehicles | Modern Spare

 

Here is my kit installed that I purchased from Modern Spare. I cut out the empty Styrofoam boxes so I could store the tire under the cargo area, (I keep the jack kit that came with the tire above it so it doesn't flop around) I then picked up a 8mm x 1.25 x 90mm bolt from Menards along with a flat washer and lock washer, to secure the tire to the tire hold down beneath it. I simply put the bolt through one of the mounting holes. Good to go, and no flat tire worries!

 

The person you're replying to has a Prime. They can't do what you've done.

Personally, I think the Modern Spare kit is a big waste of money as you can get the same parts from Toyota/Tire Rack for about half the cost.

Modern Spare(wheel & tire only): $359.95 + $48 S/H = $407.95
Modern Spare(complete kit w/o case): $409.95 + $48 S/H = $457.95

Toyota/TireRack(wheel & tire only): $160.01 (assuming you buy during a 20% off sale)
Toyota/TireRack(wheel, tire & tools): $233.28
Toyota/TireRack(full conversion for FWD/reuse deckboard): $596.98

So a person could either save about $225 by buying the Toyota/TireRack wheel, tire and tools, or spend an extra $150 and get something that looks like this: