My first time using Toyota Roadside Assistance really sucks

It's impressive that you were able to find a store that sold the Gen5 tire size... You're very fortunate... Some people with Gen5 have waited for weeks just to get a a replacement tire. One person on here bough 4 spare tires soon as they found them because they've been so hard to find.

 

can't argue with that, maybe i should leave the spare at home

 

Don't talk about your wife's boyfriend like that!

 

i didn't either. kept on the hatch floor most of the time, but my car was never completely full.
i can't change it anymore either, aaa will change it for me

 

I wonder if just a tire would fit in my car (without a rim). I can replace it myself at the side of the road if necessary. The hardest part is braking the bead and I carry a battery powered inflater most of the time. Having a replacement tire would eliminate the situation where the damage was unrepairable and an inflater could keep pressure up if there was a slow leak. Of the few flats I have encountered I have been able to plug them without loosing all the air pressure.
Another option would be a rubber screw that is coated with an adhesive then screwed into the hole left by a nail if that is what caused the puncture. Even if it was near the sidewall you could at least get off the road where it is dangerous.
Maybe I'll get a spare original tire.

 

The tire isn't going to be bigger with a wheel in it.

I bought a Camry wheel and chucked it into the cargo area. It's huge.

 

Back in the day on PriusChat we'd get a group of people together on here to design a solution. I bet if some skilled owners of Gen5 Prius got together they could 3D print something that'd make carrying a spare wheel something that doesn't take up too much room.

If I was part of that group I'd strip all the interior panels out of the back of car and see if there was a way to modify one of those panels to ensure the spare wheel makes use of as much space behind interior panels as possible.

 

Run flat tires are/were very expensive and some, if not all of them required a new tire if they were ever run flat.

You got lucky, driving on the flat tire didn't trash the rim. The OEM rims are very expensive to replace.

This is what happened to my wife's rear tire after hitting debris on the freeway and getting a blowout. There was no safe place to pull over, so she was forced to drive a short distance on the flat. The tire was totally destroyed, but the rim was OK.

Thankfully, there was a space saver spare in her Gen3 Prius to mount.



SM-S936U ?

 

I can’t imagine doing that, lol.

You’ve mentioned that a couple of times, and I guess everyone, my self included, are thinking fair enough. Arthritis, back issues? Other?

Consider removing and reinstalling a wheel in good conditions, just to see how it goes? It might help if Toyota hadn’t nixed the scissor jack and lug nut wrench…

 

I keep a donut spare behind the driver seat in my Prius. If it came without a scissor jack, I would also find a spot for my hydraulic jack. I will NEVER drive a car without the tools to handle a flat tire. I am 82 years old, have AAA and, if needed, can change a tire myself. When I can no longer do that my kids will probably take away my car keys.

JeffD

 

Age and injury can do a number on people. When I was a lad, I could pop a scissor jack under the car and change a wheel with the funny stubby little wrench that came with the car.

Not so much now. I rotate my own tires twice a year, but I do it from a chair so I'm not lifting with my back. I also know lots of women who would have no business changing a wheel.

Kudos on your health. I have a big hydraulic jack with a four foot handle in my garage, but I've not seen not seen one I'd like to carry in my car. Is there one you'd recommend?

I saw a kit online that had an electric impact wrench that also fit onto a scissor jack. Maybe it had an air pump too.

 

I’m not that strong, and have a back tendon trouble spot. The toughest part I find, is installing a wheel. Some tricks I’ve adopted:

1. only raise the car as much as needed, say 1/2”~1” clear between underside tire and ground.

2. have good gloves, rags, a bag for the loose wheel, a piece of 3/4” plywood to go under scissor jack (if on soft earth) and a pair of wheel chocks (place fore and aft of diagonal opposite wheel).

3. Roll the wheel roughly into position, lug nut openings oriented per the studs on hub. Scoot the bottom of wheel up as close as possible, practically the final position.

4. sit facing the situation, hook your toes under the wheel, around 4 and 6 o’clock. Lift wheel with your toes and steady/guide it with your hands, get it pushed onto the studs.

5. Get a lug nut started.

 

I have self sealing Michelins. Reports are that they work for punctures, but not larger damage

 

You guys need to try slinging wheel assys all night so heavy you need your partner to help you right it if it falls over. But then again...I'm only 66 YO.

 

Everyone is different, my arthritis started around 60 and progressed quickly

 

During rotations, I sit facing the brake, roll the wheel into position and lift it on my toes.

I suppose I could keep a folding stool back there; it will begin to look as if I'm camping.