In shopping around for a Prius at year-end 2023, we decided on a 2024 XLE. The major drawback was the lack of a spare tire (our 2005, 2010, and 2012 v all had spares...) In reading up on the internet, I found a number of solutions, and adapted my approach from some of them. The solution was relatively straightforward, and even gained me somewhat near an extra inch of cargo space height from the factory Styrofoam block. Here's the stock floor and foam panels: Remove those foam panels, and there is the bare steel already set for the spare tire holddown. I cut a piece of dense 7/16" polyurethane and covered it with a trunk-suitable waterproof fabric mat called Drymate. Spare tire is a Falken FK-090 T145/90D16, which is exactly the same diameter at the factory XLE 195/50/19 Toyo Extensa tire at 26.7". This is mounted to a factory Toyota 16" wheel, Part Number: 42611-21280. This wheel clears both front and rear calipers with room to spare. Hold down (Toyota "Carrier") is PN: 51931-10040 To provide support of the stock trunk cover, I cut 2" thick pink foam insulation and cuta groove to mesh with the factory floor side panels. Then covered them with the Drymate covering. Jack was obtained at a local auto recycling center from a Lexus RX330, and confirmed to work smoothly and at a major savings from dealer pricing. Here's the end result with the floor back in place: Now, no more worries about a blowout or major flat on any of our major highway or rural area drives and at a relatively modest cost of under $250 complete. It would be nice for Toyota to have this as an available option, but it's a pretty easy retrofit.
Cheaper than doing the swap to the factory spare inserts, and you keep more space under the floor for stashing other things.
Does that wheel work with the Toyota nut with captured washer, or do you have to carry different nuts?
Most Toyota OEM lugnuts have a tapered end that is compatible with the seat on the steel spacesaver rims. SM-S936U ?
Do it right once, then enjoy it for the next 10-15 years of ownership. No creased deck board because it's not supported correctly, no uneven floor because the tire and homemade inserts aren't completely level, no movement when you throw things in the back because the homemade inserts aren't locked into anything, no rattles because the tools aren't secured well and bounce around when you hit a bump, more free time because it takes 15 minutes to install the factory option versus several hours measuring, shopping, fabricating, and installing the homemade options. Right now(15% Memorial Day Sale), it would cost a little over $600 for most cars to do the conversion. Includes tire, wheel, tools, and parts(say +$30 for AWD and/or +$90 for LE if you really want it perfect). People who do a custom installation already typically end up spending $200-$250 for the wheel, tire and tools, plus another $50-$100 on other materials to make it all work. So $250-$350 for the make-do solution, or an extra $250-$350 one-time cost on top of that for something easy and professional? I mean, I get it, who likes to spend money for something they think should have come with the car in the first place? And most people see that $600 total as a much bigger number because they don't mentally add up everything they're spending on the makeshift solutions(in those cases it's $50 here, $75 there, $100 here, $25 there - those numbers "feel" so much smaller individually). But Prius owners tend to hold onto their cars much longer than the typical owner. Why not spend a couple hundred extra up front to get 10-15 years of trouble-free enjoyment? I just have a hard time understanding the other mindset. But I guess that's why I'm a fan of TheCarCareNut, Sarah-N-Tuned, and mymechanics, while the rest of the world seems to be a fan of Mat Armstrong, Donut(less now than a few years ago), Tavarish, and WhistlinDiesel. (I enjoy WATCHING Mat, Tavarish, Hoovie, etc., but I would never buy one of their vehicles. AMD, Sarah, or whatever mymechanics's real name is, on the other hand, I would happily buy from.)
Do it right once, then enjoy it for the next 10-15 years of ownership. No creased deck board because it's not supported correctly, no uneven floor because the tire and homemade inserts aren't completely level, no movement when you throw things in the back because the homemade inserts aren't locked into anything, no rattles because the tools aren't secured well and bounce around when you hit a bump, more free time because it takes 15 minutes to install the factory option versus several hours measuring, shopping, fabricating, and installing the homemade options. Right now(15% Memorial Day Sale), it would cost a little over $600 for most cars to do the conversion. Includes tire, wheel, tools, and parts(say +$30 for AWD and/or +$90 for LE if you really want it perfect). People who do a custom installation already typically end up spending $200-$250 for the wheel, tire and tools, plus another $50-$100 on other materials to make it all work. So $250-$350 for the make-do solution, or an extra $250-$350 one-time cost on top of that for something easy and professional? I mean, I get it, who likes to spend money for something they think should have come with the car in the first place? And most people see that $600 total as a much bigger number because they don't mentally add up everything they're spending on the makeshift solutions(in those cases it's $50 here, $75 there, $100 here, $25 there - those numbers "feel" so much smaller individually). But Prius owners tend to hold onto their cars much longer than the typical owner. Why not spend a couple hundred extra up front to get 10-15 years of trouble-free enjoyment? I just have a hard time understanding the other mindset. But I guess that's why I'm a fan of TheCarCareNut, Sarah-N-Tuned, and mymechanics, while the rest of the world seems to be a fan of Mat Armstrong, Donut(less now than a few years ago), Tavarish, and WhistlinDiesel. (I enjoy WATCHING Mat, Tavarish, Hoovie, etc., but I would never buy one of their vehicles. AMD, Sarah, or whatever mymechanics's real name is, on the other hand, I would happily buy from.)
Oh, there are cons to the OP solution, but it is much better than just throwing the spare in the back, as I expect many getting an aftermarket spare would do. My guessimate is that buying materials for it would be under $100, but they or substitutes could easily be lying around a person's house already. Toyota makes your solution for other markets. Shame it just isn't an option for those that want it here.
Xliderider has it right. The factory wheel nuts with the tapered seat work fine with the Toyota spare wheel. I should add- a benefit with the actual Toyota wheel is hub-centric, unlike some of the aftermarket wheels.
Hi Hammersmith- I like your solution better too, but that cost of entry was a bit dear. I was inspired by your post and some others, and as a "old car" guy, wanted to see what I could make work without being too much of a hack. You can't tell from the photos, but the deck board is very well supported by the side supports, which are notched to lock into the body panels. Also have a foam piece that sits on top of the spare, and some rigid foam behind the rear seat backs.. Tested it out with four 40 pound bags with no issue. And it is level front to back and left to right- as I spent a fair amount of time setting the heights. An added plus is the polyurethane underlayment and Drydeck cover give the area a more finished look that the factory foam. In recent use, it also allowed for easy transition for temporary use with the spare, deck cover, and foldable rear privacy cover removed and not only provided much more capacity, but still "looked" finished vs the painted steel. I do realize that pulling out the factory foam also would just take a minute or two.
Smart! We, also, will not drive around without a spare tire....especially after got a flat in my wife's 2017 Prius a few years back (on the busy interstate) Her 2017 has a spare but my 2021 Prius AWD did not so I bought one for the trunk. (With the AWD motor back there, can't fit a spare so it just sits on top but I have a vinyl tire cover over it.) When we got the flat in the 2017, I used the OEM jack and it is not the best thing in the world so replaced both our jacks with a better one from Amazon. Posting the link doesn't seem to work...it's called Car Jack Kit | Scissor Jack for Car 1.5 Ton (3,300 lbs) - Tire Jack Tool Kit | Portable, Ideal for SUV and Auto - Universal Kit with Lug Wrench | Heavy Duty Material
That's how it should come, from the damn factory. It'll never happen, but if there was a flood of cancelled sales, with reason given (if asked) due to the lack of spare, the spare would be quickly reinstated.
