A happy American Prius owner :)

[fordulike]

Just thought I would post this forum link from the Endless Sphere website. If you don't know already, it's a forum about all things electric that can be ridden or driven.

The poster is not me, but the guy seems really happy with his Prius.

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=83410&sid=5e204aeb640404e63b0b45ebb5bce0f0

[Anthony Poli]

Maybe next time I can find a PIP within my budget

[johalareewi]

Used PIP prices have been falling (on the toyota.co.uk used car web pages at least).  Which is how I managed to get one.

[Anthony Poli]

17 minutes ago, johalareewi said:

Used PIP prices have been falling (on the toyota.co.uk used car web pages at least).  Which is how I managed to get one.

When I bought my Auris, I needed the car quickly and it was during the hybrid promotion. So there was not much to choose from within in my budget.

Being new to hybrids, I wasn't sure how good they were. Next time I will be more prepared

[Duffryn]

3 hours ago, johalareewi said:

Used PIP prices have been falling (on the toyota.co.uk used car web pages at least).  Which is how I managed to get one.

Lack of spare wheel certainly killed my interest. I was all set to travel 70 miles to look at a PIP - then read on here (thanks PeteB) that there was no spare wheel. Nuff said.

[Anthony Poli]

3 hours ago, Duffryn said:

Lack of spare wheel certainly killed my interest. I was all set to travel 70 miles to look at a PIP - then read on here (thanks PeteB) that there was no spare wheel. Nuff said.

It'll take more than a lack of a spare wheel to put me off. The last 2 cars had a space saver and never used them. 

[PeteB]

 

16 hours ago, Anthony Poli said:

It'll take more than a lack of a spare wheel to put me off. The last 2 cars had a space saver and never used them. 

Everyone will have their own view on this.  It put me off too - I'd have loved a PiP apart from that.

I don't know if he got rid of it, but I did hear of a PiP owner who got a puncture 3 miles from home at 10 or 11 on a Friday night.  The gunge didn't work.  He waited for the AA until 2 am, they dumped him at home, flat tyre and all, leaving him to get himself and his wheel to a tyre shop (and back) by some other means the next day!

[Anthony Poli]

1 hour ago, PeteB said:

Well it pout me off too

Everyone will have their own view on this.  It put me off too - I'd have loved a PiP apart from that.

I don't know if he got rid of it, but I did hear of a PiP owner who got a puncture 3 miles from home at 10 or 11 on a Friday night.  The gunge didn't work.  He waited for the AA until 2 am, they dumped him at home, flat tyre and all, leaving him to get himself and his wheel to a tyre shop (and back) by some other means the next day!

Can't argue with that. 

It's just pure luck that so far I haven't had any punctures and had to use the space saver in nearly 9 years.

[PeteB]

3 minutes ago, Anthony Poli said:

Can't argue with that. 

It's just pure luck that so far I haven't had any punctures and had to use the space saver in nearly 9 years.

To be fair, I only had 1 in nearly 4 years on my last Gen 3 Prius.  BUT, I had more than 10 between 2002 and 2012 in 5 Gen 1 & 2 Prius and a Yaris - at least 4 would definitely not have worked with gunge, especially a blowout at 60 mph when there was no rubber at all left on the rims by the time I stopped!  -  a 3-D printer might do the trick ;)

[Anthony Poli]

Can't argue with that. 

It's just pure luck that so far I haven't had any punctures and had to use the space saver in nearly 9 years.

To be fair, I only had 1 in nearly 4 years on my last Gen 3 Prius.  BUT, I had more than 10 between 2002 and 2012 in 5 Gen 1 & 2 Prius and a Yaris - at least 4 would definitely not have worked with gunge, especially a blowout at 60 mph when there was no rubber at all left on the rims by the time I stopped!  -  a 3-D printer might do the trick ;)

Wow I bet that raised the pulse rate.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PeteB]

1 hour ago, Anthony Poli said:

...Wow I bet that raised the pulse rate...

actually, it was surprisingly undramatic.  I selected 'B' to put a little extra braking on the front wheels (it was nearside rear that had blown) and very gently added a slight pressure on the main brake pedal.  It took a while to stop, but I had plenty of room.  Not sure what would have happened if I'd needed to stop quickly.

The Gen 1 Prius remained very stable, no particular steering input needed apart from gently guiding it towards the edge of the road. The most noticeable thing was how loud the bang was!

I was mighty glad the Gen 1 Prius had a full size matching alloy spare wheel too.

[Anthony Poli]

Was the rim repairable?

[PeteB]

1 minute ago, Anthony Poli said:

Was the rim repairable?

I was extremely lucky - not a mark on the wheel - just took to a tyre shop and they put a new tyre straight on.  Nothing odd when they balanced it either.

I doubt if I'd have been so lucky if I'd had to brake hard.

[Anthony Poli]

At least it wasn't like once of those police camera show clips with sparks flying.

 

[johalareewi]

In the 6.5 years I had the gen3 Prius I used the space saver spare once. It was midnight and raining and pitch black and I still had to phone MrT rescue because i couldn't get the wheel off (there wasn't a rubber hammer in the toolbox).  Before the Prius I had an Astra for 7 years. Full size spare never used.  TBH, I am still a bit uneasy about the lack of a spare in the plugin but it didn't stop me buying one.

[Anthony Poli]

A lot of car makers are doing this now, Maybe they could start fitting magnets to the cars, pick up all the metal before your tyre does.

If only it was that simple 

[Duffryn]

Perhaps if everybody refused to buy cars that didn't possess a spare wheel then the manufacturers would be forced to think again.

Comment meant lightheartedly of course.

 

[Jtustin]

Why oh why do nearly all car manufacturers skimp on not having a spare tyre my Auris has got the space for one but doesn't have one what would this add to the cost of the vehicle barley £200

[PeteB]

At least it's a no cost option on the new Prius, although as the handbook shows that some markets get a full size spare, I'd have been prepared to pay extra for that,

[Heidfirst]

5 hours ago, Jtustin said:

Why oh why do all car manufacturers skimp on not having a spare tyre my Auris has got the space for one but doesn't have one what would this add to the cost of the vehicle barley £200

cost & the extra weight affects the fuel economy figures (especially if you allow extra weight in lots of different areas i.e. 10kg here, 5kh there, another 5kg elsewhere etc.) & manufacturers get hit with enormous fines if they do not meet stipulated economy & emissions standards.

[thecaretaker]

I also read somewhere on the net that the reason car manufacturers don't add spare tyres is also to do with how many people actually know how to change a tyre over.

So many percent of drivers hadn't a clue how to change a tyre. Others didn't have the strength to undo the wheel nuts. With the number of reps/business people/managers driving, they don't want to get dirty so a large number of these people call the breakdown company out anyway.

I have to admit calling a breakdown service for my daughter when she had a flat. Her alloy wheel had welded itself to the 'other bit' and even with my biggest hammer, I couldn't release it.

As for my new Prius, I have the 17" wheels and I don't yet know how you get the plastic wheel trims off. They seem to be in sections. I wish I could get a full size spare, jack and fixing bolts from somewhere, just for piece of mind.

[ian rooke]

Hi i thought the 15" wheels had the plastic wheel covers (mine has) the 17" were solid.

[cviclark]

There is an option for a spare one all Gen4 Prius. I have had a spare in my Auris Ts since I bought it.

[PeteB]

2 hours ago, cviclark said:

There is an option for a spare one all Gen4 Prius. I have had a spare in my Auris Ts since I bought it.

not an official one if you have 17" wheels.  You can only specify a spare when ordering if you have 15" wheels (which is what I did on my Excel - specified 15" and the no cost space saver).

From the sound of things many dealers are refusing to sell a space saver to people who's car comes up on their computer as having 17" wheels.  Nothing to stop you buying a used one on eBay or from a breakers, but if your Gen 4 comes with gunge the trays under the boot floor won't accommodate the spare wheel either.