Spare tire that fits!

And they greatly reduced the trunk space in the Prius Prime with the battery pack. One of the biggest reasons I never considered the Prius Prime when I was shopping for a PHEV.

 

Prius Prime highlights some of the complications that automakers face when it comes to trying to fit everything into a limited amount of space. To keep costs down the Prime uses the same platform as regular Prius, which itself is spread over several global markets and models. For example in Japan they have a battery under the rear seat for the roof solar panel, so that affected the the shape of that area for all other markets. Some models of Prius come with a donut spare so there is a cutout for it in the frame in the rear area even in models that don't come with it. That seems to be what caused the trunk space issue with the Prime, the rear cargo floor is raised by three inches to accommodate the battery which is underneath it. But underneath the battery someone discovered a large unused space, it appears to be the cutout for a donut spare! Unfortunately they weren't able to fit the battery into that existing empty space, so the battery had to go above it, thus requiring raising the cargo floor. So reduced cargo space in the Prime was caused by the demand for donut spare by some customers!

Meanwhile they went with four seats because adding a fifth seat is more than just adding extra seatbelts, it requires support under the middle seat which adds weight. Because of the heavy battery they were looking for any possible way to reduce weight. Actually the 2020 Prius Prime will have a fifth seat, so either they are just sucking it up on the weight or else they found somewhere else to reduce weight to compensate.

Of course some of the quirks of our Clarity's shape is because it shares the same platform with the electric and fuel cell versions. Fortunately for us the smaller battery compared to the electric version gives us some very decent trunk space.

 

I like the idea of these (others have done this too).
A couple of questions have stopped me from trying one, and I wonder if you have any thoughts based on your experience?

1. Do you feel there is a risk of compromising the seal (no longer using the schrader valve as the primary seal, but rather, the cap thread porton)? Of course, you will now be able to see a slow leak better.

2. If anyone else services your vehicle, they will be completely haphazard (they are probably used to throwing away tire caps). Would you be inclined to remove them if the car went in the shop?

3. Do they give you any extra caps and/or are they easy to procure?

 

Bought an Infiniti spare on eBay tonight. $119.00 with shipping.

 

Did you get a set of Infiniti-compatible lugnuts, too?

 

The nuts for the Infiniti spare are different than the ones for the Clarity?

 

Okay checked on Amazon. Looks like I need some lug nuts.

Thanks!!

 

1. I've had no air leakage.

2. Good point. I'll try to remember to remove them if I need tire work done. Or tell them not to throw them aay.

3. No extras. Saw that someone on Amazon had a failed one and the seller sent new ones.

 

The infiniti spare can require different lug nuts, depending on which one you bought. From what I have seen, the 18" spoked aluminum spare always seems to require mag type nuts, whereas the 17" spoked aluminum spare seems to be Acorn type (bulge) nuts.

 

Can we use the Clarity lugs on a honda accord spare?

 

Hi there. I read through the thread and was convinced you found a solution to the spare tire issue. But, I am not finding the lighter, alloy spare you bought. Can you send over the part number on your spare tire if you have it? I would really appreciate that.

 

Just search on ebay for G35 spare tire. Two things to keep in mind are that Honda wheels use ball seat lugs and has a 64.1mm center bore, while Nissan wheels use cone seat lugs and have a 66.1mm center bore, so you might want to get a hubcentric ring adapter and five Nissan-compatible lugs. IMO, not worth the hassle -- modern Accord, Civic, CR-V spares are all 17".

 

I think you're right on that one. I mean, G35 should be strong enough for that. If you're gonna renew some details in your car, I would highly recommend this website Autokwix.com which I usually visit before any purchase, maybe not just for purchase, but for comparison different options and models of car's stuff.

 

My first impression of Autokwix was LOL based on the large headline for this "Updated" article by an "automotive expert":

 

We know that the Clarity wheels are 18"x8", 5x114.3mm pattern, CB 64.1mm, and ET50mm. Tire size is 235/45R18.
There are a few options out there: Infinity makes height taller, Nissan Altima (3.5L) option requires CB adapter from 64.1 to 66.1mm, etc.
What about using Honda accord 18" wheel? It has 18"x8", 5x114.3mm, CB 64.1mm, with ET55mm, and I can install the right size tire.
I checked the fitness with ET55mm from this site https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?wheel1=235-45-18X8ET50&wheel2=235-45-18X8ET55&fcl=50mm&scl=50mm&wcl=30mm&sr=0mm, and looked fine.
What I think is, buy used Honda accord 18"x8" wheel and used tire 235/45R18 from ebay.
How do you think?

 

Just curious...

...on the rear it shouldn’t matter at all, but on the front would having a spare a slightly different diameter cause any problems? I’m thinking stress on the drivetrain.

 

I generally use the old rule of thumb that the size of the tires on a drive axle shouldn't differ by more than 1%. I use a tire size comparison tool like the one on this site: https://tiresize.com/calculator/ to check the spare with the tire on the car.

 

Thanks, Robert.

Our Ridgeline and our Flex are both AWD, and I’ve been advised to beware of different diameters on any of the wheels, since all are on drive axles. The fear is that differing rotational speeds buts undue strain on the transfer case. That’s why I wondered if the drive (front) wheels on the Clarity could be similarly affected.

 

FWIW, The 1% rule of thumb seems to come from some BMW xdrive manuals, although I can't readily find one specifically copied, just references to it from BMW owners that have posted on the internet. I stumbled on the rule of thumb when I put together a spare for my son's BMW 330e phev. He bought it used and the run-flats had recently been changed for ordinary tires when he bought the car. He wanted a compact spare for it if he wasn't running run-flats. Worked out great. He again just put a set of ordinary tires on it and saved a lot of money over run-flats. The compact spare and associated tools don't really take up much room in the trunk and the tire is easily secured to the floor of the trunk with existing tie-downs.

 

Ordered a compact spare and jack from an ebay seller. Arrived yesterday, and I’m pretty disappointed. These sidewall cracks would make me very nervous if I ever had to use it.



I contacted the seller about a remedy and haven’t heard back yet.

Like I said, disappointing.