Spare Tire Thread; all spare tire posts here

I found that a VW Touareg jack works well for lifting the RAV4 from the stock jack points while clearing the battery.

I am searching for a compact spare to use on long trips. I was planning on using a 17" compact spare from a newer RAV4 but they are not easy to come by.

Tony, what size compact spare did you get from a Nissan Altima?

swogee said:

Tony, what size compact spare did you get from a Nissan Altima?

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First, please note that I have this from when I put a spare on the Nissan LEAF.

At the wrecking yard, I'm confident you could get them for $10, virtually unused. The Nissan Altima 2002-2006 spare wheel (rim) part number from any USA Nissan dealership:
40300-L31010. Should be 66.1mm center hub diameter.
$184

Bolt pattern 5x114.3 mm. Note from me: Sometimes the bolt pattern may be in English measure, which is 5x4.5 inches.

The Rav4 wheel center bore diameter 60.1mm, so, obviously a 66.1mm Nissan wheel will fit. The reverse wouldn't be true.

If you see any internet list the bore diameter as 67.1mm, it is wrong.

The standard wheel offset is +45mm.

******

The best wheel to get is the 2006 and newer Toyota Camry wheel-17x4-Compact-Spare-Tire-Donut-T155-70-D17

"Hollander Parts is your online source for 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY WHEELS WHEEL 17X4 SPARE . Used wheels wheel 17x4 spare in A grade condition with 119,000 miles start around $35. Get your wheels wheel 17x4 spare shipped today!"


http://www.hollanderparts.com/used-auto-parts/2007/toyota/camry/wheels/560~wheel/560-69330~17x4--spare-/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2008-Toyota-Camry-5-Lug-Wheel-17x4-Compact-Spare-Tire-Donut-T155-70-D17-OEM-/221546771452?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item33953773fc&vxp=mtr

OK, the fact that the Altima spare is for the Leaf makes more sense.

As for the Camry spare on the RAV4 how will the 3" difference in diameter on the 155/70R17 vs the recommended spare size of 165/80R17 (with only 1" difference in diameter) affect the handling of the RAV4 EV? The 165/80R17 compact spare is used on the current RAV4 that has the same size wheels and tires (225/65R17 with a 28.5" diameter) as the RAV4 EV. The Camry spare will certainly be more plentiful though if it can be made to work.

Is the spare tire just stowed in the cargo area for long trips? It would be nice to figure out an alternate location if at all possible.

swogee said:

OK, the fact that the Altima spare is for the Leaf makes more sense.

As for the Camry spare on the RAV4 how will the 3" difference in diameter on the 155/70R17 vs the recommended spare size of 165/80R17 (with only 1" difference in diameter) affect the handling of the RAV4 EV? The 165/80R17 compact spare is used on the current RAV4 that has the same size wheels and tires (225/65R17 with a 28.5" diameter) as the RAV4 EV. The Camry spare will certainly be more plentiful though if it can be made to work.

Is the spare tire just stowed in the cargo area for long trips? It would be nice to figure out an alternate location if at all possible.

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I just snapped one of a 2010 Camry of craigslist for $20



Inflate to 60PSI
max speed = 50 miles/h
It is really big, now I understand the back of the ICE rav's with the extra wheel on the back.
With 2 dogs, i really need all the space I have in the back.
I looked underneath, and even though I have a hitch installed, one should be able to make a construction to have it fit under there.
Will figure something out and post my solution if I find some.

I was told my RAV4EV didn't need a spare because it had run flats. Of course this turned out NOT to be true as I found out tonight when driving to a concert. I will have words with the dealer. Now I am again researching solutions and saw Tony's trailer hitch thread for a back mount. But I am confused at what will work for a spare. Having diametric difference is rough on a regular differential but if place on a RAV4 EV it is even less apparent what the consequences might be. (front only)
What will work on any level as far as lug matching? I saw the mention of the Tuareg jack as compatible and not a problem for the battery. Has anyone validated that?
If Toyota wanted to reduce weight maybe they could have reduced the useless metal in the hood which is the heaviest I have ever seen! I have decided NEVER to buy a vehicle w/o a spare solution ever again! (Note Tesla does NOT have a spare)

The Touareg jack does work to lift the RAV4 EV at the stock lift point while clearing the battery pack. I tried it on my RAV4 EV successfully. The opening at the top of the Touareg jack is a little wider than the flange on the RAV4 jack point so I used some rubber heater hose as a shim in the jack to make it more snug.

I still need to obtain a spare tire. I have heard the Toyota Camry compact spare will work as it is a 17" wheel, but I am hoping to get a 2013/2014 Toyota RAV4 compact spare as it is closer in size to the regular tire/wheel combo. The 2013/2014 ICE RAV4 uses the same base tire and wheel as our RAV4 EV's. The compact spare on it is 165/80R17 which has a 27.4" diameter. The stock tire size is 225/65R17 which has a 28.5" diameter so there is roughly a 1" difference. The bolt pattern on the regular ICE RAV4 and the RAV4 EV are the same. The bolt pattern is a 5x4.5".

The biggest question is where to stow the spare?

swogee said:

I still need to obtain a spare tire. I have heard the Toyota Camry compact spare will work as it is a 17" wheel, but I am hoping to get a 2013/2014 Toyota RAV4 compact spare as it is closer in size to the regular tire/wheel combo.

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Just for shiggles, I just mounted the camry spare on my rav:


It drives like it looks ;-)
A lot more noise, just drove it round the block. didn't want to test the cornering capabilities ;-)

The center hub space is perfect btw:

The 2013/2014 ICE RAV4 uses the same base tire and wheel as our RAV4 EV's. The compact spare on it is 165/80R17 which has a 27.4" diameter. The stock tire size is 225/65R17 which has a 28.5" diameter so there is roughly a 1" difference. The bolt pattern on the regular ICE RAV4 and the RAV4 EV are the same. The bolt pattern is a 5x4.5".

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With the spare on, I marked the center of the spare:

(sorry for the lousy photo)

And this is with the original tire back on:

So the center of the camry spare is more towards the middle of the car, about 1/2"
Since you aren't supposed to go faster than 50 miles/h, probably never will be a problem from the handling of the car.

The biggest question is where to stow the spare?

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Yeah, basically: there is no space under the car.
I am going to try and make a mount that I fasten with existing bolts on drivers side in the back that holds the rear wall in place.
I will lift it just enough from the floor that you can still take out the covers in case I need something from there (like my J1772 extension cord ;-) )

I would look into a folding hitch mount wheel carrier. Easy to install and remove and still have access to the rear storage. Google "folding hitch mounted spare tire carrier". A lot of cyclists use folding hitch mounted bike racks.

fromport , thanks for the pictures of the RAV4 EV with the Camry compact spare.

I ended up going with the larger 2013/2014 ICE RAV4 compact spare. It's about 2 inches bigger in diameter than the Camry spare, but it's still 1 inch smaller than the stock tire.

The hitch mounted spare tire carriers aren't cheap. I think I found one that might be usable, but it's spendy at $350. Here's the link:

http://www.cbioffroadfab.com/produc...products/fold-down-tire-carrier-premium-model

If there is a cheaper alternative it would be nice.

swogee said:

fromport , thanks for the pictures of the RAV4 EV with the Camry compact spare.

I ended up going with the larger 2013/2014 ICE RAV4 compact spare. It's about 2 inches bigger in diameter than the Camry spare, but it's still 1 inch smaller than the stock tire.

The hitch mounted spare tire carriers aren't cheap. I think I found one that might be usable, but it's spendy at $350. Here's the link:

http://www.cbioffroadfab.com/produc...products/fold-down-tire-carrier-premium-model

If there is a cheaper alternative it would be nice.

Click to expand...

Add to this the extra costs of a hitch and we are talking a home project of $600 just for the mount. At that point it might make sense to find a new rear door with the mount already there...paint to match. I think you have to ask yourself the utility of such a mount. Do you need it all the time of just occasionally, which might best be served by inside storage, perhaps vertically mounted against the wall. If easy to put and remove then use it only when going a longer distance. Toyota has done a great job of making it a pain in the ass to have a flat. I am gradually coming to the conclusion that putting it inside is the way to go.

So I have to ask.... Has anyone actually tried to repair a flat with the supplied Rav4 EV kit? I think it would work most of the time.

Putting the spare inside would be the easiest and the lowest cost, but it would use up over 3 cubic feet of cargo space. On long trips it seems I need as much cargo space as possible especially when the family is coming. It is highly likely that since the spare takes up so much space it would be used only during out of town trips.

Changing the rear door on the RAV4 EV to one that would carry the spare would be a simple solution, but it's too costly and involved IMHO. The trailer hitch can be used for other things such carrying bikes, or towing for short distances if needed so the cost is not unreasonable. If I had the space and time I would fab my own hitch mounted spare tire carrier.

As for the stock inflator with the tire sealant kit, I'm sure it would work fine for a simple puncture. On long distance travel usually when a tire goes out it is on the freeway and the tire is damaged so the stock kit is not much use.