Toyota Sienna Forum - siennachat.com banner

spare donut wheel and tire Sienna AWD (tested)

386K views 373 replies 146 participants last post by  clutchless 
#1 ·
*******************
***Thread summary***
*******************
Acquired from Toyota the compact spare tire+rim for the LE AWD. The rim part is special order part# (same part as the 2011 FWD) and fits properly on both front and back with test drive. Mounted this on front or back wheel and the car seems to drive fine (up to 80km) on a 1km test run (tried both front and back). Surprisingly no warning lights came on (AWD, traction control, etc.). Hard acceleration and stops seem okay too (and without ABS kicking in). If the spare is in the front there is a bit of pulling on one side (as expected) while hard braking.

original tires: RFT 235/55/18
spare tire: T155/80R17

I hope not to have to run on this setup, but this is probably better than no spare (the full-size wheel skits vertical takes up half the trunk). The manual on page 703 also says that the compact spare might damage the AWD mechanism. The compact-spare does fit almost flat on the bottom (fully inflated) behind the third row.

Called Toyota Canada and they say the donut spare tire runs fine on the 2011 Sienna AWD; just don't run on it for extended periods. Receipt showing donut rim part number is in a later post below.

This costs (Canadian$) $130rim+$146tire+$20mount+tax=~$334. All parts from Toyota Canada.

The spare tires on Siennas do NOT have TPMS on them.

This particular setup is quite compact (as you can see from pictures below) occupying only 8" of trunk space. Compare this with putting a full-size tire in the trunk -- you will find that the full-size tire will have to be in the trunk *upright* which means you lose about half of your trunk space (totally unusable). Note that the trunk is a bit shorter than the previous model, whereas in the previous model the full-size tire can go into the trunk flat.

Aside: if you are thinking of buying the spare wheel+tire from an older vehicle for use on 2011 Sienna, you may consider the older generation Sienna (but 2007 and later according to dealership info; note that I have already tried 2005 model whose rim does *not* fit; or maybe from another similar vehicle such as Highlander). But even from the older vehicle (pre-2007 Sienna) the tire can be used on 2011+ Sienna.

Aside: the full wheel+tire *cannot* fit flat in the 2011 trunk (can only go in vertically so is not really an option) mainly because of the larger tire and shorter trunk in 2011 (see pics from the third page of this thread). But if you are driving the 2nd generation Sienna (2004-2010) then there are reports that the full tire+rim does fit flat in the trunk.

NOTE: there are some pictures posted in this thread, but you will need to create an account and log in in order to see them.

======================================







Original post:

FYI... if you are thinking about getting the spare tire in the AWD model, this is useful if you are running on a non-RF set.

I managed to get a spare 17" tire from a 2005 Sienna
-the spare tire is about 1" shorter in diameter than the main tire
-the spare tire won't fit flat behind the third row. If you tilt it upwards a bit it will sit at an angle
-the spare tire from a 2005 Sienna will *not* fit in the 2011 Sienna due to the size of the larger brake caliper (tried this in both front and back), even though the tire itself is the same as the Sienna. The dealer says that there are 3 different spare-tire rims made by Toyota, each one for a different model.
-the spare tire+rim costs around $300 from the dealer

I'm still looking for the mounting kit for the spare tire. Anybody have a picture of how it is mounted behind the third row?
 
See less See more
#4 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

I believe that wongyun has a 2011 Sienna, and thus the location of this topic (in the 3rd Generation section) and the challenge...

wongyun said:
-the spare tire is about 1" shorter in diameter than the main tire
... because all stock normal (non-spare, whether regular or run-flat) 2011 tires are about 1" taller in overall diameter than stock normal 2004-2010 tires, and the 2005 spare is sized to match 2005 stock normal tires. A spare from a 2WD 2011 would presumably match all 2011 stock normal tires.... if you can find one used already.

wongyun said:
-the spare tire won't fit flat behind the third row. If you tilt it upwards a bit it will sit at an angle
Toyota apparently planned to offer second-generation Siennas in AWD without run-flats by putting the spare behind the third row. Since they never did offer that combination, and presumably did not include this combination in the requirements of the 2011 body re-design, they may have reduced the space available so that a spare no longer fits properly.... bummer.

If this is true, that means even a 2WD 2011 Sienna owner will have a somewhat less convenient situation if they get a flat on the road, as the normal-size flat tire won't go underneath in the spare location properly (it's too wide), and will apparently no longer fit nicely in the well behind the third row seats.

wongyun said:
-the spare tire from a 2005 Sienna will *not* fit in the 2011 Sienna due to the size of the larger brake caliper (tried this in both front and back), even though the tire itself is the same as the Sienna. The dealer says that there are 3 different spare-tire rims made by Toyota, each one for a different model.
This is a great detail to know! Caliper clearance is a wheel issue, not a tire issue.
 
#5 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

to: komondor,

I also have a 2006, its an AWD, could you please post a picture of how your spare in trunk looks like ?
I am thinking of getting a set of non RFT. the RFT are too expensive..

Thank you

Sure I will take a pic when I get home too dark in the morning
 
#7 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

It's too bad that the same tire that fits in the -2010 Sienna won't fit behind the third row of the 2011. The length is short by about 3", partially due to the intruding supports for the third row seats -- so the full-size tire will take up the entire left side sitting upright. Even the compact spare could use another 2" but it should barely fit flat.

I'm still waiting for my dealer to order the compact spare rim for the 2011 Sienna. Apparently there is a part# but they are not able to order it (this is in Canada). Have also escilated to Toyota customer service. For now, running on non-RF snow tires with no spare tire.
 
#9 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

I would not count on even a 2011 "compact" spare laying down flat behind the third row of a 2011 Sienna. The "compact" spares for earlier years are not significantly shorter than the regular size tires, only narrower, so it will likely be too large in overall diameter. The second-generation spare is a T155/80R17. Tires for the 2011 are about 1" larger overall than the second-generation equivalents, so the spare should be very large (as temporary spares go)... does anyone know the size?
 
#11 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

Just an update on this thread -- I went ahead and acquired from Toyota the compact spare tire+rim for the LE AWD. The rim part is special order part#42611-08110 and fits properly on both front and back with test drive.

Mounted this on front or back wheel and the car seems to drive fine (up to 80km) on a 1km test run (tried both front and back). Surprisingly no warning lights came on (AWD, traction control, etc.). Hard acceleration and stops (without ABS kicking in) see, okay too. If the spare is in the front there is a bit of pulling on one side (as expected) while hard braking.

I hope not to have to run on this setup, but this is probably better than no spare (the full-size wheel skits vertical takes up half the trunk). The manual on page 703 also says that the compact spare might damage the AWD mechanism. The compact-spare does fit almost flat on the bottom (fully inflated) behind the third row.

Update: called Toyota Canada and they say the donut spare tire runs fine on the 2011 Sienna AWD; just don't run on it for extended periods. Also, here is the donut rim receipt showing part number:
 

Attachments

#14 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

More pictures. The last photo describes the piece of plastic that had to be pulled out to help the wheel stay perfect flat on the bottom; otherwise it's pretty flat but just not perfectly flat.
 

Attachments

#16 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

Spare tires don't have TPMS.

This costs (Canadian$) $130rim+$146tire+$20mount+tax=~$334.

We found an old unused tire for $30 so saved a little bit.

As mentioned - not sure if using a spare tire is good for AWD. At least it's better than carrying around a full-size spare.

Best of luck.
 
#17 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

wongyun said:
Spare tires don't have TPMS.

This costs (Canadian$) $130rim+$146tire+$20mount+tax=~$334.

We found an old unused tire for $30 so saved a little bit.

As mentioned - not sure if using a spare tire is good for AWD. At least it's better than carrying around a full-size spare.

Best of luck.
Thanks for sharing so much detail on your project. Do you have 17 inch rims or 18's?
 
#18 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

I have 17" rims. Tire place says that the extra rubber helps to reduce the chance of a flat in the winter (such as when hitting a bump of a curb). Try 225/65/17. I have Michelin xice2. I'm sure other brands will be pretty good also as long as they are winter tires.
 
#19 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

This is my first post and maybe a stupid question...but on my 2011 awd xle I mounted winter tires and have been running without a spare. I want to buy a spare wheel/tire...and I have 18" wheels. Can I buy a 17" wheel for a spare? And how do I know what to order--do I need to go through dealer?
The pics shown earlier are a 17" wheel, correct?
Thanks
Chris
 
#21 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

christoweber said:
This is my first post and maybe a stupid question...but on my 2011 awd xle I mounted winter tires and have been running without a spare. I want to buy a spare wheel/tire...and I have 18" wheels. Can I buy a 17" wheel for a spare?
Not a stupid question at all... the many choices can get confusing.

If the spare is to be used only as a spare, it does not need to exactly match the regular wheels or tires; the spare tire needs only to be nearly the same overall diameter and to have sufficient load capacity - the wheel needs to fit on the hub and over the brakes.

The spare supplied with 2WD Siennas is not the same size as any of the regular tires, and is on a different diameter of wheel than some of the Siennas which are equipped with it. For instance, my 2004 LE has 16" regular wheels, but a 17" spare wheel. Third generation (2011) Siennas generally use wheels 1" larger in diameter than the equivalent second-generation (2004-2010) variation, but I'm not sure about the 2011 (2WD) spare - no one directly answered my question about its size.

It may be that in his original post, wongyun intended to state that "the tire itself is the same as the 2005 Sienna": if so, then the compact (skinny) spare tire size is no longer well suited to AWD use, due to the diameter mismatch and thus speed mismatch, although wongyun found that it didn't cause any immediate problems.

christoweber said:
Here's a follow-up to my question: I've found a spare wheel off an 06 sienna (155/80/17)--does anyone know if that wheel will fit on the new '11??
No, it won't fit, according to the first post in this topic.
the spare tire from a 2005 Sienna will *not* fit in the 2011 Sienna due to the size of the larger brake caliper (tried this in both front and back...
 
#22 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

Ok, so I went back and saw that and figured out the 06 spare won't fit the 2011...interestingly, the dealer couldn't answer that and said they would actually have to physically check.
So, I could order a spare wheel (113+tax via dealer) and the only tire I could find was through Sears at 213.46 (incl tax). But, since I am only going to be carrying this on longer trips, I am thinking it might be easier & cheaper to buy a standard size 18" wheel and throwing that in the car/on the roof for long trips. Anyone have experience with that?
-Chris

christoweber said:
Here's a follow-up to my question: I've found a spare wheel off an 06 sienna (155/80/17)--does anyone know if that wheel will fit on the new '11??
No, it won't fit, according to the first post in this topic.
the spare tire from a 2005 Sienna will *not* fit in the 2011 Sienna due to the size of the larger brake caliper (tried this in both front and back...
[/quote]
 
#23 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

christoweber said:
Ok, so I went back and saw that and figured out the 06 spare won't fit the 2011...interestingly, the dealer couldn't answer that and said they would actually have to physically check.
I'm not surprised. Dealers are normally concerned with providing the correct stock part for a stock vehicle, not making novel combinations of parts. When I bought the extra set of wheels (for winter use) with our Sienna, I was sold stock Sienna steel wheels (as I requested, without covers). It would have been nice if they had known to recommend the same size wheels from a different model (Highlander) that would fit the same but look better (without a cover), but they didn't.

christoweber said:
... I am thinking it might be easier & cheaper to buy a standard size 18" wheel and throwing that in the car/on the roof for long trips. Anyone have experience with that?
I have not tried that, but it does make some sense and has been discussed in this forum (or its predecessor) before - long ago, for second-generation Siennas, either for AWD or to have a full-sized spare (instead of a skinny one) even for 2WD.

A wheel and tire assembly is a heavy and awkward thing, so physically moving it up to the roof and taking it off would not be trivial, but it certainly could be done. Presumably a cargo basket would be mounted on the roof rack.

Again, if this is to be used only as a spare it need not match entirely; the stock full-sized 17" wheel/tire setup (P235/60R17, such as from an LE) would be lighter and cheaper than the stock 18" setup. If an exactly matching setup is used, it could be included in a five-tire rotation pattern.
 
#24 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

made "sticky"
 
#25 ·
Re: spare wheel sienna AWD

My decision: I went and had a local tire shop find me a 18" wheel that fits and a used tire which is costing me $115 total. I decided against the new donut wheel/tire option because that was going to be 310+, and I am only using this (until I replace the run-flats with normal tires) in winter (I have studded snows), and in both winter and summer my local driving is all within 5 miles of home. So I am going to pack the full sized wheel for road trips, approx 6-8 times a year. Thanks for the input!
 
Top