Has anyone here had a chance to see if plastic in trunk can be removed and to at least accommodate emergency spare? Ok I looked in manual with pictures and looks like the aux 12v battery location would prevent that option. To give an example how Lexus thinking has changed over the years my 2001 LS430UL which I still have has the full spare with oem wheel to give me 5.

 

shows the trunk with the plastic linings removed. It looks like they didn't leave any space for the spare wheel

 

Modern Spare seems to have finally come out with their product for the 2023-24 RX450H+: However, they have strangely called it as made for "2023-2024 Lexus RX450e RX Series".

In the US, since the RX450H+ is only sold with the 21-inchers (and nothing else) - does this look like the correct product for the US-specific RX450H+ ?

At least they haven't made it any more expensive than the product for the NX450H+ (whew!). It would be good to carry this for remote-location trips where there may no/little cellphone service or availability of flatbeds.

Thoughts ?

 

To me not having a spare tire would be a problem as I always like being prepared. Don't understand why Lexus did this as a design engineer could have made it possible.

 

I finally bit the bullet and purchased a spare tire for my RX. I considered the Modern Spare 18" wheel and tire but, finally opted to buy an original Lexus spare from a salvage yard on the east coast. It's a 20" alloy with a Maxxis temporary spare mounted on the wheel. It is somewhat similar to the Modern spare and from looking the tire over, it appears to have never been mounted on a car and used. The description stated that it was from a 2023 RX350. The casting on the back side of the wheel has both the Toyota and Lexus logos so, it would seem that this combination of wheel and tire is used on multiple vehicles under both marques. It was $280 with no additional charge for Fedex Ground shipping to my house. I don't really plan to carry it around all the time and would only do so when we take a longer trip.

 

I just keep a compressor, plug kit and pliers in my vehicles, regardless of whether they have spares or not. It's quicker and easier to plug a tire than to change it. I haven't had a blowout that would leave me stranded in over 35 years.

 

Same here, I agree. I have a compressor, as well as a plug kit, in both cars. I have only had the occasional nail or screw over many years but, this is only for any potential "what if" situation. If I never have to use it, then so be it.

 

I concur. Not all failure modes of the tire, such as any near or on the sidewall (even if not a blowout), can be repaired with the plugging. Additionally, the plugging can apparently damage the TPMS, and potentially render that tire unusable longer term. So I actually prefer having the car taken to a tire shop for them to patch it - which would require having a spare. I already had a nail in mine, thankfully in town, which I got patched at the shop. I will probably get the ModernSpare, given the fact that it ships with the tools for swapping.

Besides, the very fact that some drive-trains of the RX, such as the ICE and hybrid versions have the spare, but magically the PHEV does not - proves to me that Lexus simply decided to exclude the spare as a weight/mpg saving measure, and not really due to a known lack of need. This is just an aping of the pure-EV companies.

 

See also this discussion. The plastic can be removed to make room for the Modern Spare, with some minor adjustments and customization. I haven't yet had time to pursue getting replacement parts that I can dremel down so I don't sacrifice the originals.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...mpartment.html

 

@StefanoS - Do you mind sharing the site address for the place you bought this from ?

I too would only carry it for long road trips to remote places only, and not always, so wouldn't want to spend on modernspare's $500+ price tag if possible...

 

I picked the spare tire and wheel up on eBay, from August Pohl Auto Parts for $280 with free shipping. It was from a 2023 RX Gen5 and appears to have never been mounted on a vehicle. Checking their current listings, they do not seem to have any others at the present time. Right now, it hangs on my garage wall.

 

@StefanoS - thanks. Right from the point where you helped me pick the RX450H+ over the NX450H+ - your inputs have always been helpful

While I couldn't get any from Ebay at nearly the same price (all available ones were at least $100 more expensive than yours, as is the ones available directly from the Lexus Dealer, which made buying from the dealer actually cheaper), I was able to snag a similarly salvaged Spare from a Canada-made RX500H that was being sold for parts by an online salvage/parts dealer, it seems. With shipping and tax included, it cost a dollar less than yours - at $ 279!

For anyone else looking for such a Lexus-salvged spare for a RX450H+: The part number from Lexus appears to be 4261B-0E050. I'm hoping it will be a similarly never-used T165/70D20 119M MAXXIS spare wheel for me too.

What did you about the scissor jack - unless - you had one already ? I think a 3 Ton jack would be necessary for the RX450H+... (Amazon reviews have a disturbing mention of jacks breaking under load they should withstand).

 

I picked up a jack and lug wrench from Amazon, (X 2, since I have two of these beasts). I only bought a 2 ton jack, as you are only lifting one wheel at a time. I also grabbed a pair of those threaded mounting pins, since these cars now use lug bolts, as opposed to lug nuts. Mounting a wheel onto five threaded studs is far easier than trying to center the wheel on five threaded holes. The mounting pin will simplify this procedure if and when I need to swap a wheel. All of these items fit nicely into the foam cut-outs in the cargo area in the back. You know the cut-outs that Lexus left EMPTY for us! I'm glad that you found a decent priced spare.

 

Hey! I'm also from Poway, CA

What's the tire spec for that spare? Is it an 18" wheel?

 

Right in my description.............
It's a 20" alloy with a Maxxis temporary spare mounted on the wheel. It is somewhat similar to the Modern spare and from looking the tire over, it appears to have never been mounted on a car and used.