Chassis Brace is a Prius MUST HAVE!

Be advised that the G-7 brace has slots, not pre-determined holes, which is why they require a hex head bolt to fit in the slots. Will it loosen over time?

 

FYI - Megan Racing makes a very affordable strut tower brace that can be found all over ebay, last time I checked it was between $30-$60 tops.

 

Do you know if this is confirmed to fit the Gen II? It's awfully tight in there, and also even the expensive custom ones have had clearance problems.

 

I've ordered my G7 brace. Will see if that combined with my previously installed B&G springs will make any noticeable difference

Any link you can post or send me ??

Thank you!

 

Hey does anyone have the C-ONE tower brace? Yeah, I want some JDM bling.

 

Sorry forgot to mention that you need to search for either a corolla or matrix/vibe strut bar on ebay, no hits come up for prius. Corolla and Matrix strut bars have been confirmed by owners on this forum to fit.

One example, a jdm strut bar for $10 new!:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyo...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories


Confirmation that corolla bars fit:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-modifications/60243-another-strut-tower-brace-option.html

 

Snatch! That's pretty cheap, so I couldn't resist. I'll let everyone know how well it fits. Thanks Supreme!

 

I wouldn't trust those Ebay strut tower bar... I've bought those before for my other cars. You can notice how cheap they are cost the actually piece bends so easily. Imagine if your car is taking hard turns... those bars will just snap off easily.

 

I want to be hopeful that this thing would work, but i guess i will have to be the down-er here. The plate has the same bolt spacing as the original, i don't see how it could be any more effective than the original. Lets say the original was 3 inches across the bolts, replacing with a 20 inch but using the same bolt spacing does not change anything. If you were adding a triangular pattern attached at a third or even forth location I believe would add much more stability. What may be the worlds worst sketch is attached, but you get the idea

 

I believe the placements of the bolts is less relevant than the width and strength of the actual plate, which is what people are paying for. When the plate is wider, its metal pushes against the metal of the car more (which runs perpendicular to the length of the plate). Think of it like an "H". The - is the bar and the | | are the metal pieces the plate attaches to. If you have a thicker - when the car sways or turns there is going to be less movement between the | |. I think this is where you get the extra stability.

I'm always skeptical too, but I challenge you to try it for yourself and see if you notice a difference.

 

Yeah, I too am skeptical of the benefits of the bottom unit, but we've got a lot of good reports here. Are they placebos?

Engineering-wise, the aluminum is much stiffer than the OEM unit, so if the body is experiencing torsion, the stiffness might help, but it's hard to know without some definite evidence. It also might be subjecting the part to tension, and that thick block of aluminum will definitely have more tensile strength.

Maybe a better test is to pull it completely off and try some highway speed lane changes (cruise control locked at 60 lets say), then repeat with it on.

Who knows, but for the cost, it's not much to gamble!

I haven't put mine on yet, so I have no honest opinion so far.

 

Ok, Lets look at the bigger picture. Consider the two left tires and the two right tires, with the brace in the middle (attached to the same two bolts as the original.) How are the same two bolts at the same two locations going to offer anymore stability?

 

So Azipod...do you produce this chassis brace?

 

I'm still looking for one sold that doesn't come from eBay, or requires Pay-pal to buy it.

I have had to have four credit cards frozen because of these two sites.

I'm still not paying $165................

 

Prediction - By the the end of the day Sunday we will have a several people asking what they can do to stabilize the Prius in winds. These people will be predomonantly from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

Just tell them to put on one of these plates.

 

Thanks for the pictures. I ordered the part yesterday and today visited Harbor Freight to get a set of metric hex sockets ($6.99). I would never pay $100 plus for such a simple part. The $10 ebay Strut brace doesn't look to have the heft to accomplish anything.