TANABE SUSTEC Strut Tower Bar & Under Brace DIY Installation PIX !!!

Not sure if those would fit but they are a good idea. It looks like they just replace the nuts so the bar should be just as stiff. Just not sure about the space for them to fit.

 

im not sure either ><

 

thanks for the detailed write-up. just placed an order for mine - hopefully i can put everything back together after the install.

 

make sure to take lots of pics )

 

I can't wait to able to remove the front strut bar without having to remove the entire frigging winshield cowl

 

that would make our lives too easy

 

I just received my under-brace and STB. Can anyone confirm the torque spec for the fastening bolts of the Tanabe under-brace? Are the 2 bolts I'm using to mount the brace considered "central bolt" or "extremities"?

 

nevermind, found the info. thanks tracksyde

 

Just got the STB installed with help from Tracksyde. Install took about an hour or so to complete thanks to HB's detailed instructions. One thing that we ran into was getting the strut bar to properly line up with the mounting plate. After some fiddling, we were able to get it to line up by pushing the strut bar forward towards the rear of the car.

 

did you install the quick release clamps too ?

 

Umm, not sure what those are. It came with 2 plates which mount to the struts and a bar that mount to the 2 plates.

 

Today I set aside some time to install the Tanabe Strut Tower Brace for my 2012 Prius. I used to have a 1986 VW GTI which was a blast to drive. I mounted a Strut Tower Brace in that car, and noticed a significant improvement in the car's handling. Granted, the GTI had 100K on the clock and 20-year old suspension components.

Although the Tanabe product is nicely finished, and the hardware appears to be top-spec, I'm not very impressed with the design. The bends in the brace bar are precisely how I would build flex and play into a crossbar. A better design would be to run the brace under the wiper tray. I don't really know if there is enough room, but you would lose the sexy flash of anodized red aluminum across your engine bay. After installing the Tanabe brace, I cannot say that I definitively notice any change. I certainly want there to be a palpable difference in handling.


The fit is very tight between the top of the faux engine casting and the wiper tray assembly, such that the fill cap for the power control unit (inverter) coolant tank is now impossible to remove.



The fusebox, as has been discussed, is inaccessible without heroic (read: possibly damaging) effort or modification to the lid. I have seen it suggested that loosening the crossbar and lifting it out of the way would solve this. Nope - the Driver's side mounting plate is the culprit, not the crossbar.


Further, the mounting plates are not built to meet the ends of the crossbar at the correct angle. Rotating the crossbar down induces a bow in the crossbar as the ends are held captive in the mounting plates at a fixed angle. A flexed crossbar is effectively a spring, and a spring is not going to do much to minimize lateral movement of the strut towers.


For $120.00 this is piece of car jewelry. It may provide some slight performance improvement, but the first time I have to access my fusebox or my power control unit (inverter) coolant tank, the cost/benefit equation will tip to "waste of money"

 

Great review and pictures. It really helps to visualize the interference issues of the bar.

 

sanding down the fusebox cover didn't help at all. So this is what i did, bubble wrap the fusebox

 

Ghetto. **

To make the fusebox cover easier to remove, I am thinking about snipping off the "tabs and loops" from the rear of the box and trimming the flange so that lid doesn't have to be lifted quite so high to get it off of the fusebox. Maybe a through-drilled wing nut or two, or some kind of internal catch or a strap across the top. I read about someone unplugging the big plug to the left (pass side) of the fusebox and sliding it sideways. Have not tried.

** (adj.) jury-rigged, improvised, or home-made (usually with extremely cheap or sub-standard components), yet still deserving of an odd sense of respect from ghetto dwellers and non-ghetto dwellers alike

 

PS Huge thanks to HAWAIINBUILT for putting this set of instructions together - very complete and allayed any fears I had about tearing into my lovely little car. Mahalo!

 

let me know if you ever get that fuse box cover to fit, I have the cover sand down, but still won't fit ><

 

The fuse box cover can be removed if the large connectors to the left (looking into the engine bay) are disconnected and moved. The cover needs to be teased a bit sideways, but I've been able to remove and replace mine. It's certainly not as easy as before the STB!

I've also complained to Tanabe about the apparent mid-angled mounting brackets that don't meet up with the STB. If one end is bolted in, the other end requires some force to engage. If the brackets were correct, the STB would drop right in on both ends. Tanabe didn't take me seriously. More complaints to them might help.

 

a picture would be greatly appreciated

thanks. I will write them a complaint letter too

 

Here's the only email I could find: [email protected]

Here is their web site: Tanabe USA Inc.

I am sending them the text of my original posting on this subject.