Chassis Brace is a Prius MUST HAVE!

Bringing back an old thread as I just ordered this G7 chassis plate. The reason I ordered it is I have this rear hatch "creak" sound that I'm assuming is due to the car flexing. Anyone else have or had a rear hatch sound and did this chassis plate help at all?

 

It's keeping the separation distance between the rails constant. The rails act like the free ends of an inverted "U."

The G7 still flexes but much less than the OEM brace.

There is virtually NO flexing or change in the separation distance in the "box beam."

 

Minimal change was felt with the G7 plate i purchased... as far as any body noise, can't say it makes a difference. Have you had any work done on the car recently?

Rude person's, are you still selling your suspension parts?

 

No work has been done to the car except for the addition of the Touring rear sway bar and the rear hatch creaking noise was heard prior to the sway bar upgrade. :/

 

Check you Inbox. I've started a conversation with you.

 

I just replaced my rusty old chassis brace with the G7 brace and love the quality and I dig the black finish vs the green finish of the more expensive alternative. Not sure if I'll notice any difference on the road, but the rusty one had to go!

 

Creaking noise from the hatch was fixed today. All it took was a bit of grease on the hatch contact points and voila! Rear hatch creak noise? (DIY fix) | PriusChat

 

I ordered a G7 brace on ebay for my 2009. Even if it is a minor improvement it will be worth the $40. A strut brace is next on the list.

 

My brace arrived on Saturday and I installed it Sunday morning in about 30 min. I have pretty long arms so I didnt need to jack up the car to install it. I used a 12 pack can of sodas to hold the brace in place while I lined up the holes and started threading in the bolts. Took 20 min tops.
It seems to feel better while I am driving, but that can be just my imagination. I know it looks a heck of a lot better than the flimsy stock piece so that is good enough for me.

 

Just for the record: I installed Mike's box beam on my 2006 P2 and noticed no difference at all.
BTW I am a relatively fast driver with track experience so should have felt something I guess.
100% placebo, no doubt.

 

If you has other modifications done, it may have very little effect.

If yours is stock it will definitely have some effect.

 

My car is 100% stock. Don't notice any effect.

The only explanation I could come up with is that a brace may work on a pre-face lift Prius 2, but Toyota improved body stiffness sufficiently from 2006.

 

if you drive hard, it probably won't make much of a difference. most folks seem to notice a difference in crosswinds. but if you really have track experience and know how to drive, doesn't the excessive body roll-- which these cars have-- drive you nuts? honestly, if you really are a driver you'll want to upgrade your sway bars.

 

Yes replacing the sway bars will make a big difference.

 

This...

 

Whats Sway bars running for prius's ?

 

for the front, we use the corolla/matrix oe bar and bushings (or prothane). for the rear use either the TRD corolla/matrix bar or Progressive bar which I bought from TH motorsports. you may find a better deal on the web somewhere. the sway bar upgrade will make the car stay flat around corners; you should also get some wider tires to replace the crappy GY integritys. they seem to be some of the worst name brand tires I've used. 205/60r15 is a good size for the oe wheels. us po' folks can't afford the 16" or 17" forged wheels we really want.

 

I second this! I have the 2006 Corolla/Matrix OEM bar for the front, and my rear sway bar is the Progressive bar (for a 2006 Matrix).

John, I noticed that you have a 2010 Prius, is that still a Generation II Prius? All of the above sway bar info is for a generation II Prius.

 

The 2010 is the gen after your ,i guess i wasn't reading well when i posted,lol
I'm new to the Prius game but so car i love it.

 

John, I see you owned a 2000 Dodge Intrepid! I had a '99 SE - I loved that car, like a sofa on wheels with a lot of power - except it kept braking down, I even had to replace the motor (sludge buildup - the previous owner didn't take care of the car that well...) It was like every month something else would break... and it would be something important, like the brake booster, or the steering rack, inner/outer tie rods, the motor... etc. I kept expecting the last thing I fixed to be the last thing to get repaired for awhile... I gave up on it and traded it in for my 2009 Prius, and haven't looked back since!

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