Successful Gen III PiP install of Cusco Strut Tower Brace (STB)

I got mine from Evasive Motorsports for $891 - quite a large and reputable company. They were backordered and took 6 weeks to arrive. Another member here mentioned you can get them for even cheaper at: Fred Beans Parts - Vehicle Search Results

The drop ranges from 0.75 inches to 2.5 inches.

Good luck!

 

Cool..looking forward to seeing pics when there installed. I got the tanabe springs and them put 18's on after.kinda wished I had waiting and got coilovers instead but I guess the $165 was easier to spend than the $900 at the time haha

 

If nothing else, additional braces (where there none before, like the stb) provide additional structural members for different loading forces to distribute over and thus alleviating the chassis from bearing it all like it normally would over the lifetime of the car. With replacement braces, the differences will tend to be less perceptible.

 

ask @Burna J

I think that's what he's on now.

VS980 4G ?

 

Appreciate that nomorenow.... he gave me the same deal just now and remembered Ya... thanks!

Anyone know of the torque specs for the STB? Putting mine on tonight

 

28 ft. lbs. on the M8x1.25 strut top nuts.

 

Thanks Mike!

 

I have some dumb questions.

First, some background: I have a PIP with a curt hitch that I'm guessing might sort of act like a rear brace. My wife is afraid to drive the car above 65 mph because of the way it handles at speeds higher than that. Yes the alignment and tires are both good, it's just the nature of the car. I had a 2004, so this is miles ahead of that! The other thing to keep in mind is that most of my driving is on bad city streets, and I do not want to do anything that would make the ride harsher (e.g., no 17 inch wheels). I love my 15 inch wheels and Primacy tires for the softer ride they gave me over my 2010 5 model.

So, what, if anything, should I consider installing, to improve the highway handling, without worsening ride comfort? Am I correct in assuming that any of these braces to stiffen the car will also make for sharper jolts when hitting those city street bumps and holes?

 

Already have new front brace and mid brace.

Cusco STB: A++
Steering feels less loosy goosey.
The steering wheel feels heavy because everything feels sturdy and has less vibrations.

I commute on a toll road that moves on average 65 to 80mph.
So my 80mph feels more like 60mph because of the minimal vibrations at higher speeds on smooth roads.

Vibrations over pot holes on highways and bumpy roads have a deeper sound, lower sounding tone to my ear.

The ride over very, very bumpy roads i.e city roads, can be a little more harsh.
Remember this firm ride has me driving at higher speeds because I do not slow down over the bumpy roads anymore.

In the old days I would crawl over the pot hole ridden roads to avoid the back and forth vibrations in the cabin.

my2cents.

 

So I understand the concept of the STB and agree with its role in tightening up the handling. What I have trouble comprehending is how the Cusco brace for the Prius is able to do this. Most of the custom/stock STBs are a solid piece with the main brace welded to the strut tower brackets/mounts. When I look at the Cusco brace, I see the main bar being attached to the mounts by a screw on each end that's tightened by bolts. From a pure mechanical/physics standpoint, these attachment points of the bar to the mounts end up serving as possible pivot points. So when the car is going over bumps on just one side, instead of eliminating one-sided flex by transmitting the force across the brace, can't the force end up causing the brace to just pivot at these two attachment points, rendering the STB useless?

Yes, the brace gets tightened via the screw and bolt, but it may have to get tightened so much to the snapping point to eliminate this potential pivot.

#1 shows the STB on level ground. #2 shows an STB doing what it's supposed to do over a bump on the left side. #3 shows the Cusco design where the bar may pivot relative to the brackets at the anchoring points on each side

 

I somewhat get what you are hinting a in regards to up/down movement on one side relative to the other. However there is probably also flex of the towers left to right. If i had to guess, the Cusco design would probably be better for the later. Here's a video which provides a demonstration:

 

The effect of raising the left driver's side was clear, but the problem with the demonstration is that they did not repeat it with an uncut bar. Was it because this pivoting effect I am thinking about would still cause the arrow to rise the same amount as the one with the cut bar? A sound study always has a control and intervention. For this case the control would be what they showed with the cut bar, which is equivalent to a car with no brace installed. But there is actually no intervention demonstrated in the video, other than for the female driver's subjective claim of a vast improvement, which is really just an opinion.

Don't get me wrong, I do agree that a single solid brace with no pivots would probably help stiffen the chassis, but with two pivots in the design, any actual benefit is hard to accept.

this picture of a scale gives a better idea of what I am talking about.

 

@summit123 We are both on the same page with the design of the Cusco STB which is a very good and noticeable difference once the brace is installed.

Being in the early Honda scene (1990's) there were a couple of JDM companies that provided a one piece design for bracing such as Mugen and Carbing - which are still around. They were expensive back in the day but well worth the money spent which was due to R&D that was done to get the best results.

That's why I took the leap and purchased a TOMS STB for my Build

 

Where did you get this STB, and how much was it?

Was the install similar to the Cusco?

I put one in my '97 Civic many moons ago. If I remember correctly, it was also one solid unit.

 

The install was very similar to Cusco. Had to remove the wiper assembly for a direct one solid unit install without worrying about how much pre-tension that is needed for the Cusco and Tanabe - which are both good STB. The TOMS bar also gives enough room to access the fuse panel without performing a Whodini trick (Tanabe)

TOMS FRONT STRUT TOWER BAR TOYOTA PRIUS 2010-2015 + Plug-IN

 

That's a nice one piece bar and it uses all of the strut bolts. I just installed the Cusco stb and love the precise steering it has given my 2013 Prius. I have the TRD springs and rsb, 17" wheels and low profile tires, Cusco mid and front braces and now the Cusco stb. Each items continues to add to the stability and fun I never imagined was possible from a Prius!!! The under chassis braces do transfer road vibration to the cabin so keep ride comfort in mind. Personally I love the extra road feel transferred to my seat. Next install waiting to be bolted on is the Cusco rear brace. I don't really expect to feel much from this but for $114 I figured what the heck. The parts all all super light too. Who knew our high mileage cars could be so fun to drive. Anybody add an Ultra Racing rear strut bar or back seat floor bar?

 

Yep. Scroll down on this link.

2013 Persona Project.. | Page 2 | PriusChat