Chassis Brace is a Prius MUST HAVE!

Can I know what kind of front and rear sway bar you installed in your car? Is it a Tanabe Sustec Front Under brace? What about front strut tower bar? Do you recommend it? I need something to improve handing/stability on the freeway. My Prius would sway left and right... Yup, need something to keep it stable

 

I forget that if you are viewing this thread from a mobile device you can't see my signature. But this is what I have currently. 24mm Progress Rear Sway Bar ( highly recommend ), 2008 Toyota Matrix 24mm front sway bar ( one of the best upgrades), Urethane front sway bar bushings ( highly recommend ), Ground Control Coil-Over Sleeves 8.2kg Front/ 6.7kg Rear Spring rate ( probably the 2nd best upgrade), KYB OEM replacement struts and Bilstein B8 Sport rear struts ( highly recommend the B8s but require different than oem springs and perch), Tanabe Sustec Front Under brace ( noticed it helped a bit), eBay Front Strut tower brace ( it helped a lil bit.) and lastly BT plate ( did help a lil bit...but not that much.)

 

Thank for your helpful tip!!! Im viewing on the computer and see your sig... Nice Prius btw haha One more thing... Does 24mm Progress Rear Sway Bar and 2008 Toyota Matrix 24mm front sway bar fit fine in a Prius or you have to mod to fit in a Prius? Also you can sent me a links to those which I can correctly purchase online? Again thank you!

 

Progress 24mm Rear sway bar
Progress Technology Anti Sway Bar Rear Toyota Matrix Corolla 03 08 24mm | eBay

OEM 24mm Corolla/Matrix/Vibe front sway bar
03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 Toyota Corolla Stabilizer Bar Front Japan Built | eBay

Tanabe front strut bar
Tanabe Sustec Strut Tower Bar Front 05 09 Toyota Prius | eBay

Tanabe front under brace bar
Tanabe TUB151F Front Under Brace 2005 2009 Toyota Prius | eBay

Company called Carbing sells quite a bit of stuff for the NHW20 Gen2 Prius - just haven't found a distributor state side.

Carbing front sway bar
NHW20 Strut Tower BAR/steel/Front/TypeI

Carbing lower arm brace
TOYOTA PRIUS NHW20 Lower Arm Bar Front TypeI

Carbing Mid frame brace
FRAME BRACE Center - TOYOTA PRIUS NHW20

Carbing floor brace ( I want one of these! )
Prius NHW20 Floor Brace

Carbing rear frame brace
FRAME BRACE REAR - TOYOTA PRIUS NHW20

 

that is some very cool stuff from carbing. never heard of em before, but I sure wish they'd get on amazon. maybe they sell on Alibaba (Chinese amazon)

 

Awesome thank you so much! I will definitely purchase the first two parts you listed for me.... Just need a confirmation.. Do they fit fine in a Prius? I wont install myself as my mechanic will do it for me. That's all I need to know before ordering!

 

Oh wow, this is about 1000$ investment overall. I don't think I will ever do this investment on my 2004 93k second gen, just to not feel that nice boat effect when I change lanes, take a curve or highway wind wobbly... But I get it. Other people like their ride sportier.
Thanks for links.

 

I hope this thread is still, kinda alive. I liked reading the recommendations which I could relate too. Broken city roads make the car flex and "squish". It's easily provoked to creak when rocking or if a person or cargo gets into it. Buffeting is a noticeable thing and I thought it was incurable given the Prius' flat sides. With the latter, the anticipation when overtaking lorries and coaches makes things tense. After looking underneath mine, the OEM brace doesn't look too nice.

Anyway, how are these braces holding up over time? Are any getting loose or other things, and why (tightness, sealant)? I'm often going all sort of roads with big undulating dips in the roads and roundabouts often with 2 or more passengers. The TC or VSC constantly interrupts when accelerating through any corner, I was surprised to read that this helps with it. Just thought this would be a good idea to at least preserve some rigidity.

 

definitely try some better tires if your activating the TC all the time. if you don't want to buy better wheels, a good set of 205/60R15's will help a lot. the oem tires here were GY integritys; some of the worst tires ever.

the braces and sway bars work, and if properly torqued, they never come loose or weaken or cause any problems even after several years of driving on lousy roads.

 

Except maybe the ground clearance reduction caused by the chassis brace. Reduction in ground clearance is very small so it’s unlikely to hit. But brace is in a bad spot and because it’s a brace it’s strong so if it hits something results are bad.

 

A new set does sound like the most straight forward option, but I'd be more inclined to stiffen the chassis. On some roads it feels like its whole weight sloshes to the side and gives an extra push against me after the initial turn. But in honesty I wouldn't know anything about tires, or if those specific ones are sold here (I hear a lot of thwack about the quality of US rubber). On 3 corners I presume the stock rubber is still equipped, since dealerships just slap on the specified part number. But hell, in my case, the front right tire is different and has far more contact and less thread design that the other 3 - yet still pulls to the left...

In an independent shop in around the Dublin area, a cheap (and inefficient) 16" tire would cost €75, and given the trips I do I would rather opt for the more durable efficient designs when the time comes. I'm not going to sink anything into changing the rubber until the current ones are illegally bald - like how I buy my shoes.

 

Prius Gen 2 2004-09 Diamond Tread Plate Mid-Chassis stiffening BRACE *Rude person's* | eBay

LOL! it is good to see PriusChat does not hold a grudge!

 

Just curious if the Tanabe sustec upper tower brace helped at all or the mid chassis box beam? I did the other stuff, and that's all that's left but if it's a waste of money I'd rather not purchase them. The front sway bar and the rear under strut bar helped a lot.

 

the shock tower brace does help, not as much as the sway bars, but I think it did tighten the car up a little.