stiffening plate for $53!

I thought to check that when I put mine on, and the washers don't fit the holes. So, it seems it wasn't made for them to be reused. Once tightened, the bolts fit flush. I've got a little over a week and about 400 miles since I installed, and all is well. I don't think we have anything to worry about.

 

Dale, good stuff..Thx for the info. Yeah, mine are flush and nice and tight. For $50 it seems pretty decent...actually it looks like the BT Tech unit...except someone got it off the back of their truck or something!

 

What's the torque spec for the hex screws used on this G7 plate?

 

Not sure...I think the BT Tech plate which is pretty much the exact same thing indicated 17 I believe. I just tightened them until secure, but didn't overdo it. I then went for a drive to make sure all was good and there was nothing rattling around.

 

Yea, like the BT plate....guess 17 ft-lb can be used on this similar G7 too.

 

I bought the original BT plate when it first became available (back in early 05??). Can't remember. Anyway, I think the one on eBay is merely a copy of the BT plate at 1/3 the cost. IMHO the BT plate is great but overpriced.

 

These stiffening plates are a panacea! You can't bolt on a piece of aluminum and transform an engineered platform's handling! Don't waste your money on either. I did. It didn't do anything!

 

The placebo effect is just hard to resist.
Just do/buy whatever which makes you feel good about your Prius....

 

Normally, I'd agree with you on something like that. I am not a technical person, but one thing is certain and that plate definitely works. I always take a roundabout going to work and always noticed how the Prius leaned. Well after I installed the plate the lean was MUCH less and it cornered flatter. I definitely think it works. Is it overpriced? Yes. However, I could never imagine going back to that original OEM skimpy plate.

 

Same here. My wife noticed this as well when she drove it.

mamayer has some credibility issues anyway, this is what he said about the BT plate before:

About the plate in this thread, I would have ethical issues with ordering unauthorized copies of someone else's design.

 

I feel the same way in this particular case because Brian of BT Tech, the inventor of the beefed up stiffening plate and recently, tragically deceased, seemed to be the most decent of people.

I felt the same way about buying non-Polartec brand synthetic fleece products because Malden Mills, the inventor of synthetic fleece, was at one time the most decent and humane of companies (see, e.g., The Mensch Of Malden Mills - CBS News).

If there were measures that Brian and Malden Mills could have taken to protect their legal rights to their creations, I wish Brian and Malden Mills would have taken them.

 

OEM tire size for my 2006 Prius is 185/65/15. Going with the Goodyear TripleTreds 195/60/15 will be OK if mounted on the OEM alloy wheels?