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

I'll take some pictures of how to take the fuse box cover later this week.

 

Excellent DIY. How it should be done. Great job.

 

No Response from Tanabe, as of 3-14-13

 

By comparison, I'm very happy with the Cusco STB. Chose the Cusco because of the same minus points you made about the Tanabe. The (newer) Cusco is straight, avoids the tightening nuts, and every under-hood component's maintenance cover is readily accessible. I did have to Dremel one steel flange on the top of the driver's side strut, but in the end it was a minor adjustment. Those interested can search my installation thread named "successful Cusco install" with pix.

The Cusco's addition significantly improved the car's performance.

I realize you already paid for the Tanabe... Sincerely sorry.

 

How about some pics of the Cusco strut bar?

 

The pix are here: Successful Gen III PiP install of Cusco Strut Tower Brace (STB) | PriusChat

 

I agree with pre-loading the mounts to the outboard side before tightening everything down.
If the strut has left-hand and right-hand threads ( I think it does) and if the brace can be turned when installed,
you should leave the strut top nuts snug until you put a spreading load on the mounts , then torquing them down last thing. What is that torque spec?
This way there is no twisting action on the strut mount studs/nuts. They have a load just sitting there.
Note: I have one but have not installed it yet.

 

Interesting. I've tightened my Tanabe STB and pulled the towers together. Handling is fine with no understeer. I've seen many different ways to pre-load an STB, not sure if any really matter on this car.

 

Are the Tanabe strut bars and brace bars out for 2013 prius? I looked online and they only say to 2011. Anyone know?

 

Try the Cusco.

 

These threads do have some handy DIY info for installing these various stiffeners.

However,, for an opposing point of view,, nobody loves a cynic,, etc.
I posted this in some other thread and I'm repeating it just so save some people some money. Sorry.

Guys,
How about a reality check ?
I have been looking at threads where someone buys every last brace that Cusco has to offer.
And there is all this talk about "Feelings". Girl friends like it when you talk about that....

But how do you measure chassis stiffeners? The Cusco site has some info: they put ty-rap on a strut tube and showed a 6mm difference, they measure the upper strut brace bar deflecting 4 mm. WTH , over????

It looks to me like Cusco gets a car on a lift and spots every last threaded hole.
Then they make something,, knowing "people will buy it". Those long V's on their center brace,, if you left one loose, you could flex that arm easily.

Adding sway bars and wider sticky tires is a very measurable upgrade.

There needs to be a Myth Busters, Blind Test, A-B and A-B-C, etc. testing done for this expensive crapitycrap.
Kind of like the "behind the curtain" testing for DIY speaker builders, wine tasters, etc....

I'm just trying to save some people $$$ and be the 'Voice of Reason'.

So, at the next Get Together, someone sets up an autocross track, identical cars except for the crazy BLUE Gee Gaas.
Could anyone (The Stig?) tell which car has $$$$ of chassis stiffeners and which car has just springs, sway bars, tires, etc?????

Read more: http://priuschat.com/threads/cusco-center-power-brace-and-strut-brace.78961/page-3#ixzz2PEhN3CA2

 

I replaced old OEM mid brace with the new OEM brace (tubular, 4x more rigid) with big ZERO difference. Now, I was very skeptic to see any and sure enough. If one expects a difference one will FEEL a difference. It's all in the brain and placebo is powerful.

 

Yep, Placebo,, I didn't want to say it.

Only Blind A-B Testing would show if any of these "Feelings" are real.

Have you seen any Blind wine taste tests? They can't tell the $200 from the $9.

I'm just trying to save some people some money.....

 

Well, I have a real-world test in the Wash DC area. The new reconstructed curve on DC Southeast Freeway as it merges with DC 265 Southbound over the Anacostia Bridge - ditto for the northbound ramp from DC 295 onto the Southeast Freeway. Both are pretty tight turns marked as 30 MPH areas, with good new radius-banked pavement. With the mounting of the rear anti-sway bar, the two underbody braces and the STB, I can take (and do take) that curve at about 57 - 59 MPH routinely several times per week, when traffic spacing allows it. Before the two underbody braces and the sway went on, I was maxed out at about 46 - 48 MPH. The STB helped in lighter-effort, less wandering steering through that curve, but the main improvement came from the aftermarket center brace and the sway, working together. Going through that section now, I think the tires are the limiting factor rather than the car body itself.

That's a pretty real test for me.

 

Maybe. But it's not a blind test. Here is a blind test:

Prius plate

 

Thanks for the quote and link to the report, this forum is sadly short of objective evaluations of various add on miracle bits and pieces.

 

And just to clarify, I'm not questioning Anti-Sway Bars, lowering springs, wide sticky tires.
I'm only questioning all "Chassis Stiffeners" that are for sale. And people buy..... unquestioningly.....

And to clarify, you can't "blind test yourself".

 

I agree that this is a very subjective topic. Some people feel it, others don't. Some people think it is worth it, others don't. To each their own.

That said, you are right that quantitative testing would be great. Beyond the blind testing that you talk about (with a large enough sample), you could measure the rigidity of the chassis (or lack thereof) without and with the different braces. If you have the time, here are some thought starters on how you might go about it:

XV Motorsports - XV Engineering - Suspension Engineering - Torsional Rigidity Testing


Project S2000, Stiffening the Chassis


Measuring chassis stiffness - PistonHeads

Torsional Rigidity - PistonHeads

 

Not sure if this link is a Cusco sponsered add for their strut bar, but I decided to type into google "do strut bars really work" and this popped up. And I'm not biased either way, just more curious than anything.
[ PR ] CUSCO