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

I am very happy with my purchase and installation, although I did not get the best price.

I was assured that I would get the latest version knowing that it was due to clear Customs and arrive at the CUSCO shortly after Thanksgiving.

If I got the earlier version as DadofHedgehog had received, I would not have been able to install it the way I did without removing all of those cowl and wiper components and modifying the black painted steel bracket on the driver's side.

Some things are "worth it," when you have to pay a little more.

If the vendor that you noted "has it in stock," there would be no way to verify that they have the latest version.

If I were to have gotten the earlier version and started the install in the way I did, I would have had to divert to the complete "tear down" of the wiper and cowls. In is NOT that I am not able to do that, since I have rebuilt many engines and automatic transmissions. I avoided the Tanabe for the sole reason that many posters have commented on regarding to accessibility to service the fuse box and fluid reservoirs.

CUSCO products, from what I have seen, appear to consider the entire experience of the user, where the Tanabe offerings, although less expensive, leaves something to be missing, when it comes to longevity and service accessibility.

In some cases, my time and experience with the install is worth more than a few bucks saved.

 

Thanks Mike and NoMoreNow for your help.

Mike, How long did it take you to get your STB delivered from date of order? I have placed my order on Thursday, debating if I should cancel if it's going to take over a month. But I do want the updated version.

 

It took about 6 days, before they shipped it. Since I'm on the East Coast, it took another week for it to get to me by UPS Ground. I ordered it before Thanksgiving and got it 10 days later.

I went out today and improved the bolts that hold the bar to the brackets

The ones supplied are cheap 8.8 grade socket headed caps screws in coarse M10x1.5 thread that you'd NEVER see as OEM on any Toyota. They use two flat, one split lock washer and some really cheesy acorn nuts with 17mm hexes. You can't get a box wrench and can hardly get an open end wrench in the area where the nuts need to go.

I got the correct length J.I.S. (Japan Industrial Standard) flange bolts with the 14mm small heads on them and the locking flange nuts, also with 14mm hex flats. Toyota uses 8.8 grade for the chassis parts. I got superior 10.9 grade bolts and nuts.

The hex socket driver takes too much room to conveniently remove with a ratchet. The 14mm socket with a 3/8 inch ratchet makes the bar a breeze to remove and replace.

It's an inexpensive upgrade.

 

They're coming...I had to purchase a sizeable number of bolts and nuts and will offer them for sale to others for a very good price to recoup my cost, but unfortunately, NOT HERE.

 

Here are a few...more to come...

 

so you basically swapped the hardware included with the cusco bar for these you picked up?

where do i sign up?! lol

 

It's not as easy as you think.

You can't just go to Home Depot, Lowe's or your local hardware store and just pick up these specialty fasteners.

Grainger, Fastenal or MSC don't stock them and probably can't get them.

I am in a concentrated automobile engineering and manufacturing area. BMW AG USA, Michelin Tire and ZF Transmissions, Freidrichshafen GmbH are here.

I was lucky enough to find a local automobile "prototype" supplier who had a New Old Stock package on the shelf of the correct fastener. The guy said that it had been gathering dust on the shelf for closed to 10 years. And, he refused to sell just the couple that I needed. I had to but the whole package.

I particularly like the 14mm hex head flange bolts and nuts, because a 14mm wrench is widely used on most all Japanese cars. 17mm hex heads that CUSCO supplies, while common in European cars, is seldom used in Japanese and Korean manufactured ones. Also, I see minimal use of 8mm hex sockets on them.

I'm looking to source more of these fasteners.

CUSCO evidently, for whatever reason that is unknown to me, probably had cost and availability problems for the 10.9 J.I.S. bolts in the OEM M10x1.25 thread in the long length necessary or the quantity of minimum purchase required was too cost prohibitive. They evidently chose hardware store quality and type fasteners.

For over 40 years, after the engineers and built their technicians built their prototypes, I was consulted on service and industrial assembly techniques on many types of aircraft and spacecraft systems.

I bought the CUSCO brace based on the extensive research of the experience of many PriusChat users. I studied their install, use and service issues, and then proceeded on my own.

I was able to determine and executed the install without removal of many installed car parts issue and uncovered the poorly selection of fasteners used in holding the crossbar to the bracket.

So, it will be a while before I will be offering the bolts and nuts for sale. Also, I am considered a commercial entity by the moderators and am not allowed to offer anything for sale, unless I listed them on the PriusChat Store.

So, if I offer them at all, I will have to offer them elsewhere.

I have discovered that the particular crossbar is widely used and sold by CUSCO for many car models. Unfortunately, all of them use the same less than optimal bolts, washers, split lock washers and acorn nuts.

 

From an "engineering standpoint", maybe there is a reason why lower grade fasteners were specified, other than cost.

In an accident or impact situation, a lower grade/strength fastener might shear or break. A high strength fastener might not, or failure would occur at much higher forces.

I can imagine that the front of the car, in a side impact scenario wouldn't have the intended "crush zone" or impact deformation properties as an unbraced vehicle. Without deformation to absorb the impact energy, more kinetic energy would have to be transferred to the occupant(s) of the vehicle. Sometimes over engineering for the sake of more is better, isn't always better.

 

Don't think so. The bar will bend if retained and is better for safety than it would be, if it is broken off. If broken off, then end might impale a passenger of the driver.

If you recall, the Prius"v" failed the IIHS 'small overlap" crash test, because the wheel broke off and was not retained by the strut top stud and the lower control arm.

 

I'm sure Cusco and Tanabe, etc don't purchase the vehicles they design these aftermarket add-ons for and crash test them for every possible scenario.

So the easiest out for them would be a disclaimer, such as buyer assumes all risk for installation of this product. Anything like that in your documentation?

Sorry, it wasn't my intention to sidetrack your thread.

Carry on.

 

Your opinion is very valued and considered.

Yeah, there is a disclaimer that the strut bar is not designed for sale outside of Japan.

I've studied the reports and recommendation made by the Federal Highway Administration and the AAHTO.

Sign Supports - FHWA Safety Program

Low objects like mailboxes should be retained, while high signs need breakaway supports.

 

I can say now that I was gladly WRONG about dismissing the benefit of the front strut tower bar.

Maybe it was the involved task involved in the prescribed install method or the wrong pre-analysis I perceived from the comments that others have made on the BMW interest bulletin board.

Using my box beam mid brace and my improved version of the Tanabe front brace, I got great incremental improvements on the ride and handling of my Prius"v."

The CUSCO strut tower brace, Model 951-540-ALHD, using my no removal installation method and upgraded connector bolts and nuts have been refined to the point that I wanted.

After 5 days of driving over all sorts of roads, I can only say that I have noticed that the chassis is much more taut and responsive than ever.

Over the years, I have learned that my most important lessons come from mistakes, NOT early successes. From my early mistaken views, I have become truly successful with the CUSCO strut tower bar project.


My mistake was believing that the bar was influenced by the pivots of the top shock mounts (or more appropriately, air hydraulic spring dampeners).

From the install, I discovered that the strut bar reinforced the structure of the tower frames and actually closed the last leg of an open rectangular box. It's like a rectangular box with top and front sides. The towers are the flopping right and left sides of the box. The strut bar connects the two unsupported corners of the box.

The best example is like the shower curtain rod across a fiberglass shower enclosure. However, the shower curtain rod is not structural.

I hope this explanation helps others who are considering this install. I am happily surprised that I was WRONG and now convinced.

 

Did you get the new improved one, that requires no modding?

 

Mine no mods needed to install, and pretty easy to install....

 

Did you install yours without removing the wipers, arms, motor, the plastic and metal cowl pans, too?

 

Can I see the ends of the bar in a Pic?

Thx.

EDIT: removed incorrect link, I don't want to confuse people.

 

RRG,

You want the 951-540-ALHD, not the 541-540-A. The "ALHD" is for a left hand drive car. The "A" is for a right hand drive car.

Unless the last four letters are "ALHD," you will get the wrong bar.

You can also read the "Rude person's" review;

2012-2013 Prius V Strut Tower Bar - Toyota Prius V Strut Brace - Improve Prius V Handling

 

Got it, thanks. ALHD.

Is Juicedhybrid the only site with the correct new version product code at $215.00?

It's freezing now so I can wait a few months before it's warm enough outside.
(yea, no usable garage)

The easy install did sway me to get it now. Great job and Thanks Rude person's.