Chassis stiffening for 2011 Prius Five?

You will get a lot of different opinions on suspension mods but as you have read, the rear sway bar is the first one. TRD should meet your needs fine. Some dont like it due to attaching with end-links. Hotchkis makes one that mounts directly to the spring mount.

As far as the rest of the chassis goes, I would suggest looking at Cusco. For suspension, you will need to know how low you want to go. Coilovers, AirRide, Lowering springs. Depending on how many miles are on your shocks, you will also want to consider upgrading those since adding lowering springs to an already used up shock, wont help much.

But IMO, the rear sway bar is the best place to start.

 

It has to do with how hard you drive. The end-links tend to snap under REALLY hard cornering or hard articulation from a crappy steep driveway when super lowered. But for normal back road or mountain driving they are good. The direct mount will have more benefit since it directly ties everything together. Although, there is a dude on here that autocrosses his Prius with the TRD bar and has no complaints or issues so far. Posts some solid times against some fast cars too!

It sounds like the TRD one will be a good option for you. Easy to install as well. I have the TRD one and haven't had any issues and installed it in my driveway.

You could also consider the TRD springs. They are categorized as "lowering springs" but they really don't lower the Prius much but will help stabilize the ride while still having the OEM comfort. Your old shocks will be fine to use with these as well. Never hurts to replace them at the same time tho..

As for the under-body. There are a lot of guys that switched to the Lexus CT200H cover. I cant remember the post or the details.. Might be in the "what did you do to your prius today" thread.

Once you start modding, it never ends.. HAHA

 

I got the hotchkis sway bars.. no endlinks. decent pricing and you can get both front and rear. Finally installed my front one

Pixel 3a XL ?

 

Lots of places to buy from.. Ive picked up almost all my parts for HybridPit.

 

Yep all my Cusco parts came from the pit.

Pixel 3a XL ?

 

Chassis stiffening IMO is different than sway bars changes.
Braces to tie the shock towers and under carriage to reduce frame flex is chassis stiffening.

Yes, a rear sway bay can help reduce front end shock diving in a corner.
I could agree to start there if I understand the OP's question.

Oil change access panel.
Could be the OP recollection is the failures/ breaking off of that drain plug access door.
I'd leave the panel as it aids air flow under the car/ aerodynamics.
I recall many have installed metal hinges to that access door or just removed it.

Best of luck.

 

High speed shaking.... 80 mph, 110 mph or higher speed?
That implies to me wheel balance, maybe 4 wheel alignment.
Also note a V is susceptible to cross winds.
Also worth noting that maybe some bolt in the suspension or undercarriage is loose....get your torque wrench ready and inspect.

In this case, I'd first balance (or confirm) all four wheels.
Note: Find a shop with a Hunter Road Force balance which this tool is claimed to be the best tool to use.

Then, yes, I would start with the undercarriage cross brace.
I don't think the front shock tie bar brace will eliminate this issue....start with the center brace.
I really say to do all three braces as the first step after confirming wheel balance.

Then do your rear sway bar after the chassis ties are installed and tested.
The rear sway bar may give you the corner entrance feel you desire.
IMO the front & rear sway bars will not make a difference in a straight smooth line of travel.

I am unsure about the Lexis part question you are asking.

Good luck...fun project, yes!