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BT Tech Skid Plate availbe for pre-order

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by BT Tech, Dec 27, 2007.

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  1. BT Tech

    BT Tech New Member

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    BT Tech Skid Plate available for pre-order

    Hello everyone... Danny & Nichole should have our newest product, the BT Tech skid plate on the on-line store shortly. I have installed our production version and all of the changes and improvements have been implemented. The two large access holes will each have an alluminum cover that is also powder-coated and will attach with 4 bolts for each access cover. This product is NOW availabe for Pre-Order. We have only manufactured 12 plates at this time to judge how well this product is received. We should be ready to ship these out to the customers that place their order first within the next 10-14 days. Pricing information will be available on the Prius Chat store just as soon as they get this product up there and posted.


    The purpose for this product was to protect the exposed engine/transaxle/generator components on the underside of the vehicle. Normally, most cars have such components protected by either a shield or a cross member that acts as a shield. On the Prius, there is no such protection and quite a few Prius owners have had to pay out thousands of dollars due to debris hitting and damaging vital engine components. Our BT Tech Prius Skid plate was designed for this reason and protects these components and prevents costly damage from occurring.

    A secondary benefit of our skid plate is that is smoothes the airflow on the underside of the chassis which will aid in high speed stability.

    This product consists of aircraft grade aluminum that has been laser cut and CNC Machined for an exact fit and finish and for easy assembly. All aluminum surfaces of our skid plate are coated with a black powder coated finish for superior durability. A complete set of instructions and hardware is included with each kit. This product along with all of BT Tech’s products are designed and manufactured in the United States of America.

    As soon as this item is added to the Prius On-line store, I will add the link here.

    [​IMG]
     
    #1 BT Tech, Dec 27, 2007
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    You can put me down as a pre-order...tentatively since you haven't given a price yet.

    It really does look nice though Brian.
     
    #2 efusco, Dec 27, 2007
  3. Doc Willie

    Doc Willie Shuttlecraft Commander

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    Put me down, too. I have already belly-hung my Prius this winter, and worry about damaging something down there.

    Mr. Scott, activate forward shields !!
     
    #3 Doc Willie, Dec 27, 2007
  4. BT Tech

    BT Tech New Member

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    Thanks Guys!! I will keep tabs on this thread and relay the info to Danny. Now that my skid plate is installed I feel a lot better about driving over rocky surfaces and when things get "kicked up" on the highway and I hear that dreaded "thump" under the front of the car. I now don't worry anywhere near as much!! Kind of like driving an armor plated vehicle!! :) :)
     
    #4 BT Tech, Dec 27, 2007
  5. apriusfan

    apriusfan New Member

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    Another tentative one based on price and clearance/no interference with the TOM'S Front Lower Suspension Brace. I owe you some photos of the TOM'S Front Lower Suspension Brace; it will be next week after New Year's when I can get the photos to you.

    The finished skid plate really looks nice.
     
    #5 apriusfan, Dec 28, 2007
  6. Dan-Wolfe

    Dan-Wolfe Member

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    Contingent on price, and of course, permission from the Chief of Staff, i.e. the missus, I'm in.

    Dan
     
    #6 Dan-Wolfe, Dec 28, 2007
  7. Presto

    Presto Has his homepage set to PC

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    Ditto.
     
    #7 Presto, Dec 28, 2007
  8. philmcneal

    philmcneal Taxi!

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    alll right now just the top BT front brace bar and we are somewhere ;) then its time to combo it up!

    i wonder if the shield has any areodynamic gains
     
    #8 philmcneal, Dec 28, 2007
  9. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    I'm wondering if there's some sort of spray-on or glue-on combination sound dampener and insulator that could be put on the inside of the plate? Might help keep a little more heat in the engine compartment in cooler weather and maybe, just maybe, reduce road noise a bit?
     
    #9 efusco, Dec 28, 2007
  10. apriusfan

    apriusfan New Member

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    I was wondering if the shield might keep some residual heat in the engine compartment. If so, that would help with mpgs in the winter. Maybe another cost-benefit consideration (apart from protection of the underside bits).
     
    #10 apriusfan, Dec 28, 2007
  11. apriusfan

    apriusfan New Member

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    There are some heat shield materials (one that I am thinking of has adhesive on one side) that could be applied to the plate that should do the trick. Heat shielding would act to reflect the heat back into the engine compartment. How seriously are you wanting to pursue this idea? I don't have the temperature challenges that you have, but I could refer you to some heat shield products.
     
    #11 apriusfan, Dec 28, 2007
  12. plsinger

    plsinger Junior Member

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    Based on pricing...Count Me In !!!
    Very happy with BT Stiffening plate...look forward to this mod.
     
    #12 plsinger, Dec 28, 2007
  13. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    I'm also interested, contingent on price.

    Is this something I can install myself? I.E how hard is it for a zaftig, middle aged woman who installed her own BT plate?
     
    #13 Godiva, Dec 28, 2007
  14. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    very interested...send me a URL.
     
    #14 efusco, Dec 28, 2007
  15. Bebopp

    Bebopp New Member

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    Re: BT Tech Skid Plate available for pre-order



    While everyone understands your profit motive, you really need to refrain from making outlandish claims such as this. There isn't any recorded complaint/reports on Prius owners paying "thousands of dollars" due to engine debris damage in the undercarriage. If you have those "quite a few" reports, please post them.



    Again, a baseless claim. Do you have any quantitative data? Any wind tunnel results?

    You don't have to make exaggerated claims and fearmongering to sell your kit, just say that it looks good and it may or may not have benefits - there are enough people here in this particular website with more money than sense to ensure you have a customer base.
     
    #15 Bebopp, Dec 29, 2007
  16. BT Tech

    BT Tech New Member

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    Re: BT Tech Skid Plate available for pre-order

    My statements are NOT outlandish claims. In fact, a good friend of mine in Orlando ran over some road debris on I-4 that caused sigificant damage to the transfer case. I know that he is not alone in this and I am sure as time goes on, you will hear more instances of this happening.

    Profit was NOT my motive in coming out with this part. In fact, our profit margin is very low and I have thought many times about scrubbing the entire project. The fact is is that I own a Prius and wanted to contribute something to our community.

    What have you contributed here as I can see you have a whole 11 posts to your name?




     
    #16 BT Tech, Dec 29, 2007
  17. BT Tech

    BT Tech New Member

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    Please keep in mind that the material used for our Skid Plate is already aluminum so I don't know how effective any other material would be regarding retaining the heat in that area.



     
    #17 BT Tech, Dec 29, 2007
  18. philmcneal

    philmcneal Taxi!

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    can i buy the skid plate and get the discount for the other two later?
     
    #18 philmcneal, Dec 29, 2007
  19. apriusfan

    apriusfan New Member

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    It will be on Sunday. I am on travel and don't have my mac with me. When I return home, I will send you a PM with the URL.
     
    #19 apriusfan, Dec 29, 2007
  20. apriusfan

    apriusfan New Member

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    The concept is reverse reflection. I have a link to some heat shielding that was used to protect the intercooler on my MINI (which is aluminum) from absorbing heat from the engine. After the shielding was applied, the IAT was 10-15 degrees cooler than before, which allowed me to run more aggressive timing on the crappy CA gas (max of 91 octane at the pump). I think that the same approach could be used with the BT Tech Skid Plate - the heat shield material could reflect heat back into the engine compartment.
     
    #20 apriusfan, Dec 29, 2007
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