BT Tech Strut Tower Brace install pictures and Text

My BT Tech Strut Tower Brace arrived this past Friday just moments after I got home. After all the compliments of how nicely finished their bars were, I was a bit disappointed with mine, as it was pretty marked up. Of course, it's under the hood, so looks aren't important.

The install went well, but for having to spend 20 minutes fishing out a dropped washer. Even from the small amount of driving so far, I have to say the handling is much improved. Feels a lot stiffer. The only thing left will be new tires later on.

Here' comes the question. The bar appears to have plenty of clearance. Yet, it rests very closely over the back of the brake fluid reservoir, and near enough to the coolant cap, though it can be completely loosened, it cannot be removed. I tried flipping the bar, but went to zero clearance. Shouldn't I be able to remove the cap?

Thanks!

 

Yes, you should be able to remove all caps.

Here are pictures of mine installed (btw, isn't the reservoir in question the one that holds the inverter coolant?):



I have approximately 7/8" clearance between the bar and the [inverter] coolant cap:



With the 7/8" clearance and the curve and location of the strut bar a little behind the cap, I am able to tilt the cap enough to clear the reservoir opening:



Cap removed:




I would PM and/or call Brian of BT Tech.

 

Thank you, Tom! After seeing your pictures I would say that my bar sits further forward, directly over the top of the reservoir cap. I'll get a message in about it.
Thanks again!

 

I have several mods I will be getting completed soon & this info makes me anxious. I've slowly added a few mods as I've gone & soon to add the strut tower brace, chassis stiffening plate, block heater & EV switch. I also have the rear bumper guard & side molding to install. I'll be adding the suspension items at the same time, so it will be interesting to see if I notice much/any difference.

I have the parts or in transit as we speak. Hurry, hurry, hurry!! Please.....

 

Today, I finally got in a long drive. I love THE BAR! It makes amazing improvement to the handling. It's just so solid feeling now. Driving home today it was very windy. There was no drama for once. Sure there was some pushing from the crosswinds, but, it just wasn't as big a deal as before. Lanes could be changed quickly, and with confidence. I wasn't over-correcting the steering anymore, either. I think the Prius could actually go through a slolam course now! LOL

I'll say it again...I love THE BAR!

Thank you BT Tech!

 

BT make us a big stiff front replacement SWAY bar.
Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

Now that sounds like a manly drink!... Brian is the bartender!

 

I didn't say anything about being nervous, I'm just looking forward to getting some changes completed. I am going with the Sigma Automotive EV switch that mounts in the factory space. I just curious how much the mods will change/improve ride, handling, etc. See, out here in the middle of nowhere, we look forward to things like this. Ha. I've spent some $ & now we'll see if it was worth it.

 

Good morning all. I FINALLY got around to attempting to install the replacement tower strut brace that Brian sent me many many moons ago. Sorry for the delay but it has been cold here and I have been in and out of the country on business.

Unfortunately it appears that North Carolina does not hold the same magical properties as Florida. When I unboxed the new tower strut brace from BT it had 2 Driver's Side Strut Brackets and no Passenger Side Strut bracket. I'm not exactly sure how Brian "installed your brace to test fitment" as he stated above.

Anyway, for those keeping score this is the 3rd BT Tower Strut Brace that I have attempted to install in my 2006 Prius. Every one of them has installed properly before this one but NONE have had enough clearance over the inverter coolant cap to allow it to be removed once the brace is installed.

It is hard to beleive that BT has had this many "quality" issues but it is just has hard to believe that my Prius is so "out of spec" from Toyota that the brace won't fit? Pretty much at a loss on this one. I PMed Brian yesterday to give him an update and tell him I would be returning the brace and was willing to try one more time with a 4th brace. I will post again after #4 arrives and let you know if it fit or not.

One thing I can STRONGLY advise against is trying to "modify" the brace or brackets to get them to fit. We tried to bend both the bar and the brackets at different times, add a little height to the brackets by welding on a washer, "tweak" the angles a little, etc... etc... and nothing worked. Trying to get the angles correct after making even minor adjustments was a nightmare. We probably could have gotten the tower strut brace to fit but it might have caused some undue stress on the strut bolts that the brackets are mounted to if we "forced" it so we didn't. Even if we could have made the brackets and bar fit it may not have fixed the cap clearance issue.

Anyway, that's my update on #3. I will post again when I receive and attempt to install #4. Wish me luck .

Happy driving,
Chris

 

Anybody know if these are on "Back Order" again? Or has BT ran into another bend/fitment issue with the bar?

I returned the bar that was supplied with the 2 driver's side strut brackets a couple of weeks ago to BT (signed for by them on 4/8/09) but still haven't received the replacement.

I have sent Brian 3 PM's and an email on the subject and haven't heard back from them. I guess will have to call when I get the chance. In the interim I was wondering if anybody knew anything else?

Happy driving (I miss the brace, LOL),
Chris

 

Oh man! I hope I didn't find out about this too late! I just ordered my strut bar and hope it arrives soon! As my username suggests, I am an avid autocrosser. My autocross car is a 1972 240Z that has been heavily modified, but I am going to take the Prius to an autocross because I want to know what it will do at the limits of its handling abilities in a safe environment. That and I am still finishing up some mods to the 240Z. It would be great to get this part so I can report how it does on an autocross track.

 

Evan, autocross72,

This is a great idea.

I'm thinking it would be possible to install the brace first, even before
leaving home. The time consuming part is taking out/replacing the
windshield wiper motor/linkage and the other bits. As per normal, bolt
the mounts to the shock towers and the brace to the mounts. Get
everything good and tight to the proper torque settings. Put the bits
and wiper assembly back on.

And then remove the cross bar, the actual brace. It's just two bolts.

At the track, have at it in what is essentially stock condition. Then just
bolt the brace itself back on in a few minutes. Now the real test...

In this way, car condition between runs should be virtually the same;
same coolant, catalyst, and tranny temps, Ditto for the tire and shock
oil temps.

I guess it would be too much to ask for with/without runs with the
chassis brace too. :behindsofa:

 

If/when I get my front brace, I will definitely test it with and without the brace. Since there are only about 10 minutes between each run, I will definitely install the mounts first, so it is just the two bolts on the bar I have to deal with. I will keep an open mind during the testing, but my suspicion is that the stock tires won't provide enough grip to distort the chassis noticeably. In my experience, chassis stiffening becomes much more noticeable when you start using stickier tires.

I would be happy to try out the rear brace, if someone is willing to let me borrow theirs. I don't have one and to be perfectly honest with you I don't see how the aftermarket one can be noticeably better than the stock brace (perhaps I am misunderstanding its purpose).

I just picked up my Matrix 24mm TRD rear sway bar today, so that will be going on tonight! After taking a few S curves at a spirited speed (maintaining momentum is good for mpg), I think the biggest need for suspension improvement in these cars is the need for a larger rear sway bar. My first autocross car was a FWD Chevy Beretta and we had to replace the rear axle with one from a Grand Am to get a 26mm internal bar that was similar to design as the Prius's but welded in, a 1 inch external sway bar, and 750 lb coil helper springs that fit over the rear shocks! I upgraded the front bar from something like 28 mm to 34 mm as well. The car amazed everyone who rode in it and after every autocross people would look at the engine and ask in amazement, "what did you do to this thing?" I proudly replied, "Nothing to that." It handled very nuetrally and was safe for the street. It was my wife's daily driver.

Someone PLEASE make a better bar for the front of a Prius! Just because it gets 50mpg doesn't mean it has to be boring to drive!

Pete

 

I just got back from my test drive after installing the 24mm TRD rear sway bar for the Matrix. It took me exactly 25 minutes to install (try installing a competition front spring on a 1972 Opel GT!!!). It was honestly one of the easiest modifications I have ever done and now it is a whole new car! It corners much flatter and is more responsive. The front is still the first to break away, so it is still safe to drive on the streets with out having to worry about spinning.

Now if I could find a front sway bar, it would really complete the package.

 

I ordered the BT brace back in early July and only today received it. I have a few comments, though since I had issues with my install.

I was told it came with instructions, but none were to be found in the box, fortunately there were the instructions here. My only complaint is that they did not mention the tabs on the plastic panel that has to be removed. I managed to bend some of the tabs in the process and hope that the glue will hold the tabs together but I'm not terribly hopeful.

The sticker that said "top" was in fact the bottom. It was damned near impossible to reassemble the car (especially the relay box) and it was not possible to remove the cap to the coolant reservoir. After reading that I was not alone, I disassembled everything and flipped it over where it fit a lot better.

I have not yet driven the car and will try it out tomorrow since I'm letting the glue dry overnight before I finish buttoning it up.

 

Hi Aaron,

Sorry about the instruction and installation issues, but I'm glad that you were able to figure it out.

Although I'm not surprised that you did not discover them (and I definitely am not saying that you should have), but fyi the tabs/plastic cowl/panel issues were described in efusco's installation comments above, and I included them in the Microsoft Word version of GadgetDad's instructions and photos that I attached above.

I think you're going to enjoy the strut tower brace. Turn-in lean (and I think body roll) is significantly reduced, the car is more stable at highway speeds, and the front of the car is more solid, stable and comfortable over bumps. I think the brace turns a below average handling car into a fun car to drive.

Good luck.

 

Yikes! Thanks an awefully long wait...2 months! Did you ever get an explanation as to why it took so long? I placed an order about 3 weeks ago, and have only received a "we'll look into that for ya." I was hoping to install the tower brace and stiffening plate during a month off between school - but it looks like I'll be installing it after classes get under way. Thanks too for the comments on instructions; if it's any consolation, I will learn from your mistakes

 

Brian "the maker of the BT plate" recently passed away in a motorcycle accident.. I imagine they are having to readjust to keep the product flowing.