BT Tech Stiffening plate

I received my BT Tech plate yesterday and had it installed today. I like it. I can DEFINITELY tell that the ride is improved.

First off, I have to say that this piece of hardware is a machine-age work of art. It is simply beautiful, and it is somewhat of a shame to have to install it under the car where no-one can appreciate its aesthetics. The toolwork and finishing on it is on-par with the workmanship of the Floyd-Rose tremelo bridges that are mounted on all three of my electric guitars. Yes, I am saying that this car part shows workmanship that is similar to that found on the bridgepiece for many fine musical insturments. If you own one of these plates, then you know this is not an overstatement When I held it in my hand the first time, and looked it over carefully, I came to the conclusion that $165.00 is definitely not an inflated price for what you are getting in a BT-Tech plate.

Looks are nice, but the ride impact is what is really important. Mine is installed on a Touring '07. It already had a decent suspension, but I found that the car has some noticeable "nice person-swing" in tight turns, and also, that it would rock slightly from side to side when being passed by large vehicles, and also when I entered and exited the car (I am a well-built 200 pound guy).

The first thing I observed after this plate was installed is that the car did not rock noticieably from side to side when I got into it. This was a major difference, and not some "placebo" effect. I then took it out for a spin on some nice curvy roads around UCSB, and found that the rear-end swing was pretty much gone. The car seems to now handle almost as well as the Audi A6 S-Line that it is replacing. And THAT car had great handling, and was probably at least a foot wider than the Prius.

I am happy to have the BT Plate installed on my Prius. I think it does provide noticeable handling improvements.

I had mine installed at Big Brand Tires in Goleta, California. I wanted them to do it, because they have a MUCH better torque wrench than I am willing to purchase (or can rent for that matter), and they put the car up on a lift to do this install and made sure all four bolts were a dead-accurate 17 foot/pounds of torque. Interestingly, when I first showed this plate to the manager of the tire shop, without even discussing what it was for, he said "wow, that is a really nice plate.....that should take out any chassis flexing you have". Interesting how a guy that had never seen a BT-Tech plate before, and hadn't been told what the purpose was immediately recognized it as a chassis stiffening plate, and knew what it would accomplish.

Some people on this board think a $165.00 part is an overpriced rip-off that they can live without, and furthermore that others are stupid to buy. I think of it this way: That $165.00 represents 0.5% of the price of the car, and it makes improvements to ride and handling that dramatically increase my enjoyment driving the vehicle. So it is sort of a no brainer IMHO.

 

Its also a cost you don't have to keep "repaying" like tires, suspension parts etc.

I noticed on a very recent commercial about the Highlander that Toyota now includes the terminology that states the suspension is "made for comfort".....

Possibly Toyota had heard the issues and now gives that as a form of a disclaimer to admit its not built for racing or very tight steering but for comfort instead...... interpreted as being "mushy".

Brian.... looks like you may have another market in the highlander!..

 

Welcome to the club, JG. Glad to see that you are happy with the plate! Have you considered getting any other braces? There's always room for more improvement in the handling department!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Presto @ Aug 18 2007, 10:26 PM) [snapback]498564[/snapback]</div>

What else is there? I am pretty happy with it as-is, but certainly interested in additional improvement to handling. I still have to admit that I feel a little silly going to great lengths to get incredible handling on a car with such a teeeeny tiny little (but very efficient) engine Beauty takes many forms though, and the incredible utility and efficiency of the Prius is what pulled me in.

 

^^^

There's 4 TOM's braces you can get. If you're content with your handling, don't worry about looking into them. I got one, and then ended up spending a lot of cash for the rest of them. I don't regret spending the money, though! The Prius isn't a racecar, but if you're into the curvy roads, it's not necessary to have a high powered engine. The HSD makes the most out of the electric/gas combo. Power is there when I need it, like climbing the uphill segments, or accelerating at the end of a turn. I agree that the efficiency and utility is a major high point. With the fuel consumption, I can drive 3 times as much as my previous car, and still be spending less on gas. Also, after the upgrades, the Prius handles far better than my last car (Nissan Spec V).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Presto @ Aug 18 2007, 11:14 PM) [snapback]498573[/snapback]</div>

What is the 4th brace? The floor stiffener? Did you have any fit problems with the exhaust (catalytic converter)? If the 4th brace was the floor stiffener, how did that help handling?

I would echo your comments on the effect of the Front (upper and lower) and Rear Braces - my Touring edition is a completely different car than before the braces went on. In my opinion, Toyota should offer a Sport package which would include the braces as an option for the car. It really is amazing what can be done for the car's handling with the addition of the front and rear braces.

 

I would like to take this oppotunity to thank you for your in-depth review and kind words about our BT Tech stiffening plate for the Prius.





<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JG in SB @ Aug 18 2007, 09:16 PM) [snapback]498489[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(apriusfan @ Aug 18 2007, 11:57 PM) [snapback]498579[/snapback]</div>

I have the floor brace, but I haven't installed it yet. I've been too lazy to source out a heat resistant wrap for the cat. My guess on the handling difference is that it's probably not going to be quite as obvious as the front and rear braces.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Presto @ Aug 19 2007, 03:49 PM) [snapback]498833[/snapback]</div>

If the experience in the MINI community is any kind of indicator, you will only see improvement at the absolute margin (autocrossing). Given the potential issues with the exhaust system, I chose to pass on the floor stiffener. I would definitely recommend the front (upper and lower) and rear braces however.

 

JG,

thanks for your review of the plate! As Presto pointed out, you can install as much or as little as you wish. I stopped with the plate on suspension parts, for now anyway. I also noticed an increase in implovement in handling with the BT Plate.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rangerdavid @ Aug 19 2007, 07:13 PM) [snapback]498872[/snapback]</div>

I think Tom has some good stuff.. but it all amounts to some pretty big bucks and hassle to install... I'm still waiting for Brians secret addition!

I think this will accomplish allot without near the expense and have much more ease of install... similiar to the existing BT Plate.

The anticipation builds! :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink: :blink:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(windstrings @ Aug 19 2007, 05:18 PM) [snapback]498874[/snapback]</div>

Well, the TOM'S Front (upper and lower) Braces are pretty close to plug-and-play. The rear brace is a bit of an install challenge until you accept the concept of the need to add spacers and longer bolts where the wide ends of the A-frame part attach to the chassis. Given the plug-and-play nature of the front braces, the rear brace is a bit of a let-down. Until you drive the car; then all is forgiven.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(windstrings @ Aug 19 2007, 05:18 PM) [snapback]498874[/snapback]</div>

Lets start speculating about the new development. My guess is some sort of front suspension bracing. An easy extension of the rear brace concept would be a lower suspension brace. It would also be possible to do an upper strut brace out of machined aluminum; it is just a question of cost.

Any other guesses? Maybe Brian will give the first production part to the person who guesses correctly? If I have guessed correctly, I would accept a discount (or even a free one) on the skid plate.

 

Someone is getting awful close to guessing!!!







<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(apriusfan @ Aug 19 2007, 11:59 PM) [snapback]498965[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BT Tech @ Aug 20 2007, 01:07 PM) [snapback]499329[/snapback]</div>

How much closer do I have to get? Also, do I get a discount on a skid plate if I guess correctly?

 

Hey Brian received my plate today - returned from holiday yesterday and a letter saying I had to pay a further $50 to cover duties and handling. So do I own the most expensive plate in the world now??
I will fit it later today and let you know the results.
Thanks for all your help with this purchase.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JG in SB @ Aug 18 2007, 06:16 PM) [snapback]498489[/snapback]</div>

My problem with this statement is this....you knew the plate was installed and therefore were expecting something to happen. That is what the placebo effect does.

What needs to happen is for someone to install it on a Prius without the driver knowing about it. Then we would see if the plate really does anything that is noticeable and worth the expense.

 

^^^

There are those of us that have enough experience with handling to notice an immediate difference. If it was someone that had no handling experience, they could just say they notice a difference, but they wouldn't be able to describe it properly. There was an earlier post in this thread where a blind test was done by the dealer. I believe the poster was The Annoying One. We are way past the "placebo effect" on the BT Plate now.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Presto @ Aug 19 2007, 03:49 PM) [snapback]498833[/snapback]</div>

You might want to proceed with caution on a heat-resistant wrap for the catalytic converter. Wrapping exhaust parts tends to concentrate the heat internally to the part (with a potential for premature failure of the wrapped part). Given that the Prius' ICE is not always on, it may not be as much of an issue as with traditional ICEs; but it could still be an issue. One alternative approach could be to attach the wrapping material to the floor brace. But setting aside the issue of possible heat problems, how are you planning on addressing the clearance problem?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(apriusfan @ Aug 22 2007, 09:20 AM) [snapback]500312[/snapback]</div>

Actually, I was thinking about wrapping the brace and not the cat for the reason that you stated. I'm not sure what you mean by clearance problem? I thought the main problem was the contact with the cat.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Presto @ Aug 22 2007, 09:24 AM) [snapback]500316[/snapback]</div>

If memory serves, there were a few posts about having to "dent" the converter to enable the floor strengthening plate to fit with the converter. The search terms that I have been using to try to find the thread are not yielding any results that are meaningful at the moment. If I find the thread, I will update this post.