Has anyone installed the BT Brace on the 2006?

Just put one on my '06

Got home early yesterday and checked the tracking on my BT brace.
It was listed as out for delivery.

I checked my watch and gave a little smirk.
Our UPS guy moves like clockwork…

I went to my garage and started taking off the stock plate.

I was literally removing the last stock bolt as the big brown truck rumbled to a stop at the end of my driveway.

Signed for the BT plate and installed in no time at all.

Just got down on the garage floor and reached under the car, 15 minutes max. from start to finish.

Oh my, what a difference!

I have a lot of twisty back roads I have to take to go to work and once on the main highway it is like Death Race 2000. It is a main trucking corridor and I was so tired of being buffeted aside by the big rigs.

It is now a true pleasure to drive the twisty roads and the buffeting has been dramaticly reduced.

Love it!

Black 06 package #7

 

Do you remember what size bolts the stock plate has? It would save this old body some time.. Thanks

 

To remove the stock brace you will need to use a 12mm socket.

For those of you that are installing your BT Tech stiffening plate PLEASE read the instructions that are provided. It will specify exactly what tools are needed for a quick and easy install.



Thanks!!

Brian
BT Tech
305-652-3115

 

FYI aluminum wheels are bolted to steel drums and hubs using steel studs and steel lug nuts. As a commercial fisherman my old Toyota truck was used to launch my boat in saltwater on a pretty much daily basis, sometimes submerging the rear wheels when the surf was up. Lots of rust on suspension parts etc., aluminum rims were fine after 15 years.

I smell something fishy.

 

Another note about aluminum:

Here is an excerpt from Popular Science

...When iron rusts, it forms iron oxide—a reddish, powdery substance that quickly flakes off to expose fresh metal, which immediately begins to rust, and so on until your muffler falls off.

But when aluminum rusts, it forms aluminum oxide, an entirely different animal. In crystal form, aluminum oxide is called corundum, sapphire or ruby (depending on the color), and it is among the hardest substances known. If you wanted to design a strong, scratchproof coating to put on a metal, few things other than diamond would be better than aluminum oxide.

By rusting, aluminum is forming a protective coating that’s chemically identical to sapphire—transparent, impervious to air and many chemicals, and able to protect the surface from further rusting: As soon as a microscopically thin layer has formed, the rusting stops. (“Anodized†aluminum has been treated with acid and electricity to force it to grow an extra-thick layer of rust, because the more you have on the surface, the stronger and more scratch-resistant it is.)...

Just go to love the science!

 

I see a pattern: car with stock brace - bad. car without stock brace, either no brace or BT brace - good.

 

Well today I finally put the BT Stiffening Plate on my '06 Prius.
I drove to the auto hobby shop on Base after work and put it up on the lift which made installation (and reading the torque wrench) very easy. The plate and fasteners all fit like a charm - kudos to BT for a well made product. Actual install time about 15 minutes.
As others have said, read the directions and installation is a snap. I spent more time talking to the mechanics and other motorheads about the car than actually installing the brace (it was a hit of course ).
I've attached some photos comparing the stock brace to the BT plate.
Of course after installing it I had to take 'er for a spin on a stretch of familiar, and windy, road. On first impression, I agree with other posts, that the difference is subtle but noticeable. I found that I was taking turns 2-3 mph faster, and the car did feel "stiffer", and it also seemed to transmit more road vibration from the wheels. Could just be placebo effect, but the car does seem slightly more rigid. On the freeway drive home I still felt a bit of lane drift, but it seemed a bit less than before.
A "double blind" performance test is really what is needed to quantify results, but I'm satisfied.
Add me to the list of those who say "For $160, a do-it-yourself, 15-minute mod that improves performance (even if only slightly) - why not?
As to the corrosion concern...well dissimilar metals can cause corrosion, but as the photos show, both plate and frame are well coated at the factory.


[attachmentid=3026][attachmentid=3027]
[attachmentid=3028]

 

I just returned from having it installed and felt a difference immediately. Going to give it the real test this weekend on a jaunt to San Diego.

If anyone is looking for someone in Orange County to install theirs I had mine done at the 76 Station corner of 17th and Yorba Street in Tustin. $20

It took longer than usual as we had so many people admiring it and asking more questions than I could think of answers. The boss finally told the mechanic to stop filling the liquids and make room for another car.

Do you love it, or what!!?

 

I've read through the threads about this brace, and I'm still a little unsure if it makes a noticeable difference or not. Although people have described qualitative differences, is there any difference that could be measured quantitatively, assuming time and money weren't a concern? If a car & driver type magazine did their lane change test, would a prius with a brace show improved performance?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sam-I-Am @ Apr 19 2006, 09:08 PM) [snapback]242490[/snapback]</div>

To me a lot depends on your driving habits, terrain and what you are used to. To many it's night and day. To others it's night and later on during the night. This is really a case of YMMV. You may find a great difference or you may find it better, but subtle.

 

I installed the BT brace yesterday after having my 2006 Prius for a week. Yesterday morning I drove the prius along a two mile stretch of a country road, with twists, tuns and many bumps. The ride wasn't bad and at the curves I had to really slow down as the car would lean some.

Then I added the BT brace. The first thing I noticed was how FLIMSY the Toyota brace was. It took me about 15 minutes to change the brace since I had to jack up and place a stand under one side of the car. It also took me a few minutes to locate the brace as is was further back on the car than I thought it was.

I did not have a torgue wrench so I used my ratchet and just firmly snugged up the new bolts. Driving the same road with the BT brace as I did earlier was AMAZING. I no longer had to hit my brakes on the curves and the car handled like a little sports car. The ride also felt firmer and the car seemed to lean less than before despite the faster speed.

I LOVE IT!

 

My 2-cents is obviously no longer needed but since it was asked. As i posted I was initionally impressed with the Bt chassis thingie but wanted to really test it on a jaunt some distance. this past weekend I drove it down to San Diego...freeway and up and down hills with lots of sharp turns.

I had not told my wife that I had it installed and after she drove for a while I asked her if the Prius felt different to her. She now that you mention it it does. It feels like its huging the road surface more and I seem to have better contol around the corners. "Did you have that thing installed?" I admitted that I had and she said "A good decision. I love it!"

I agree it does seem to hug the road more, I did feel like I wasn't blown around when passed by a big rig and it cornered MUCH better. I hardly noticed any lightness in the rear that I complained so much about.

Although it appears few people need encouragement to get this brace my 2-cents would be you'd be a fool not to.

 

The peer pressure is on! After reading what cool mods there are, I caved in and ordered the brace last week. BTW, how long does it take to get it? I ordered it Tues. last week and still haven't gotten a tracking number yet (today is Sunday).

Once I get it I will report on my experience. BTW I have a #6 package '06. It's actullay my wife's car but I find myself driving it all the time . Did I mention I love the Prius?

 

We are due to receive our newest production run of our plates this week. We should be able to ship out all current backorders by later this week.

Thanks!!

Brian
BT Tech
305-652-3115


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hybridguy @ Apr 23 2006, 07:50 PM) [snapback]244075[/snapback]</div>

 

Guys, I think you are imagining the benefits of your $160.

Look at the pictures. Clearly the OEM brace is designed to prevent sideways expansion/contraction of the floor panel. The brace is needed because the panel has been curved around the exhaust pipe. The curved panel with the brace forms a structurally rigid triangle. The brace is not designed to counteract twisting forces. If it was, Toyota would have made the brace wider AND the screws farther apart or used more screws.

With regards to the sideways expansion/contraction, there is no way the BT brace would do a better job. It is not more stretch resistant in any practical terms than the OEM brace and neither is it more buckle resistant.

With regards to twisting forces, there is again no way the BT brace is better. It uses the same screw holes. It doesn't matter if the brace is wider because the attachment points are still the same width. Imagine a rectangle connecting all four screw holes. That's really all the structural frame preventing twisting forces. Clearly it is not enough to prevent twisting forces. So what we can conclude is that it is not designed to do this, most likely because it is not a problem. And even if it is a problem, the BT brace doesn't solve it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(electricity_guzzler @ May 8 2006, 11:21 AM) [snapback]251448[/snapback]</div>

Let us not forget about twisting. When I take my Prius Motocrossing the difference is unbelievable. :mellow:

 

installed my brace today. very pleased with the ease of the process... crawl under car, remove stock part, attach new part, done in a jiffy. i found similar results to other posters: a subtle but unmistakable improvement in cornering. count me another satistfied customer, bt!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(electricity_guzzler @ May 8 2006, 08:21 AM) [snapback]251448[/snapback]</div>

this is an interesting point, though to say "clearly" might be a tad presumptuous unless you are a mechanic, car designer, or structural engineer. which you might be, in which case great. but i think the only thing that is "clear" is that the OEM brace is designed to brace the car in some way or another.

that's "clearly" not true. if i put my knee down in the middle of the stock brace and pull on both sides, i can bend the brace (slightly. my friend who is into strength training could certainly bend it.)

the bt brace, however, is much thicker. no way to bend that by hand.

i'm not sure i agree with this... the wider (measured from front to back) plate has more surface area with which to press against the body of the car. as long as the screws are tight, the increased surface area makes a difference. further more, the plate itself is more rigid. ergo, it will resist twisting more than the stock plate.

now if your original thesis is accurate, that there are no real twisting forces in effect here, and that the brace only protects against expansion and contraction from side to side, then you're quite right... we're all being convinced by the placebo effect. i don't *think* that's the case, but it's certainly possible.

i would be interested to hear what brian has to say on this matter.