Why do I need a skidplate?

Well DUH! For off-roading, silly!

 

I've been toying with the idea of getting some or all of the bolt-on suspension goodies, the skid-plate, the stiffening plate, and the strut tower brace. Does anyone here have thoughts on that? I like the idea of the skid-plate as extra protection for the car, possibly unnecessary but I do like the idea of reducing air-flow. Does it enhance the aerodynamics? And what about the stiffening plate and strut tower braces, any experience or thoughts on those?

 

I would like to say the under tray improves airflow under the car however the Prius already has the best air drag of any 4 door car on the market and equal the best ever so I really struggle with the idea a plate under the car which isn't tested will improve air flow under the car. I believe the best justification is if you ever drive in snow or on mud where rocks or solid ice could be concealed ahead of you.

The stuff BT sell to stiffen the chassis, although not necessary do seem to make the chassis more rigid in it's feel. (from all reports). I have the under floor stiffening plate and I'm quite happy with the results of fitting that, I would assume the strut brace would be even more noticeable but haven't fitted one yet. The strut brace is a good looking piece of kit too so you won't feel shame if your friends "happen" to see it.

It all comes down to choice. I'm pretty happy with the handling of my Aussie released Prius, a little more so with the stiffening plate which seemed to make the car feel like it wasn't bucking in tight turns although I don't think I corner any faster, it just feels nicer.

 

I've been waiting for the time I do something stupid and forget just how low the car is when I pull into a parking spot. Taking that a step further, the skid plate might protect the undercarrage if a person (certainly wouldn't be me) drove the car over one of those parking lot free standing curbs. Of course, I'd probably have to buy the skid plate to find out just what it protects.

It would be good to know, from BT, why they developed a skid plate.

 

Hi All,

Well, I am probably not going to get the skid plate. But, there were a few occaisions this winter when I wish I had one. Some of these trucks from up north come down to Chicago on a warm day, and start dropping foot-ball sized ice chunks while driving down the highway at 60 mph. I have had a few bounce off the rear axle. Luckily they did not skip up just in front of the car.

Even 60 yards back, there is not much you can do. Its only a few seconds before impact, which is just enough time to make sure you do not hit them with a tire. Ya know its kinda like "Space Invaders".

 

i tend to drive on a lot of dirt roads. i've had rocks get caught in the engines's lower arm. they jam in there and keep the arm rigid.. which makes the engine rattle feed right into the cab.

i'll get one. i have the brace. it's worth it. i'll get the tower brace too.

 

Living in Montana, I deal with snow, ice-chunks, logging-truck debris, construction debris, potholes, dirt/gravel roads, etc., quite frequently. My pattern, however, is to drive the Tacoma when I'm "heading for the hills" and the Prius for highway travel. Still, I think that over the next year I'm going to add all of the suspension goodies, including the skid-plate. I'd like to firm up the suspension a bit and some added protection can't hurt. I plan to keep the Prius for at least 5 years, possibly closer to 10, so might as well do what I can to make that a good experience.

 

Polarize the hull plating.

Tom

 

I talked to a friend who has a Prius before I bought mine, and she told me that she hit a truck tire/wheel assembly on the freeway, and it did $$$$ damage to her Prius underneath. It took off her oil filter, damaged the oil pan, and exhaust system. Not sure if the skid plate would have helped her, or not, but it couldn't hurt. I can't believe how much freeway junk is laying around. I saw a full size wheelbarrow laying up against the carpool lane k-rail today. Come on, people tie down your junk.

 

Around here it is construction debris, boards (often with nails sticking up), pieces of sheetrock, buckets, shovels (a friend of mine ran over one of those in his 4-Runner the other day and his transmission wouldn't shift afterward, so it is now in the shop), you name it. I live 120 miles from the nearest freeway, but the last time I was on it I saw a friggin' washing machine laying along the side of the road in the break-down area!

 

This is exactly the reason why I designed the skid plate for the Prius. A good friend of mine in Orlando had something similar happen to him while driving on the highway.

If our skid plate was installed on either vehicle, it would have protected the engine/transaxle/generator components and probably would have barely dented our plate. The way our skid plate is designed, most objects that would hit it would be deflected off as it is very streamlined in design.

Most vehicles have some sort of protection for the underside of the engine and components whether it be a shield or cross members acting as a shield. The Prius has nothing to protect the underside of the engine and as a result is exposed/susceptible to damage.

 

Hey Brian, thanks for posting and I'm definitely interested in all of the add-ons that might make the Prius more durable and handle better. I'm curious, what is the approx. weight of the skid-plate? And how difficult is the installation? The stiffening plate looks like a snap, and the strut tower brace appears to be somewhat more of a challenge, but doable by the average guy with the right tools. How does the skid-plate compare from a labor/complexity standpoint?

 

My pleasure.... Our skid plate weighs aproximately 12 lbs. Installation is straight forward and thanks to Evan, we now have detailed pictures to go along with our instructions.

I have personally found our strut brace to be easier to install than our skid plate. Our stiffening plate is by far the easiest to install. I can actually install our strut brace in about 25 minutes. The installation time for our skid plate is aproximately 1-2 hrs.

All of our parts can be installed by the average person with your ordinary tools that most people have.

If you have any questions please let me know.