Cusco Center Power Brace Group Buy?

Is anyone interested in putting together a group buy for these? I found a company that is going to be putting in an order to Cusco coming up & their list price is $164, which is considerably cheaper than what Sigma Auto. is asking for. I believe this will be the 4-point brace (but we will need to confirm that) and it should really help the handling of the car.

Cusco Center Power Frame Braces from HorsepowerFreaks

The center brace would replace the existing body center brace and additionally has trailing legs which attach toward the rear (last picture on the Sigma web site). The existing center brace is not exactly the same as the flimsy stamped sheet metal from the Gen II but the Cusco does look much better. Are we talking about a discount at all for this group buy?

Wayne

A discount would be the goal. It will take 6-8 weeks to get them in (they only place orders to Cusco once a month so we'd have a few weeks to round up as many people as possible). I am simply throwing this out there to gauge interest.

I will certainly be interested in this if Tanabe doesn't come through. Or better yet the person in front of me for the R&D session decides to actually make it. I am praying whomever it is that they don't make it, but only time will tell. Keep me up to date on what you find out.

The Cusco site says:

"This Product Comes in the Following Variations
(09 and up) Toyota Prius ZVW30"

Aren't the '09 Gen II and ZVW30 Gen III are completely different cars?

Does "09 and up" mean earlier model years of the Gen II?

I don't get it.

Here are the pictures from the Sigma site. The Center Brace is the last one on the bottom:

[IMGLINK]http://www.sigmaautomotive.com/jdm/prius_zvw30/per_cusco_strengthening.jpg[/IMGLINK]

Curious, do people think the Center Brace (bottom photo) will improve the Gen III's handling more than the Strut Tower Brace (top photo)?

Just wondering what people think would be the brace to get if you could only afford one.

Maybe Cusco/Japan follows the practice of using the calendar year released as the model year.

In Japan the 2009 Prius is the 3rd generation correct? I believe that is what they are referencing.

Also the strut tower brace would be much more labor intensive to install. Have you ever looked at the factory brace? A lot of things would have to be taken out to get to that.

I installed a strut tower brace on my Gen II. Took me about an hour. But I had detailed step-by-step instructions from BT Tech and great photos from GadgetDad for each step. However, I have no idea what extent, if any, that the Gen III is different.

Would installing something like this center brace really improve the handling of the car in normal day to day operation?

Or would you need to be out on the twisties to really notice a difference over stock?

I'd agree that the strut tower brace might be a better bang for the buck. And I believe it's $2 cheaper than the center brace. To get to the strut towers is similar to the Gen II; remove wiper arms, remove top plastic cowl piece (just snaps), remove wiper linkage/motor assembly (3 bolts), remove lower cowl piece (many bolts)...done.

Wayne

I'm interested in this if a group buy is happening.

Ok so I just spoke to those guys & they said the CPFB & the Strut Tower Brace wouldn't really do much, that they are more aesthetic than anything. They reccomend upgrading the sway bars to reduce body roll/lean. I had put upgraded sway bars on an Acura once, and it made a HUGE difference.

They are willing to let me set up a group buy. The bars retails for $280 each, and they would offer a discount. The minimum would have to be 10 people, and then the price would drop even more if more than 10 join in. I guess if anyone has a true interest, let us all know.

I also will inquire as to if the front or the rear bar would make the most difference. Maybe we would want to start with one bar and then we could go from there. Again, the emphasis would be on reducing body roll.

Is this a group buy for sway bars or braces?

It would be for sway bars. I will change the title if possible...I guess the brace isn't worth the money.

Thanks!

Have you got a link to the bars and install instructions?

I would be definitely be interested in buying a rear stablizer bar. Please include me in the group buy.

It is the best single improvement you can do to improve the car's handling (other than replace the OEM tires to 17").

At the risk of getting flamed, I don't understand why anyone thinks they need anti-sway bars on the 2010. It corners very well on both sharp turns and fast curves, with very little lean, and tracks well on the highway now. It's not a sports car in any case. Just how stiff is stiff enough for you hotrodders? OK, you car guys can take me to school now...

I also drive a Z4, before that an Acura TL Type-S, etc. The Prius does NOT handle all too well in turns, esp. with on/off ramps at a relative speed. I am use to no body roll, so any is just too much. It all depends on what one prefers.

As far as the links go, I mean it's just a page with the price, no real info. the install should be quite simple, you just replace the bars. I will call them back to get more info if people would like to just think about rear sways (which is what I will lean towards if that's the best first step).

Added: I also have already upgraded to 17" wheel/tire combo & I am still not happy. The car tracks much better but, still too much body roll.

Note that your Prius V has the 17" wheels with 20 mm wider, low-profile, performance tires. I suspect yours handles a lot better than those with the 15" wheels.

I have the Gen II Standard (non-Touring) Prius with 15" wheels. IMO, it's probably the worst handling, least fun to drive car of its size (175" long) made -- more body roll and turn-in lean than much taller SUVs of the same length or longer. So I put in, among other things, the BT Tech Strut Tower Brace, which I think improved the handling immensely.

I hear that the handling on the Gen III non-V Prius is similar to the Gen II Standard Prius. If that's the case, I think it needs help just to get it to an "average" level of handling.