stiffening plate for $53!

I don't know how often this seller runs these on ebay, but I bought mine for less than $55 and only $10 shipping.

eBay Motors: Toyota Prius 2004-2008 Custom Made Stiffening Plate (item 170259475439 end time Sep-07-08 09:20:31 PDT)
Keep an eye out for more.

Heh. Have fun with those stainless screws on the aluminum plate.

???
Are you referring to electrolosis?? I plan to have the plate annodized if it isn't already. Probably type II (Hard annodize).

Other than that, I don't see why it would be a problem. Seems pretty straight forward to me. Unless you know something I don't?

No, you already know what I know. It will be fine if you have it anodized. I just got a chuckle from seeing what appears to be a bare aluminum plate being sold with 'STAINLESS' bolts in big capital letters.

What can I say, on Sunday I'm easily entertained.

Might already be clear annodized. We'll see when it arrives.

isibrigade, what did you think of the plate after you received it?

Since the ebay link is old, I cannot see what that one looked like. I ordered a stiffening plate off ebay yesterday for $50. It is anodized. I figure it's worth a try at that price, as any improvement will be welcomed. There is enough skepticism about these things I could never convince my self to pay the $165 for the BT plate.

G7 Stiffening Plate on ebay

However, I am gong to pony up for the BT strut tower brace. It's certainly worth the price for what it has to offer. Later in the year it will be time to replace the factory tires with something better, as well.

I think the tires are probably worth more than the tower...I have an 09 and took the factory tires off and put them on my 06...the improved road handling on the 09 is worth it. I also agree with Mo Dale...for $50 dollars I'll try the ebay plate...

I received the G7 Plate and it fits perfectly. You just need a 6mm hex driver. I cannot see how it would perform much differently than the much more expensive one from the PC Shop - sorry, PC guys.
It was shipped quicky and I am delighted I didn't spend an extra $100 plus for a plate that so far has provided marginal differences in handling per my subjective observations.

This plate seems to have free shipping now.

So what's the verdict of this ebay stiffen plate?
Does it work some wonders or no difference?

Mine arrived today! As long as the weather holds, I plan to install this weekend. Well, if I can find my hex wrenches.

to ronjuan: You're probably right about replacing the tires, instead of doing the tower brace. I've done some further reading and that may be the best way to go. But, I'm still undecided at the moment. Perhaps the combo would turn the Prius into the ultimate road warrior!

Hi Dale,

I have all three: Better and wider tires (Goodyear TripleTreds 195/60/15), better and stiffer stiffening plate (BT Tech Stiffening Plate), and the BT Tech Strut Tower Brace.

Of the three, IMO, the BT Tech Strut Tower Brace easily provides the biggest and most dramatic improvement in handling.

Better and wider tires will certainly help the handling and specifically will improve traction over the mediocre OEM Integrities, but the Strut Tower Brace will improve the handling the most.

Since I am still on the OEM Integrity tires and don't have the strut tower brace, but DO have the G7 stiffening plate via E-Bay, I feel I may comment.

For the last couple of days we've had sustained 20 - 25 knot winds and gusts to over 30. I made a point of diving about 50 miles each day into and with the winds. I can say that there is (to my mind) a slight improvement in handling and in response to cross wind gusts. My next modifications, when time and money permit, will be the brace and eventually the tires, maybe larger wheels as well. Well, and window tint so the summer sun doesn't roast anything important.

Off topic, I can report 43.4 mpg into the headwind and 59.3 going the other direction, today.

I installed the G7 plate I bought on eBay a few months ago and have been happy with it. It's very high quality and I have noticed straighter tracking in side winds and better handling.

Found my hex wrenches and installed this morning. That was easy!

Curious what tint & % you are using. Thinking of the same. Sun fairly brutal here.

Thanks for the G7 plate comments, it sounds like a competitive product.

Thanks everyone...i just picked one up. I had some extra cash in my paypal account, so hey...why not! I look forward to installing it. I did almost buy that one for $165...glad I clicked cancel!

So, what I notice most is the car feeling more solid when encountering uneven bumps (turning through intersections with wavy pavement, or in and out of driveways with a slope). For $50, I am happy with the result!

I just installed mine in a few minutes...easy peasy. However, did you reuse the old washers with the provided screws?