There was something to the BT Plate after all!

Way to go Brian for filling in the gap till Toyota finally got the message!

Boy, did Toyota hear!
After looking under the 2010 Prius, its quite obvious with the bar and beefy brace that runs across the whole width of the car in the back, that the flimsy stock brace did in deed did need fortifying to improve the ride.
I think the 2010 prius substantiates the BT stiffening plate.

I"m sure the BT Plate did not accomplish all that the new parts do now on the 2010.. but I think it proves there was some stability issues that the BT plate definitely improved.

Not trying to start the fur flying since this has been a hot topic in the past, but just wanted to bring out the point that although the plate will not be needed for the 2010 and later prius's, it appears to have something going for it for all earlier models or Toyota would have left good enough alone.

These pics aren't very good, but its the best my little phone camera could do.
The round brace (3/4 or an inch") is in the distance more, while the thick brace that must be close to 4 inches wide is closer in view.

The following photo comes from post #9 of the following thread which provides a link to better photos of the rear of the 2010:
http://priuschat.com/forums/2010-toyota-prius/58385-few-pics-chicago-event.html

Now that we have a better photo to look at, we can discuss the rear suspension.

First, note the inverted tower that protrudes down and serves as the floor jack jacking point to raise the rear of the car.

Immediately behind that is the beam axle for the rear wheels. The beam axle does appear to be more substantial than that found in Classic and 2G.

The rear suspension bar is tubular and located below the beam axle. In Classic and 2G the rear suspension bar was within the beam axle.

Way in the distance, you can see the equivalent of the BT plate for the 2010 model, under the exhaust system, attached to the body.

Hey, nice pic!.. I "m glad someone with a real camera got that shot!

The facts don't support your assertion. Toyota obviously felt that the rear suspension could be improved, because the 2010 has an entirely new and more robust rear end. That part is a fact. However, from that fact there is no way to extrapolate that the BT brace did anything to help with the existing model. You can give them credit for recognizing that a problem existed and for trying to do something about it, but you can't logically assert that it actually did any good.

Men often suffer from hair loss. From this we cannot conclude that all hair growers are effective.

Tom

I see your point.
You feel the BT plate identified a need that was not actually met by the BT Plate if I understand correctly?

But the facts also do not support that it does not help!

All I know is the stock plate was a flimsy thing and to BT plate was solid beef.

Even though the location is perfect to fix such a problem as thats where Toyota also ran their supports " except all the way across which is even better" I grant you can still argue whether it actually does anything.

Without starting the whole very lengthy thread all over again, suffice to say its very subjective to the point that it appears to be based on opinions of the drivers who have it installed.

As discussed previously, almost all resistance against the plate was not from owners of the plate at all, but rather from Non-buyers.

At a very modest price, I took a chance and feel it made a substantial difference when the body was under stress situations.

The same difficulty one has to prove on paper how it in fact "does" make a difference is also the same struggle one encounters when they try to prove on paper that it "does not".

At any rate Toyota improved the ride by adding support to that area of the car indicating it was apparently lacking.

There is absolutely no credible reason to ascertain the BT plate did nothing any more than there is credible proof to ascertain that it does....

lets just call it circumstantial evidence!

The only real fact I have is the fact that Toyota followed suit by putting their own brace in the same area.

I'm really excited to see what the drive is going to be like on the 2010!....
It appears they got quite serious!

Wait and see what Tom's does for braces for the 2010. If they make a rear brace again, it'll probably replace this suspected "BT plate", which will be further proof that toyota dealt with the flimsy piece of foil.

Yes we can!
I'm effective, I grow hair.

I don't think Toms or anyone else's brace will fit the 2010.... they have a few extras under the hood that changes the configuration a bit.

Two coolant reservoirs, one for the hybrid, the other for the engine etc.
I assume if those braces are altered to fit, they could still make an improvement to the ride but not sure....
but the whole suspension of the 2010 is much better so it could be a non issue.

It's only a Strut Tower Brace (whether Toms or BT Tech's) that will not apparently fit because the Gen III's engine compartment is very tight, especially where the Strut Tower Brace would go.

The other Toms braces go under the car, so they may fit.

It'll be interesting to see if Toms, BT Tech, TRD or others develop aftermarket performance suspension pieces for the Gen III Prius.

At this point, maybe the front is all that could be improved upon?
Those stock braces in the rear were pretty impressive.

Sorry... to clarify: It'll be interesting to see what Tom's releases for the 2010 Prius.

We sold one of our BT Tech plates to an engineer that works for Toyotal last year so it does not suprise me that they incorporated it for the new 2010 model.

How does that saying go again??? Imitation is the......

Although it will kill sales for the need for the BT plate for 2010 and later, it should substantiate the need and therefore increase sales for all models before that!
A bitter/sweet I guess!... but from what I hear from Tom, your Front suspension bar does wonders for turning it from a good car to drive to a fun car to drive!

Of course, I thought mine was already fun!.....
Hopefully you'll be making a modified version for the 2010 and later for the front!

Actually I am really happy that Toyota finally stepped up and improved the stiffening plate for the 2010 MY.

We will be working on a revised front strut brace for the 2010 version just as soon as I can get my hands on one.

What are Magnetic Oil Plugs?

How about that, eh? Something we agree on.

Well, yeah. If it wasn't broken, why did they fix it?

Just like the name suggests...an oil plug that's magnetic. The idea is to catch the metallic particles that would otherwise circulate in the oil and cause engine wear.

Can anyone point me to pictures of the 2010 front wheel struts/suspension/bracing? I'm curious to see what it looks like, but I couldn't figure out how to safely get my head under the front of the car. All that airflow control looks really effective, but got in my way. Also, did anyone notice the Toyota news release mentions an airflow fin UNDER the car. Where is that?

I recently purchased a stiffening plate on E-bay. My initial and strictly subjective observation is that it has improved the car's reaction to stiff crosswinds. (My reason for the purchase.) I'm still waiting for the 40-50 mile gusts to make a final judgement.

I would have purchased the BT plate considering some of the 'reviews' on this site, but ran across the one on E-bay for $49.99 shipped. It seems every bit as sturdy as the one available in the Prius Chat shop and is anodized, machined aluminum. Fit perfectly.