Chassis Brace is a Prius MUST HAVE!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by Azipod, Oct 11, 2010.

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  1. Azipod

    Azipod Member

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    I installed the Chassis Brace on the Prius yesterday and the results are incredible! The body definitely feels more solid but the curves is where the car shines! The car will understeer less, but overall feels more balanced.

    Incredibly, while I was driving home last night I came up upon a Porsche and an Audi TT doing some spirited driving on this curvy section near my house. I said what the heck, I decided to do some spirited driving along with them and the Prius kept up, with good balance without any issues. I'm sure the other guys weren't on their cars hard, but the Prius held up very well going much faster than the speed limit through the curves without any issues. The car was very balanced and composed.

    Incidentally, when I installed the bar and the "tunnel section" of the underbody, I found another 7" long brace that Toyota put on in the front of the tunnel. While looking around some more on the edge of the body, I found two 4" braces on both sides of the car near the rear wheel. I'm beginning to think that Toyota didn't invest heavily into making a rigid chassis when designing the Prius but rather something decent without too much weight. I'm hinting that's why they just went ahead and used the cheaper and simpler approach to tighten up the body with basic braces at certain key areas. Anywhoo, the lower chassis brace is definitely one area that Toyota put too small of a brace on.

    Well, the best part? The brace for the Prius is only $50 shipped on E-Bay. Search "G7 prius brace" No need for the pricey $160+ brace from some of the other online retailers.
     
    #1 Azipod, Oct 11, 2010
    IslandPrius06 and daveyator like this.
  2. philobeddoe

    philobeddoe ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

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    Great review, I always wanted to do this mod.

    I'd driven my '08 spiritedly through the Santa Monica Mountain canyon roads, Latigo, Decker, Las Flores, to name a few, and I imagine this mod would've been something special.

    Thanks for the post.
     
    #2 philobeddoe, Oct 11, 2010
  3. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    I guess it is a good mod. if you want to keep up with a Porsche but most of us are light with our feet. So is it really not necessary? I like the handling the way it is. If you want a Porsche buy one! H:confused:
     
    #3 Hal W, Oct 11, 2010
  4. Azipod

    Azipod Member

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    You're not understanding my post. I did not say I want to keep up with a Porsche.

    The point of my post is that I feel that the brace greatly enhanced the balance and composure of the car. This is true regardless whether you are doing spirited driving or just under normal driving circumstances. Doing this mod is just like someone picking a Touring model over a Base. Are they going to race a Porsche with the Touring model? No, they choose it for the slightly enhanced performance.

    The beautiful thing about the brace is that you really don't have to drive fast to enjoy it. That was the point of my post.
     
    #4 Azipod, Oct 11, 2010
  5. Hal W

    Hal W New Member

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    I understand , I was just giving you the gears! But seriously my 06 handles well.:D H
     
    #5 Hal W, Oct 11, 2010
  6. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Is this mod/product worthwhile if I already have a Touring?
     
    #6 macmaster05, Oct 12, 2010
  7. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    Don't listen to this guy. An experienced driver and a good line beats a German "performance" car hands down every time.
     
    #7 a_gray_prius, Oct 12, 2010
  8. Azipod

    Azipod Member

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    Short answer is YES. It will only make your Touring better.

    The chassis reinforcement is just that, it'll reinforce the chassis so during loads your suspension will be in better alignment with the road. Theoratically, I think the reinforecement is probably more important on a Touring than the Base since the Touring suspension is more aggresively tuned.

    I really love the chassis bar. I'm on day #4 and the car feels incredible!
     
    #8 Azipod, Oct 12, 2010
  9. artie

    artie Member

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    Hmmm, I did the Ebay search as described above, but there was nothing found. Any further suggestions?

    Artie
     
    #9 artie, Oct 14, 2010
  10. Azipod

    Azipod Member

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    #10 Azipod, Oct 14, 2010
    2 people like this.
  11. Silver bullit

    Silver bullit Right Lane Cruiser

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    How much does it weigh?
     
    #11 Silver bullit, Oct 14, 2010
  12. Azipod

    Azipod Member

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    3-4 lbs is my guess....
     
    #12 Azipod, Oct 14, 2010
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  13. artie

    artie Member

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    Well, I just bought one...now to figure out how to install it.
     
    #13 artie, Oct 14, 2010
  14. Azipod

    Azipod Member

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    It's probably the easiest mod next to increasing air pressure on the tires.

    1) Set the parking brake.
    2) Jack up the rear of the car (either side). Place safety jacks under.
    3) Using a 14 mm bolt socket, remove the four bolts that hold the
    factory brace in place.
    4) Position the G7 brace in place using the "tapered side" forward.
    5) Using a 6 mm hex ratchet, screw the G7 brace onto place using
    the four supplied hex bolts.
    6) Hand tighten the bolts to a firm stop. (17 lbs ft torque to be exact)
    7) Lower the car and ENJOY!

    Total time should be less than 15 minutes for a novice.

    :rockon:
     
    #14 Azipod, Oct 14, 2010
  15. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    I have the genuine Aluminium floor brace which was sold through PriusChat and I tell you, I shocked a few people at the Collingrove Hillclimb!! I love the handling of my Prius and by maintaining momentum and cornering speed it improves fuel consumption.
     
    #15 patsparks, Oct 14, 2010
  16. artie

    artie Member

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    wow, that sounds really doable, even for me...i wonder what my 160,000 mile little car will feel like, can't wait.

    from day one, there's been a tendency for the car to wander when on a straight line on the freeway, an effect i saw discussed on this board over the years many times in many different topics, with little unanimity as to what the cure (or even the problem) is...i've gotten used to it, don't hardly notice it anymore,

    but, we shall see if this brace has any effect on the one complaint i have for this car.

    by the way, i've been of the school that the fault is the power steering, no longer hydraulic, but electric, just a hunch.
     
    #16 artie, Oct 15, 2010
  17. Azipod

    Azipod Member

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    How does your car run at 160k? Any significant issues/repairs?
     
    #17 Azipod, Oct 15, 2010
  18. artie

    artie Member

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    nope, runs like new...i had to remove the mfd and solder the infamous 60 pin wire connection, cost was $40. dealer wanted to sell me a rebuilt one for $700 or a new one for $4000; thanks to this site, it was easy to fix and it's been fixed for over a year without needing to be redone. also had one front wheel bearing go out, otherwise, perfecto...great car, brakes are still 50% front, 75% rear, and everything works perfectly.
     
    #18 artie, Oct 15, 2010
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  19. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    I'd say that's fair to blame for the lack of steering feel. But not for the handling, which could always benefit from a stiffer chassis.
     
    #19 hyo silver, Oct 15, 2010
  20. fintonissimo

    fintonissimo Member

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    I just ordered one of these, and it will arrive next Tuesday. I had been thinking about getting the BT plate, but didn't want to take a chance on a $165 part not delivering the results that I would want. At $50 this is a lot less of a gamble, so I decided to give it a try.

    In regards to installation, do you really need to jack up the car? It looks like I could just reach underneath the car and do it one side at a time.

    Also, in regards to #5-6, do you need to reuse the old washers, or just install the new hex nut bolts without the washers?

    How important is the torque of the bolts? I don't have a torque wrench. Would it be safe enough to tighten about 1/4 turn past the initial hand tightening? Or should it be slightly more?

    Thanks, Chuck
     
    #20 fintonissimo, Oct 15, 2010
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