TANABE SUSTEC Strut Tower Bar & Under Brace DIY Installation PIX !!!

hmm, i installed the bar without the car being off the ground, and it seems fine

 

I've tried setting the bar tension both ways, and it didn't seem to matter. Perhaps on some other cars it does make a difference, but not on a Gen III Prius.

Perhaps on other cars, the strut towers are further forward on the body than on ours, and there's more flex between the towers in that case.

 

1 hr to install in my garage.

This thing was so easy to install. I was actually a little worried from reading the various posts. 1hr included a mess up. I had to remove the bar from the brackets so I could re-route the wiper motor wires under it.

You can remove the bar once it's installed on the car but it is a tight fit and required a rubber mallet to slide the eyelet back into the bracket.

Hawaii, you and your instructions ROCK! Thanks man! Also, everyone else your instructions and experiences helped too! Thanks everyone!

 

So where is a great place to by the strut brace & chassis plates? Any good deals going on from anyone? I would love to order these parts for my Prius. I added the Eibach springs & they made a huge improvement.

 

Im with SuperchargedMR2. Where are the good deals at?

 

I'm an Amazon prime customer so I got it from Amazon. $118 shipped free two day.

 

I did a search for the 2010 Prius & the parts didn't show up. I did that before to but when I searched for Tanabe I found both the under chassis brace for $98 & the strut tower brace for $118. I ordered them both & used my Amazon points from my Visa & got them both for $128 with free shipping.

:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

 

thmotorsports $104 shipped

 

Any good place to buy the 4 point power brace for a good price?

 

It looks like there are subtle differences between your Gen III and a RHD Japanese-built Gen III.
My wipers both now have caps concealing their bolts. The centre wiper is a conventional arm.
The brake fluid reservoir (on the right on my car as it's RHD) has a little snap-out access lid built into the cowl.

How do I know when the brace is correctly tensioned?

 

It really just needs to be tight between the two strut towers to keep them from moving separately. The bar should be under no tension when it's upright (broad side facing forward), then rotate the bar back as far as you can by hand or with a wrench, to about 45 - 50 deg tilt. I use an adjustable spanner with a rag around the bar to prevent scratches. It doesn't have to be super-tight - don't try to go much further than by hand.

 

Did mine in about an hour and a half in my garage using these instructions. Everything worked out fine, and it probably would have taken another hour at least if I just used what came in the box for instructions. Thanks loads Hawaii. I also had to remove the bar once to re-route the wiper assembly wires, so be sure to do install the bar UNDER them, instead of over them.

That being said, there is a qualitative difference going around corners now. After I installed the Plus rear sway bar, the car was flatter in the corners, but I had to feed steering input in about 3-5 times on a corner since it tried to take a different line that many times, and if I got on or off the throttle, even more. Now I just hit a line through the corner and it stays there, regardless of throttle. I only have to provide input if the radius changes.

 

thanks hawaii. wouldnt have been possible with the help here.

question for you guys: how do you access the fuse box now? the strut tower bracket blocks the fuse box from opening. i was planning to drop in a hid kit that will need to access the fuse box. oh wells.

 

yah... i've seen that small issue too.. though it'd be fine yanking the cover out from underneath the bar... getting it back on would be.. problematic.

you'd really have to disassemble the strut bar and move it out of the way to access the fuse box.

 

I've been very happy with the results from these bars. I highly recommend them to everyone.

 

do u have easy access to the fuse box ?

 

That is a drawback of the FSB. I was looking at ways to make it easier to get it off.

 

any luck with it so far ?

I have tried to sand it down, still no luck though ><

 

How about a quick release for the strut bar? Whiteline Quick Release Clamps for Strut Tower Bars - Best Price &amp; Free Shipping on Whiteline Quick Release Pins

I'm not sure if this would negate the effects (make it less rigid), but may allow the bar to be removed for easier access to the fuse box.

 

Haven't even tried yet.