Strut bar: tanabe or cusco?

Just choose the one that you think is prettier.

 

Just like when your deciding which lady to marry.

 

It is a hollow bar.

951 540 ALHD - Vehicle Results
Tanabe USA Inc. - Sustec Tower Bar

Based on these web sites, the Tanabe is cheaper then the Cusco..

Cusco Type OS Front Strut Bar for 2009-2015 TOYOTA Prius (3rd Gen) ZVW - ProParts USA $180

Evasive Motorsports | PH: 626.336.3400 Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm PST: Tanabe Strut Tower Bar (Front) - Toyota Prius 10-13 $119

Either one will add bling to under your hood.

 

Tom’s Strut bar is the best. It’s one solid piece so limits flex more then Cusco or Tanabe. Hard to find, you can try Hybridpit or keep an eye out on EBay. I just picked one up for myself. Expensive but works.

 

I thought about it, but when I saw that it blocks the underhood fuse panel, I changed my mind. Just what I want, to be on the side of the highway with a blown fuse and not have a ratchet set on hand to remove a strut tower bar. The risk to reward doesn't make sense for me. Now granted, it's pretty rare that I've had a blown fuse, but I'm sure that if I did, it would be in the rain at 3AM with my wife and kids in the car.

 

Correct......That's why I have the CUSCO.

 

No blockage.

 

I have the Cusco bar and it doesn't block the fuse box at all. Combined with the TRD rear sway bar and braces, the car actually handles very well for what it is!

 

My husband's and my retired aircraft engineer friend helped me install mine without having to remove the wipers and the wiper cowl.

 

Very nice!. But if you use a power drill, it only took me an extra 15 minutes to remove all the stuff to get to the strut tower AND reinstall. It was pretty easy.

 

Make sure you get the one marked LHD for left hand drive. The one made to the right hand drive Prius will not work well in a left hand drive Prius.

 

Once a while eBay has a 15% coupon, use that to bring the price of a Cusco STB down to $153. That's what I did.

 

Enjoy but know that Cusco and Tanabe are more for looks then actually performance.

 

I drove my friend's old 1998 Mazda MPV mini van, before I drove my Prius v. The OLD MPV felt a lot better than the v.

After I had both the strut bar and the center brace, both made by CUSCO installed, there was a definite improvement in feel and handling.

Clearly, Toyota installed three braces on the Gen 4 in 2016, instead of the one on the Gen 3 including the v.

 

I am say a solid strut bar is going to give you much more then one with attached mounting that can flex.