CUSTOM white oven baked epoxy finished Mid Under Chassis Stiffening Plate or Brace for the Gen III Prius including all Prius”v” and “plug in” models

These mid-chassis braces provide greater stability and better feedback to the driver's road feel. The "squishy" feeling is reduced or virtually eliminated.

　 The brace is machined from a 6061 T651 age solution hardened aircraft grade aluminum extrusion. The extruding process eliminates the stress from bending sheet or plate aluminum and makes the piece much more resistant to metal fatigue. This means that the brace will likely outlast the car The brace's design represents my 45 years experience in the aircraft metal fabrication industry. The brace has been phosphoric acid etched and finished with an “oven baked” flow white coating similar to powder coating.

　 This lightweight but stiff and strong braces weighs less than two(2) ounces more than the thin “hourglass” OEM brace shown in the photo below my custom brace. This brace is six times stiffer to bending on end to end than the “hourglass” brace and three times stiffer than the newer “round bar” “tubular” brace (shown in one of the photos) that Toyota started installing on all Gen III Prii in mid 29012.

Unlike chassis braces developed by others which are basically thickened plates with no accommodation to allow the brace to twist, Toyota recognized the need of the brace to twist to prevent damage to the thin metal of the rails at the weld nuts used to mount the center brace. MY BRACE is designed at the OPTIMUM thickness to STIFFEN RESISTANCE to BENDING, while at the same time being THIN ENOUGH to allow less resistance to twisting.

The purely DECORATIVE machined cavities and counterbored mounting holes others have added to their designs to justify ADDED cost, does NOTHING to improve the performance of the design and actually HURTS the bending modulus of the brace when the car is in motion.

Counterboring the mounting holes actually weakens the area around the holes, while leaving them at full thickness makes that area twice as strong. Even when the holes are not counterbored, the mounted brace still “hangs down” at least 3/8 inch less than the NEWER OEM “tubular” brace.

The DECORATIVE “cavities” machined into the brace actually WEAKENS the structure of the metal. The smooth uniform piece bends EVENLY along its entire length like an archer’s bow, while a piece with CAVITIES will exhibit more bending stress at the places weakened by the DECORATIVE cavities.

Installation should take less than 15 minutes. Jacking or lifting the car is NOT needed. The mounting holes are made purposely as small as possible to provide the closest mounting. Toyota and other aftermarket custom makers like Cusco and Tanable uses comparatively large clearance holes for easy mounting. That, however, makes for a less secure and weaker fit. A little filing may be necessary for some individual vehicles due to manufacturing variances.

This sale is for ONE White Oven Baked Epoxy finished Prius Gen III (including Prius”v”) mid under chassis brace Nothing else shown in the photos as examples OF THE OEM braces are included. .

The item is guaranteed to be exactly as described. However, ALL SALES are FINAL.