mid-chassis brace?

[tinyfrogs]

Has anyone upgraded the small hourglass-shaped OEM mid-chassis brace under the Vibe to an aftermarket unit? It looks like there are several options available, and they are cheap, but little info on whether they work. All I've found in googling Matrix/Vibe/Corolla lead me to some discussions on Prius forums. Folks raved about them there. Thanks.

[KITT222]

Are you talking about the little piece that goes across to reinforce over the exhaust tunnel? Because when I was under the car it hardly seemed like a brace. Far too weak. The best way to find chassis braces might be to look for Ultra Racing Toyota Altis braces. In Thailand the Toyota Corolla was called the Altis, and they make a series of braces for them. I'd imagine all underbody ones would fit and work. They're expensive but: 1) work well, and 2) there's really not much else out there.

Here's the brace you were looking for:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTRA-RACING-2- ... 5a&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


And here's a brace that I would say has made a massive difference to how the car handles:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTRA-RACING-1- ... 1e&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The one I recommend is a rear upper strut tower bar. You need to trim the forward trunk cubby in the Vibe to make it work (because the trunk floor panel won't fit without the cubby, and the bar goes right through the cubby) but it REALLY loosens the car up.

If you decide to give that a try let us know what you think. I might be interested in doing the same to my car.

[tinyfrogs]

Well, instead of the Ultra Racing brace I was thinking about this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/151414789395?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; at half the price and only a few days away from me by mail.

Based on this fellow's activity and the response on priuschat, it seems legit. I decided to pull the trigger and buy one of two left in his eBay store tonight. There's just one left, and from the look of it on priuschat he doesn't make these often.

[KITT222]

Alright. Let us know what you think, and if ride quality decreases. It looks pretty simple to make, actually. Any links to the braces Prius people?

[tinyfrogs]

OK, the mike00 brace is on my GT.

Pre-impression: the OEM brace is a joke. When I took it off I decided to see if it is as flimsy as it looks. I could easily twist-flex it in my hands. I figured it was meant to resist bending (so chassis rails stay vertically parallel), so I decided to put it on my knee and see how much flex it had. I didn't apply much force, really, but the thing bent right in half! $&@! crap I tell ya.

The new brace is quite clearly a beefier unit. Maybe there's a placebo effect, but in my short drive this morning post-install the car felt more precise in steering as well as less cushy over some uneven pavement in the parking lot. In short, I will be giving strong positive feedback to the seller on eBay (good product for cheap, shipped fast, threw in a bunch of stainless license plate bolts) and giving him the link to this thread.

[vibolista]

Do you have a Strut bar installed on your Vibe? These would work pretty well together to stiffen the entire front suspension.

[KITT222]

Color me impressed. I really didn't think much of that since the thing is so flimsy. I'll need to keep an eye on this.

[tinyfrogs]

I don't have a front strut bar. I've only had this car for a few months and have steadily been making improvements while trying not to spend much money (then my wife blew the clutch). I have limited time to work on the car myself so I've focused on quick and easy improvements. A big time-suck right now is the stereo. I have the head unit and two speakers replaced, with four more to do plus the BT mic routing.

This chassis brace is $50 part and a 15 minute job, and it takes that long mainly because it's tough to reach under the car to get the nuts back on. A front strut brace might be an eventual project, but I have many more to get to (not just on this car) before then.

[Raven]

You won't notice much of a difference with a front strut bar, I have one (DC Sports). The strut towers are so close to the firewall that there is little or no deflection. In the very early days of Genvibe, my brother (MadBill) did some testing with his monster 275/40/17 tires, project Big Boots. He determined there was little or no movement even with the loads exerted with those huge tires.

You need Tein S-Tech lowering springs, Progress rear sway bar, Tokico struts and sticky 225/45/17 tires.

[WestC4]

I know I'm late to the party, but was forum surfing and saw this thread and it really interests me. Kitt222, do you have or know how/where to get a part number? I looked at ultra racings website, and under the altis this part doesnt exist. Do I have something wrong, or am I missing something? If you could help me it would be awesome
Thanks

[KITT222]

There's the chassis brave the OP linked to that still has two available, and then the Ulta Racing brace has part number UR-ML2-714. I'd order the UR stuff through eBay and have previously and been satisfied. Any ended auctions linked to you can generally find the part numbers in the description if it's still there.

[WestC4]

thanks for the part number kitt222. I appreciate it. I was looking at ur's website, and found every other brace they make but that one.