Ok folks.

I have an 09 Justa automatic. I don't race it, I don't really even drive it very hard.

But I do intend to keep it a long time (it took me 36 years just to get it).

I keep looking at things that will help in the "long run".

I live in Florida where the roads are pretty good, but I do a good bit of travelling in the Rockies in the summer (New Mexico to Canada).

I currently have run-flats, but the short list includes some sort of non RF replacement. My car does have a spare tire so RFs are totally redundant.

I had a Miata for a good while. I added a strut brace because I was told I should -- never could tell the difference.

Should some sort of anti-mushrooming or strut brace device go on the short list of mods for this summer for my car???

 

The anti-mushrooming plates were designed to solve a 1st gen problem that doesn't seem to happen with the 2nd gen cars. For you, I would say a waste of money.

Since you couldn't feel a difference with your last car, you will probably not be able to feel a stiffness improvement for a strut tower brace in your MINI, but you never know unless you try one.

 

WASTE OF MONEY

 

To date I've only seen one R56 with a mushroomed tower. So I don't worry about it too much. But the protection never hurts.

 

I'd have to say, it depends on where you drive. i live in lovely central Ohio, where the streets are littered with Baghdad-quality craters, so YES, I purchased some strut tower plates.

 

I too purchased strut tower plates for two reasons.

a) First generations had problems, I figure that it's cheap insurance since when I bought my first R56, it had only been out for a year and was still too new to hear any bad stories about mushrooming.

b) I track the car and wanted a cross brace for extra protection/rigidity. M7 made a crossbrace that incorporates the strut tower mushrooming plate.

Point is, it was a no brainer and cheap insurance for me.

For you that doesn't drive hard nor track the car, I wouldn't waste my money.

Mark