A couple months later EDIT: Absolutely, positively, do NOT use the supplied hardware from Mason Engineering. Place them in the trash and do not look back. Get an extra set of OEM control arm bolts (the torque to yield ones) and use them for the rearward bolt holes. Torque them appropriately. Use the OEM bolts that were previously there in the forward mounting points after shortening them. Again, do NOT use the supplied black coated hardware because it is awful and rusts through extremely fast. October to February for me.

I recently removed my brace during a front control arm bushing install and the supplied hardware sheared and generally sucked so i've been driving without the brace for a couple weeks now. I do indeed feel a difference without the brace. I will hopefully reinstall the brace soon, but I'm not sweating it too much. The difference is noticeable but not that profound. Certainly not a "must do" mod, but it is an improvement.

I do think the TSW/WMW X brace is a superior brace, though a bit more money.

Ireland Engineering did not provide hardware for this part, which is made by Mason Engineering. Mason was helpful in providing the necessary hardware EDIT : the hardware sucks though, so just get it from IE and do as I suggested above. The brace was purchased from a local shop.

This is a 2005 R53 MCS with 50k miles. Install was pretty easy with ramps.

Other relevant mods: 16 inch wheels, non-runflat all season tires, front cabrio braces. Stock suspension.

Expectations:
I am generally not a "bracing" person and think there are better ways to spend your money. For some reason though I had a nagging feeling that it would be worth it on my Mini. I just wasn't feeling confident about how the car felt and the chassis just kinda felt and sounded like it takes a pounding with the short travel OEM suspension on the really really crappy roads I drive on. So I went ahead got the brace. I was expecting less interior noise/rattles, a slight change in handling, and a slight change in ride. I knew the under brace would do more than a strut brace.

Handling
I was surprised that the change was this noticeable. Basically I felt better turn-in and a more confident feel through a corner. Not a HUGE difference, but noticeable and overall a nice change. Other's have reported slightly more understeer, but I did not notice any at my street speeds. The change in turn-in was easily felt on the street without pushing the car. I have more confidence in the car when pushing it a little, which may be psychological, but the feel is just better. It feels like the chassis was acting as a secondary spring, and now that it's more solid, the secondary spring of the chassis has been removed and the main springs are doing the work.

Ride:
Better, I think. Really it may be the same, or only slightly better. The difference I think is that bumps are dealt with in a way that doesn't make me cringe simply from the noise/feel. I get more of a solid thud as opposed to what to me sounded like the chassis taking a pounding. Speed bumps etc certainly do not feel worse and it might feel a little more composed over jumbly sections of pavement.

Noise:
We had a cold spell here the same day I put my brace on, which usually awakens some of my interior rattles. They're still there, but maybe a little less? Not sure. As I said in the above section, hitting small, medium, or large bumps just sounds and feels less painful and drama free. That is worth a lot to me and honestly has taken some getting used to.

Overall:
It does not make the same handling improvement a rear swaybar or camber plates will do, but I will say that I do not regret my purchase. In addition to the improved turn-in and feel from the front, the car clearly feels more solid and deals with road imperfections in a much better way. Just a little more composed and less drama in terms of handling, ride, and noise. It is more fun to drive and I'm confident that's not just placebo effect.

I think fixed front camber plates would be a better first mod and i have some waiting to go on. But they should work together nicely.

Hope that helped.

- Andrew

 

Also, I think if I already had a few more mods on the car, especially poly front control arm bushings or the Alta PSRS, the change would be more noticeable. Just a hunch.

- Andrew

 

I agree with your findings. I have the OMP underbrace. We don't hear this kind of 'more + experience' from strut tower brace for the Mini. I am not saying that the tower brace won't do any good but I think that the lower brace does it better and can be felt better.

 

Got my MM brace a week or so ago, and have yet to install it. I will add my 2 cents after I have...

 

Andrew
Great write up. I think that you are correct that you would feel more of an improvement if your front controll arm bushings were in good shape. I can tell you from experiance that the mid brace from GTT will make about the same kind of improvement and works well with the lower front brace. I do not know of any US suppliers for the mid brace and wish someone would make them to save the shipping costs. I think the combination of these braces is a well kept secret and allows the rest of the suspension to work as it was designed.
Steve

 

You should also check out our X brace. If you like the smaller triangular brace, you LOVE the X brace.

 

did you get your hardware from mason then or did you purchase it yourself? Im in the same boat IE didnt send me any hardware for my lower stress bar. I watched the how-to video on mini-madness, they use a threaded insert in the front with a 15 mm bolt and replace the control arm bolts because they a stretch bolts?!?!

 

Mason provided everything for me, just give them a call or email. It was pretty cheap. Makes sense to just go through mason for the bar in retrospect.

Drew

 

I got lost here I guess... Does Mason make the Madness bar, or are they also making a "mid bar" like the one available from GTT?

 

mason makes the bars for MM, ireland engineering..etc. the mid bar is only available from GTT

 

That's what I thought... I'm in touch with GTT and looking to get a bar sent to me in a couple weeks. Thanks for the info.

 

When I originally purchased mine from MM I recieved all the hardware. It only consisted of two studs and nuts for the front mount. Their was no mention of replacing the controll arm bolts but it is something that you should replace as it is a one time only use because of the stretch factor. The first time I mounted it I used the included hardware. When putting my car up for the winter on stands and doing my annual under carriage cleaning and re torqueing of fasteners I noticed that the supplied studs were all rusty and one had sheared off. My remeady for this was to remove the supplied hardware from both front locations and utilize OEM bolts (which are plated to prevent rust) used for the front controll arm bushings. In order to use these bolts I had to measure the correct depth, just short of bottoming out, and shorten the bolts accordingly. Since then I have had no problems.
Steve

 

+1 on the OMP lower brace.
I added one about a year ago and could feel the difference. It is a little like putting a good sway on other cars. It made the MINI much more stable.
Not as much show as the tower brace but much better results.

 

I contacted mason engineering and they said they would sent me some hardware. they also wanted me to share their prototype lower stress bar for the r53's. I told john my thoughts and that most of the discuss on NAM is which is better? A trapaziod design like the mason, Ireland Engineering, Mini Madness or the TSW x-brace. I told him that this design would probably be best suited for the hard-core auto-crosser. I also mention maybe doing a combination of his lower stress bar with the TSW style x-brace

 

me likey When will this be available?

 

i guess email them or give them a call. here is the email they sent me:

we have attached pictures of our prototype lower front X-brace. This brace fits all R53 chassis. Please feel free to share pictures with other mini owners since this product has just been designed and its not on our web site yet. We are selling this brace for $250.00. in 400 deg.powder coated carbon steel

 

Drat! Just bought the ME brace a few weeks ago. Now they come out with this! (slaps forehead!)
When I installed the brace, I had a heck of a time with the drivers side LCA bolt. It was a PITA to get it all the way tight.


Jim

 

Hi Jim,

Hope you are well, and still snapping pictures. (I was slated to go to AMVIV this year, but had a last minute medical problem I had to deal with instead.)

The Mason X - Brace is a great product. I have one on my 2006 R53. I agree with Andyroo's overall assessment, but first let me tell you what I am running on my car.

Hotchkis competition camber plates, rear camber links, front and rear stiffer sway bars, KW variant 3 coil overs, Alta PSRS, urethane bushings, and a few other odds and ends and tricks.

The car feels better, on the initial turn-in, in an incremental way. There is less body roll, but I already have a very stiff setup car, and the X brace has improved in limiting the car energy to just turn in and not 'roll'... My car ride is not super harsh, just harsh, but I am going for performance, and that's the price for a tight well handling car.

I simply have not been able to get on the car as hard as I want in a controlled safe environment since having the x brace put on. I can feel the difference of the x brace being present and when not on the car.

Again, I agree with Andyroo's overall assessment:
"In addition to the improved turn-in and feel from the front, the car clearly feels more solid and deals with road imperfections in a much better way. Just a little more composed and less drama in terms of handling, ride, and noise. It is more fun to drive and I'm confident that's not just placebo effect."



I am going to autocross the car for the first time after putting the x brace on, this weekend (12/4) And will post up my observations Sunday. I am going to do runs with, and without the brace, without any other changes.

Mason Engineering is a quality company, and I have met John Mason. He has years of racing experience (with teams like Hall, Penske, Newman-Hass, etc...) and has been behind a number of products sold by other companies. I do vouch for his professionalism, and reliable business dealings.

Will post pics when I get home tonight.

Hi to all NAM-er's !!

 

As promised here is a picture of the x brace installed on my car;



Also the thing is really quick to install, just have to jack up the car. (Recommend evenly raising the car, not mounting the x brace while the car is jacked up from one side only.)

I think it looks real sharp !

 

I like this!! You know I am going to add this to my car. I have the lower trapezoid brace and the GTT mid-brace. I think this just adds more stiffness to the front-end. My car is going to end up looking like a ladder underneath. Add this to my JCW springs and FSD shocks and I think I have a nearly perfect street setup that shouldn't compromise comfort yet still improve handling.

I had bought a Mason upper strut brace to put on my car but it will not work with the GP intercooler as they will hit. This resolves that delimma and improves upon it.

Since this goes forward under the motor it looks like you should be able to use this with the Mason bar or the X-Brace.

Anybody have any straight on shots to see how it affects ground clearance? That would be my only concern as I have the ditch style curb at the end of my driveway which already prevents me from pulling in. I have to go at an angle. Glad my driveway is long enough. Just want to be sure I wouldn't scrape.

 

So, just to ask again, anybody know how this affects ground clearance? Any front on shots of it under the car? Would this work with a skid plate?

Any info would be appreciated.

 

Looks like the new Mason X-Brace combined with the TSW X-Bracw would be a pretty good setup then correct?

 

That little lip skirt thing under the car at the rear of the subframe is still the lowest point. the brace goes across it now though and is decidedly less flexible. i don't expect it to give me problems at stock ride height. no pics, sorry. i think mini mania's site has a pic of their brace installed.

- andrew

 

it remains to be seen if they use the same mounting points which would mean you have to pick one. it would probably be overkill anyway.

- andrew

 

Ran my car at the autocross this weekend. Felt really good. That is about the only way to say it. The x-brace is just better, with it, had some hard turns and felt no chassis flex whatsoever. (It always helps when you come in first, right?)

As for clearance, my track car has been lowered 0.75", and it has hit twice on the road. But both times were unusual. The last time, there was a bubble in the road, that was under the middle of the car, and it hit it. But rather that that the gear casing right ?!! The other time, I was doing a night TSD Road Rally, and had pulled way off the road at a checkpoint for a course worker, and had the two right wheels off the road and on dirt.

But on a car that has not been lowered, it should be fine, as Andyroo points out, the horizontal "little lip skirt thing" is lower - (you can see that if you look close on the pic I posted above... )

Skid plate should be fine going over the x-brace.