Just aquired an 06 MCS It has M7 strut plates on it. Pretty much my first post about this mini, I am a noob. I was wondering if anyone knows of a strut bar that can go on with this installed, or would I have to remove this and get an all in one solution? Also anyone with a strut bar notice any differences? It is a prtty solid car with out it, just wondering if it is worth it.

Thanks Mike

 

M7 makes a very stout strut bar with the 3 hole plates.
You kind of get everything rolled into one with it.
You can always sell the strut plates after you get the bar.
Yes, the strut bar does add to the chassis rigidity.

 

I have the M7 bar and plates and I was told by a guy that I had to remove the insulation on the hood so it could close properly. Well, apparently you can also get the insulation wet, then shut the hood and it will crush the insulation where the bar is, so you can keep your insulation. I dunno, but right now the bar contacts a small spot on one of the structural braces on my hood and will rattle sometimes at idle.

The only reason my bar hits my hood is because the Alta CAI box w/top pushes the bar up a little.

Just some extra info^

I didn't notice any change with the bar, but I'm sure it does something for rigidity besides looking good.

 

I noticed the bar in cornering, the front end moves more as one piece, it's a good thing. Not huge or dramatic, but good. I would recommend going with a one piece bar, M7 does an OK job, but having 5 separate pieces bolt together to make a brace is backwards in my eyes. I have it, not getting another one, but if I were to do it again, probly would go with a Mason Engineering piece.

 

[FONT='Times New Roman']Wetting the insulation didn’t help much for me (the hood still sat up a bit). So I removed the hood insulation and carefully cut out a small layer of hood insulation on the inside (side next to the hood) where the strut brace would touch. Then I wet it, replaced it and shut the hood flush. No problems seen 4 years since doing it.[/FONT]

 

There is a new listing in NAM Marketplace for M7 Strut Bar.

 

I would keep the strut tower reinforcement plates and instead of getting a top strut bar, I suggest a lower strut bar/brace.

Here is a link to Mason Engineering showing the top and bottom bars:
http://masonengineering.net/Subpages/MiniCooperR53.htm

Another good Lower Brace is the TSW X-Brace:
http://www.waymotorworks.com/tsw-xbrace.html

 

That Racing bar is a monstrosity, but the "regular" bar is very attractive.

 

Is the bottom reinforcement better than the top? Or do both have their different advantages? Is there any reason to have both?

 

In my opinion the top bar does not provide much benefit for the cost unless you install a bar that also provide strut tower top reinforcement. The strut tower tops need reinforcement to prevent mushrooming (bulging up of the sheetmetal) and that reinforcement can be accomplished in many ways; reinforcement plates, camber plates, or strut bar that includes reinforcement plates (not all bars reinforce the strut tower tops).

Since you already have the reinforcement plates, adding a top strut bar will not provide much additional benefit for the cost. Plus the top strut bar (depending on the design) has the disadvantage of getting in the way of oil changes (if you remove the filter from the top like I do) and hitting the hood insulation.

The lower brace, such as the X-Brace, will provide a handling difference you will notice. I noticed that my car wanders less under hard braking especially on uneven surfaces. The car tramlines a little less (does not follow road grooves).

 

I just purchased a M7 strut plate w/bar from a fellow Namer. Installed in less than 1 hour. Found a noticeable difference in the handle and ride. I found that my car had mushrooming. Did the 2x4 and a mallet repair to it and installed. Had a bulge in the hood. Sprayed water on insulation and closed overnight 2 days in a row. Hood now shows no bulge. If your car has strut reinforcemnet plates from M7, you would have to purchase the M7 strut bar which comes with the reinforcement plates. You can't add the bar afterwards. The plates are more for daily driving, while the strut tower is more for aggressive driving. Just keep the plates on.

 

I agree with quikmni here; the upper front strut bar does nothing for this car. The anti-mushrooming aspect of the M7 plates do work very well. Just make sure that you fix the strut towers - if bent - before installing these.

Re strut bar...the mini's engine is essentially the strut bar. There have been a number of experiments performed with a two piece strut bar. One sie is the male end and the other the female end. A zip tie was placed on the male end - which extended into the female end - and then the car was taken out on a track and given a ripping ride. The zip tie barely moved. I never noticed a difference with mine and sold it.

The plates are a requirement for street driven cars with heavier spring and damping rates as drive though potholes increase the potential for the strut towers to bulge. We seldom run into a surface rough enough to cause mushrooming on the track.

The sub-frame brace is a difference story.

 

I just installed an m7 bar and my hood would barely close, bulged almost 1/2 inch once finally closed.
Is this normal or is it an indication of mushrooming?

 

It is normal until the sound deadening material crushes down around the bar. You can speed it up by wetting down the material then closing the hood to let it dry.

 

I have the m7 strut bar setup with the alta CAI, I don't have any problems closing my hood.

Regarding setup, I track basically anything I own including my mini r53.

When I first drove my mini on the track I felt it definitely understeered like crazy and at the end of the spectrum it would rotate suddenly, this told me that the major flaw was that their was too much flex. Think of the aggregate chassis as a giant spring, it will twist and turn till it suddenly wants to snap back in place. Of course this isn't good for predictable handling, you want to know what the car is going to do at the limits and not guess if its going to understeer or oversteer.

The m7 + TSW x Brace + solid engine mounts helped make the car easier to drive at high speed because the front end became "less vague". Yeah I know it's hard term to quantify but everything you do to the car the goal should be drivability, it doesn't matter what it says on a piece of paper, it matters if you can feel what the car is doing and if you can get quantifiable results (for me I base that solely on lap times).

Also, not many people mention this, but braking confidence is much much better. I would trip abs way too early on my Carbotech xp10/xp8 setup in stock form. With the stiffer front end, I could wait moments later to brake and brake deeper into a corner. This is key for good lap times as being able to brake up to the apex (confidently) and carrying more speed is essential for good lap times to the relatively anemic mini.

 

How dd you all go about wetting the insulation? Remove and spray while on a flat service, spray bottle, etc?

 

Spray it with water until it's soaked, then close the hood.