Hi there! First time posting - sorry for the novel.

I just bought a 2004 MCS and drove it from CO to WI. The upper strut mounts were creaky in the cold but in okay condition (showing signs of wear, but not a top priority for replacement). I took them down just enough to lubricate the tops and reinstall them. Of course, I started with just the one I thought was creaking, put it back together and then heard a slightly quieter creak from the other side. After the second time with the wheels off, the creaking went away, but I ended up with a clunking sound on the passenger side. Guessing I didn't tighten the stabilizer link enough because those are the only other nuts I loosened for the quick fix.

Now I'm looking at taking the wheels off for the third time, and rather than doing this all over again in a few months when it gets really cold, I opted to just get whole new loaded struts and stabilizer links. It seems like a good opportunity to install strut tower defenders and maybe a brace.

I ordered the strut tower defenders from Cravenspeed. A brace for the strut towers was a little harder to find than I expected, but I'm considering this one from ECS.

Does the brace really make a difference? Mainly, I'm hoping that it will reduce some dash rattles and the vibration I see when I look in the rear view mirror.

I'm not trying to make my Mini a track car or anything, but I'd definitely like to make the ride a little smoother. Anything else I ought to consider while I'm at it? Recommendations welcome!

 

Don't commit to a strut tower brace until you do the basics. After the struts are installed, you'll need an alignment but I'm betting that you probably need front lower control arm bushings. If that's the case, do that concurrent with the struts and you'll just need an alignment once. Check tire age, treadwear, pressures and balance.

 

A strut tower brace will make an amazing difference in the handling of your MINI. It will also eliminate suspension deflection noise. I resisted installation for years because I didn't feel it would make much of a difference. I was wrong.