Finally decided to order the tower defenders because I can clearly see some mushrooming....
I got these plates from M7 and I really don't trust the design. Has anyone had any issues with mushrooming post install?

 

What don't you trust about the design? It looks like they've redesigned them, but they still look very thin in the mounting recesses for the nuts. I haven't seen any posts about mushrooming coming back with any brand of plates, but the thinness of the M7 plates in this area always made them look weak to me.

I went with the VIP strut plate because they are full thickness all around, except the recess for the ridge in the strut tower. I also purchased the optional VIP strut bar which attaches to the plates.

The ECS Tuning plates have a recess for the nuts, but they also use special fasteners similar to VIP so the plates should be thicker in this area compared to the M7 plates.

CravenSpeed also uses special fasteners which allow the plates to be full thickness in this area.

 

I just don't understand how putting a plate on top of an area that is known to push UP is the best fix...
Just installed and they look great, but only time will tell if they helped

 

That's a debate I've read many times on the forums. Thin plates are also available that mount below, between the towers and strut mounts. With both types, I haven't read anyone say the mushrooming came back after install.

As long as you pound the towers back down before install, and fix the strut mounts if it was really bad, the top plates should work fine. Periodically check the torque on the nuts as they'll keep on getting loose. It doesn't sound right. but eventually everything will settle into place and hold torque. Also, make sure not to overtorque the nuts or the studs will snap.

 

All things R53 strut plate and suspension, check it here:

http://new.minimania.com/Search_Resu...0plate/default

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

I didn't think my towers were that bad untill I got the plates and I couldn't even get them to sit flush anywhere. After about 30 minutes of hammering with a few different block of wood they're on!

 

I bought the ecs plates, I also cut some plates to between the strut mount and the tower from underneath out of 1/8th inch stainless steel. I don't think the problem would be as bad if manufactures would make the mounts a little thicker to begin with.

I'm sure the top defenders would have been enough alone, but by the time they showed up in the mail I had already gotten the lowers cut so I installed both. My towers were pretty mushroomed. Took some time going at it with a rubber mallet to get them flat again.

 

The sheet metal isn't the problem. The actual strut top mount that is UNDER the sheet metal is what mushrooms. If you take the strut out, you will see that the black metal of your strut tower top is bent like a mushroom top. The sheet metal is thin, sure, but that's not the failure point.

So, putting a plate on top of the sheet metal doesn't do anything for the sheet metal because that's not the problem. What it does, is add rigidity to the strut tower top that it is bolted to, by virtue of not allowing flex, when bolted in properly.

I was confused about this too, till someone at WMW explained it to me.

 

That's what I was talking about the "strut tower top" is called a strut mount. The strut tower is what that bolts to on the car. The mount is weak and bends and the strut tower is weak and mushrooms up with it.

 

I have aftermarket coilovers with very very stiff top plates, my towers mushroomed with a perfect imprint of my coilover, so I'd deffinately say the strut top isn't all to blame.