Yeah - it's a no-name bolt-on, but until I luck into a nice used M7 bar (or save up for it) I figure this might help a BIT. I see that it's a straight bar, but it's on risers so I'm thinking that it will clear my air intake and such...



Has anyone out there used a bar like this and if so, did it clear the bonnet blanket and all engine parts? Did those welded riser struts crack the moment the chassis flexed?

Thanks!

 

I don't have one -- but it does seem silly to have such a solid-looking strut bar that is attached through those weld points on the risers. You could put a steel I-beam in there -- but it doesn't do any good if it's on there with a 1/2" weld point.

 

And the pivot points there with the bolts through them. That's not even flex. That's just outright movement. They're probably there so those welds don't break. Looks like useless bling (is there any other kind?), to me.

Zip

 

Yeah I was wondering if one could crank down those bolts sufficiently to stop any movement.... Many bars have them, but not all.

 

Just looking at it, I can't imagine that those joints would stand up to the twisting forces transmitted to them through the chassis/frame/whathaveyou. I'd save my $$ and go for a good solid bar.

Zip

 

My 2 cents Wait and find a good one....

 

(Sigh)... $200 for an M7, with the possibility of it interfering with the bonnet. I just dunno...

Thanks, guys!

 

I have one (Had some paypal dollars left over).

It fit fine clearing all items it had to clear. Clearly, bottom of the line but its holding up just fine. When it comes to strut braces the reality is on the street your not going to notice whether you have one or not. They don't come into play until your pushing the car at its limits - autoX or the track.

I doubt it would hold up on a race car nor would I want it on "my" race car but for a street car where it serves more as bling than anything else ... your call.

If you gotta have a brace then buy the M7 for it also addresses mushrooming which is a bigger problem.

 

Got mine off Ebay I don't think it did much but push the back of my bonnet up. It's an inexpensive piece & it looks it. I dumped it & went with a JCW bar.

 

You can get a bit of a price break with one of these from Promini. They are silver bars without engraved M7 logo. I've read on another forum that one of the M7 guys acknowledged that they are the same as M7 and the supplier sold them to Promini by mistake.

 

THANK YOU - I knew I saw the M7 style one somewhere else, but couldn't remember where I saw it! That's brilliant - appreciate it.

EDIT - hmmmm... Does the bar not fit the cabrio for some reason? When I choose just the Cooper S on Promini's site I get the bar as an option, but when I tell it cabrio it removes it. I've seen many MINIs but don't see anything particularly different under the convertible bonnet...

 

The Promini website is not well maintained. When I was ordering something from them a while ago, I noticed a number of items that were not transfered to the cabrio category or listed for 2005 models but not 2006.

 

They replied - so quick! It does fit according to ProMINI. Cool...

 

I think it depends on the MINI. When I installed my M7, it barely had any effect with the bonnet. It pushed the back edge up more on a fellow club members car.

 

It's not a possibility, it's a certainty that it will interfere. Even though it does, I feel it's one of the best out there. I bought mine to keep the mushrooming strut towers at bay. After 19,000 miles it's doing its job.

 

That Promini strut bar is the same. Only at a reduced price.

 

And unpainted, which I actually prefer. I think I'll be placing an order shortly.

 

Mines unpainted too. It's black anodized, but I know what you mean. I bet you polish that bad boy.

 

Actually, Mark offered to powder coat it for me. I think I may take him up on the offer.

 

Actually I think that's a better plan. Once you polish something, you will always be polishing it to keep it looking good. Powder coat.

 

I had one and ended up giving it away. It wash a cheap piece of junk, i could grab it and flex it about an inch either way with just may hands. Dont waste your money, even for bling it looks cheap.

 

A trick I've heard about, is to spray your under bonnet sound proofing with a bit of water, next cut a piece of cardboard the same size as the bar, use plastic wrap to hold the cardboard in place & keep the bar from changing color (because of the water) & close the bonnet. Yes the bonnet will pop up in the back, but in a day or so the sound proofing will take form & the bonnet will go back into place once you remove the cardboard. Just a thought.....

 

I have the M7 Strut Tower Brace in my 06 MCSC...here's how I dealt with a bit of bonnet lift:

Overnight
Use a spray bottle of hot water and soak the liner where the cross brace hits it, be generous with the application... then lay down a couple pieces of plastic bag or wax paper across the brace and close the hood. Wait till morning. Make sure to remove the plastic or wax paper... could get rather unpleasant if you forget it. The liner will mold itself to the brace and fix the issue. This is a better fix than cutting the lining as I have seen on some cars.

 

That's a great idea....

 

That's what Crashton did and it looks pretty good - great tip on wrapping it with plastic and using cardboard - that little bit of extra thickbness will help shrink the liner a bit more, I reckon. Thanks!