As suggested:

Please - keep this civil - an impossibility, I know.

my experience:

M7 Strut bar - nicely made piece....one of teh few they've gotten 'right'.

M7 USS - great concept, but it would be nice for Peter and crew to disclose exhaust fitment issues - I had two USS kits and two modded MINI's and neither worked due to clearance problems with the OEM cat (brought on by aftermarket exhaust installs apparently moving things a bit). So close to being a good product....a bit of flexbility for those running aftermarket exhausts would be a good design goal for a USSv2

 

I don't think this will last but what the hell. I had the same parts as PGT.

I think everyone knows my USS saga.

The M7 bar looked nice but did not fit either of my cars without a huge bulge in the hood to the point where I couldn't even latch it.

I still have the OCC but that's just a re-badged item.

I also had the front CF splitter which caused my aero front bumper to get ripped, so I had it removed.

 

I do hereby call to order this meeting of the u+004D u+0037, er, I mean, M7 Accountability Club..... (0100110100110111001000000100000101100011011000110 11011110111010101101110011101000110000101100010011 01001011011000110100101110100011110010010000001000 011011011000111010101100010 would have been funnier, but maybe that's just my sense of humor)

I drive an '06 R53. I've got those strut tower thingies. Had them on for a year. Have not pried them off to look underneath. Car drives straight and true -- I have no reason to suspect mushrooming underneath. I do have reason to have earned them, though -- I have not been kind to my car at all times.

I have a USS installed. No issues for me -- I checked ahead of time to see if there were reports of it having problems with my exhaust or after market mods, before buying or trying to install it. I have no metrics to report, no scientific data, only the pattern of recent complaints from my kids in the backseat, who now often find themselves smashed up against the side of the car as I go zipping around turns. I have routes that I drive regularly -- good, twistie roads with 120 km/h speed limits -- and I have only my own pattern analysis to suggest that it makes a difference. Could be the car, could be me -- the USS seems to make a difference in something that's happening, a sentiment echoed by the kids.

I think there's an OCC waiting to be installed, hiding somewhere in the basement. Next mod day, I suppose. I have not installed an M7 sticker yet, either, but I hear that it'd be good for 7 hp by itself.

 

here's me ________________ here is a 10' pole _______________ here is this thread
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All i have to say is buyer beware.

 

I use the M7 strut bar and like the design of it. Sure it raised my hood a bit, but following the molding instructions made it an easy fit.

I have no problems with M7 to be honest.

 

I have the STB, raised the hood a tad, i'm to lazy to do the easy fix for it, so no biggie. I use their 16% and 2% pullies, no problem with those. I have their springs and love them, they lower it just right . I don't track so I like that they are progressive. And I use their brake rotors and they are just fine, the hubs on the rotors are just as shinny, did I spell that right?, and rust free as when I put them on. Contrary to many aftermarket rotors I have seen. Oh plus I bought the Ultimate Grills from them. Now i'm not sure what is "rebadged" or whatever, I really don't care, they sell them I bought the stuff from them, and everything is cool, the world is still spinning around . P.S. I also use the APD and Aerogel, not sure about the ADP, it looks cool . The aerogel has lowered my under bonnet temps according to my very limited brain power .

 

I have the STB on both MINIs and I don't have any issues. Now, I also don't have the hood liners on as well. When I did have the liner on and the STB, I didn't have the bulge that most people get. Perhaps it is because it is an '04. I also have the APD and the CF gear shift ****. Those, of course IMO, are totally bling

As for the USS, I wanted to get it, but have heard about the fitment issues and am holding off. One of our members is getting the TSW brace and want to see how that is.

 

I have their Strut tower bar,16% pulley, OCC, 180degree thermostat, and the front grills. I love the strut tower bar and their thermostat. Made the worlds diffrence. If I had some more money I would get a couple more things from them. M7s products look absolutly stunning. Peter,Randy, and Nardo have always been good to any questions I had and are great to hang with.

 

I have the m7 AGS V.3, 16% pulley, and soon to put on their strut brace..... i have to say that none of these products have caused me grief or pain, they actually make me smile everytime i drive my car...... I have to say that M7 does exellent work in making their products.....

GREG

 

I've got the 16% pulley... I like the extra lip on the outside that, to my mechanically untrained mind, seems like it might keep the belt on better. I got it from a reseller that had a discount arrangement for my local club members... couldn't pass it up, plus I like frequenting local vendors if I can.

I've also got a STB on the way that I'm buying used from a fellow club member... I like the large amount of surface area contact to the tops of the strut towers. It's also a very clean design and fits in well with my modding theme/look. I'm sure that I'll be doing the liner wetting thing very soon.

I've got a Grillcraft lower grill which M7 sells as the 'Ultimate Lower Grill'. It's a very well made piece so even if they are re-badging it, at least they are rebadging good components. I originally tried to order this from M7 directly and there were some customer service issues, but I'll refrain from a full retelling as it doesn't have much to do about the product itself.

I'd love to hear some independent testing (real life, not just modeling) about the CF radiator airflow splitter!

 

I dont think this will end well. But I'm game.

I have the M7 STB, no issues with the hood on my '03. The advantages of a STB have been debated ad nauseum, but the M7 version does have the heavy mounting plates which help at least a minimal amount in preventing tower mushrooming. I also have the OCC which has worked fine, and the diverter plate, which I got simply as a dress-up item that keeps tools and whatnot from falling into the space in front of the radiator-a/c condenser.

 

Dont really have any of their performance mods. But I did just recently purchase their ram scoop (a bling mod imo) and although I did have some fitment issues I made one call to Peter and he was very helpful. Even offered to replace it all together no questions asked. Very next day I passed by and they fixed it. So in terms of customer service they get from me.

 

I've had the so-far-mushroom-proof strut tower plates for 25K miles and the USS for about 20K and the wonderfully blingarific ADP. Like about 20 out of 21 people surveyed, I think the USS makes a noticeable difference on my cabrio. And, since I don't own an aftermarket exhaust that wasn't designed to fit within the OEM envelope/tunnel, I don't have any fitment issues.

Is it better / worse / the same as the TSW X-brace? I have no idea - but since the x-brace didn't exist a year ago, I'm blissfully motoring along with my USS. And, like abuzavi, even my kids can tell the difference.

 

I only have one M7 product on my car... oh wait, my iPhone is ringing...Bling...Bling...

Nah, I have the Strut Tower Plates and I am confident that they are keeping my strut towers in shape.

 

So, so far there seems to be an agreement that their parts are stunning and everyone loves the strut bar. It does not answer the question of whether there are performance gains, or they are just "bling" mods (or does it?). Does anyone actually track their cars and can say with some degree of certainty that they were able to perform better by getting better times, or placing better than they used to? I am sure everyone's kids are adorable, but that hardly qualifies them as experts. Neither does "spirited motoring".

 

I have the m7 16% pulley and that's it. It works, and it came with my car. Oh I have those strut tower things, but they don't fit on my '05 MCS -fit fine on my '03 Cooper though.

Course I will say that the 16% pulley in combination with my Alta Intake, and Invidia Exhaust, and DT BPV, and Jan's Tuning, I'm pushing 202.1whp

Starting with 168hp at the crank on the 2005 MINI, after a 12% loss in WHP figures, that would actually be 147.84whp.

So the mods of 16% pulley, Invidia Exhaust, Alta Intake, actually put me at 183.4whp--thus I had a 35.36hp improvement with the mods alone. After the tune of 202.1whp--my total delta from before a stock MCS to a tuned and modded MCS is 54.26 hp.

The pulley is definitely a big part of that equation.

 

the USS passed the 'wife test' as far as improvements made to her cabrio. It failed the 'wife test' in the 'does the bank teller think I'm driving a '76 Granada from teh racket it makes?' category however.

 

I have a M7 strut bar, and I love the function of it, and though it did raise the hood a bit, it's not noticeable unless I point it out. I think M7's customer service is awesome too, they would put customer's as a priority and will work out any changes in orders and they are happy to do so. They will follow up with customers if you request them to do so and they are delighted to answer any question you may have. I have personally met Randy over from M7 and he is a great guy, he answers my questions about the M7 products and on NAM he's the same person, always willing to go the extra mile to help out! Great products and great company!

 

Of course they are talking their products up beyond their actual performance. All vendors of all types of products do this, MINI or not. Its called salesmanship.

 

How does the USS change the sound of your MINI? Just wondering; I'd been seriously considering that addition to our '05 MCSc

 

I would have to agree. I've known Randy for quite awhile--well since I met him at a MINI car meet in 2003, and he's definitely a great asset to the M7 team. A knowledgeable and genuine fellow.

 

What he's talking about is the rattling you get when there's interference between the USS and the exhaust system.

I don't recall exactly, but I think there have been cases where it's hit the JCW exhaust or some of the aftermarket exhaust systems. I don't recall hearing of a case where it's interfered with the standard 'S' exhaust, but if it's happened, I'm sure someone will mention it.

 

I have alot of M7 goodies great stuff. The Strut bar the best I have come across. Did not raise or cause my hood problems.
Have there progressive rate springs. 16% pulley no CAI. DFIC with Gel blanket. . I see great gains. Car pulls smoothly. Listen if your not
tracking the car. You drive it daily you feel the seat of the pants increase thats all that matters. If your not tracking then a 10th or 2 of HP will not be notice. M7 design and distribute a superior product and thats my 2 cents.

 

I think a lot of the time, "butt dyno or seat of the pants" is what people think they feel to convince themselves that the money they spent was worth it.

 

it actually hits the OEM cat on both cars we had aftermarket exhausts on. apparently, the way the hangers are set up changes the position ever so slightly. seems like an easy thing to cure, but M7's solution was quite elusive....best I could get from them was: