Does anyone make a solid one piece one?
(rather than the three piece ones that are the bar and two end pieces)

May add one for "dress up" to distract from the trimmed shock tower.

 

If you don't mind ordering from England GTT makes a really nice one.

 

The strut bar will have to be removed for some maintenance jobs. If you have to also jack up the front end, the struts will drop unless you replace the bolts. I'm not sure if it makes a difference how many times the strut mount bolts are removed and re-torqued, but it seems like less of an issue to remove just the cross bar. Just something to consider.

 

Not sure if it will fit earlier models, but AEM makes a solid one for the R56.

 

I have this. It's the mother of all strut braces.

http://www.gtt.uk.com/brakes.asp
http://www.mini2.com/forum/gt-tuning...-1st-pics.html
Mine is black, like this: http://www.mini2.com/forum/2683553-post115.html

Actually I've taken it off my 2006 R52 (recently sold) and I can make it available for sale. PM me if interested.

 

How is it over the strut tower itself? The pics make it look like it is not contoured around the top bulges. I haven't been able to find any good ones of the towers, only the whole engine bay.

 

No, the underside of the brace isn't contoured to sit flush against the surface of the strut tower.

 

With how the GTT strut brace is design it is made to protect against the mushrooming and to protect the most you would be best off putting an insulator plate on the bottom side than trying to stop it with the top strut brace.