Got it in the mail today. Fast shipping . . . awesome!!!
It's going on the car tomorrow annnnd... yes it is of very good quality. I really would recommend everyone to get it:

 

I installed it yesterday and I'll admit I may have been a little quick to judge.
It still is expensive but definitely worth the expense!

The belly pan is overall relatively flat so I still have my doubts on the effect of geometry itself has on aerodynamics. That said I can definitely see how they looked at balancing engine venting while minimizing air turbulence, so yeah, I've been a little quick to judge... I get your points


Overall, I'm very happy with it. Definitely worth it!
Install was a breeze. The hardware was easy to figure out. And once it's installed it feels solid which is great.




I decided not to trim the vent to clear the auto transmission, but rather I used a heat gun to flatten it a little. It worked very well though I should have warm it up more slowly and find a good quality wooden block and on both sides to get a better and straighter a finish. I was in a rush. We don't see it much anyway so I'm happy how it came out:

 

Very nice again. I like your heat gun technique, very interesting. And nice for people who don't want to shave it for the automatic transmission pan. The reinforced material does give it a carbon look a little. I am glad it was easy to form for you.

 

Yes, the heat gun technic is really the way to go on this. The main reasonto heat it more slo wly is to prevent the surface fibers from separating. With a proper polished piece of wood pressed from both side it would have been perfect to make this adjustment.
Trimming with a dremel would be a mess in comparison. The beauty is that it doesn't take much time at all. The hard part would probably be more to prepare the proper pieces of would. Something else could be used as well!

 

It would be awesome if the belly pan was discounted during your Sale. Hint hint. Just sayin'. ;-)

 

I've been going back and forth as to whether I should do this to my 'Justa, but after driving through a ridiculous amount of snow for over 7 hours last Sunday, searching for the safest furrows to follow on un-plowed route 95 as others foundered and skidded out all around me, I'm kind of glad I didnt have anything like that which would have lifted the car as it drove over 6+ inch mounds of snow.

I'm still undecided.

 

You're over thinking it. That plate isn't going to lift you car. Snow and ice will get crushed before that happens. Your talking about a 1 tone + car...
It's also more likely most of the snow is going to be scooped up before it gets under the car.

More likely it'll be better for the engine bay not to get all that salt in there...

Just my 2ç

 

You're overthinking the salt thing. Salt rinses off. Ice and snow only compress so much and if enough of it is wedged between the bottom of the car and the ground, it will have a lifting effect.

 

Well each his own opinion, really. I'm not trying to have you purchase something you think is a waste or even dangerous...


But I'll say this from experience. My other car his lowered where the underbelly is a little lower than the MINI's. I've never run into issues with snow on the road that would lift the car, ever! even with 6/10" of snow fall.
Now if there would be very thick ice patch with snow on it that could be tall enough once compressed to hit something, and it's probably not a good idea to drive of such roads in the first place, but if that were to happen - and quite understandably we can't always predict such occasion - I would prefer the pan to take the hit than the oil pan or other part of the engine.
But in general ice lifting the car is rarely an issue and the belly pan isn't any lower than the rest of the car underside.

As far as salt is concern I really don't feel I'm over thinking it... it is really a pain around were I live during the winter. Dry salt is actually not the issue. It's when ice and snow is melted that it's the worse. Rinsing with salted water is much worse that sprinkled rock salt here and there.
My other car is 8 years old (we bought it new) and has a belly pan. The engine bay is in great condition with no corrosion for the most part other than when closer to to ground when it's exposed, axles, suspension components, sub-frame.
The car that we replaced the MINI with was 13 years old and had no protection what so ever, just a big opening with the engine in the middle. Just Near the end it was starting to become a real rusted bucket. You could see corrosion everywhere in the engine bay, screws battery contacts, everything...
Of course if you don't intend to keep the car for the long run you probably don't have to worry about rust too much.

So personally I'll go with my gut feel. I don't mind you do the same. You're the best judge for your needs

 

Just ordered one of these from ECS, will be a fun Xmas project to install on Xiao Yu.
After i swapped the front lip for the R58 piece, i felt the lower radiator hose looked too exposed, it really hangs quite low (dealer claimed it was fine)
This undertray will take care of protecting it nicely

 

Thanks

Post up some pics when you get the install done and if you need any help with the install just PM me.

T.G. - Great pics up top. And a great install, very informative.

 

Quick pic of the installed part, overall it was very easy to install.

Just get the front of the car up a little on my homemade ramps, get the original 'micro splash guard' off, install the quick screw hardware & ready to go.

I decided to just dremel off the bit that touched the auto trans, a cutting wheel at high speed made a clean cut, the heat gun was taking too long for me(Xmas lunch was waiting)

 

S'poreSTI - Looks very nice. Good job.