Please slap me and direct me to the proper thread as I am sure this has been discussed.

what is the general consensus about the shock tower top plates, the aluminum ones? I feel (and have seen this said) that a plate over the top cannot stop the mushrooming and a sandwich type of situation would be the only real solution. Obviously a 130 dollar solution (top plates) sounds a heck of alot better than the other option but I want whatever I do to work and not just look pretty.

any solid thoughts on if they would do anything to assist in stopping the shrooming of the towers?

Regards: Peter

 

After reading the threads about mushrooming and paying mini 500$ to replace my upper strut tops, I ended up picking up a set of used camber plates on here, then also had the m7 strut top bar installed on top of that. I went with the sandwich action. I feel safe and it looks good.

 

I have heard that sandwich type protection would be better . . . and some explanations to support that.
But,
(and I may be wrong on this)
I have yet to hear of anyone who has used top plates like the ones sold by M7 and who then experienced mushrooming.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has.

 

ive seen mushrooming after the m7 plates were installed at my mechanic's.
best guess is that the STP protected it from being as damaged as it would have been without them.

but i think camber plates are the best solution. no need for sandwiching.
really, camber plates are for better handling. the bonus is that they'll prevent mushrooming

 

I hope the shock tower plates help cause I put them on my '03 MC and I'm not gonna be messing with "camber plates".

 

Twice my wife hit potholes at highway speeds and damaged run flat tires. In one case, the wheel even split. I imagine the strut towers would have mushroomed under these conditions if I didn't have M7 plates (with strut bar). Since these incidences, I installed some fixed angle camber plates. Now I have a "sandwhich." I love how the auto corners with these camber plates and, because they are much thicker than the stock plates, the strut towers are well protected.

 

I do feel that the sandwich action would be best. is that a self install, I am pretty handy or does the car have to go in to get done and then aligned.

I have hard the tops of the towers need to be flat as a pancake to start, mine are ever so slightly raised, just a touch mind, not a large amount, I wonder if that is the start of mushrooming or how they are made, I compared to other cars on the lot and they were all the same.

Mentioning wheels, those 2 piece, or are they three, are lovely on the new clubman and some JCW cars I have seen but any that are over 2 years old over here (including the similar wheels I see on ford mondeos) are always corroded. Shame as they are lovely!

Peter

 

Camber plates and M7 plates. Add to that polyurithane control arm bushings, and my car's alignment cannot be touched by any pothole. Super solid and no mushrooming despite some chasms I've hit in my travels of the interstate highway system. But I guess it helps that I have 195/60/15 tires.

 

pmustang
You can install the camber plates yourself, but the front end will require alignment when done.

My strut tower tops were flat or true. It wouldn't matter if there was a little deformation, but I'd probably make them flat if it were mine.

 

My wife and I have two identical 2006 'S' convertibles, with the same 17" wheels:

Hers - No tower protection for the first 6,000 miles = mushroomed passenger-side tower. Repaired damage and added tower plates, and 25,000 miles later, there's been no more mushrooming.

Mine - Installed tower plates the day I brought it home, and then added camber plates at 14,000 miles = no mushrooming ever, and I have 32,000 miles now.

 

My '05 when I bought it in Feb had the drivers side tower slightly mushroomed up,...the passengers side perfectly flat. I removed the left side strut, repaced strut mount, which was really out of shape, tapped the top of tower flat again, and installed the M7's.
I cant imagine only having installed the M7 plate and letting the top strut mount go.....[which I suspect a lot of people do].....it was really mushroomed out of shape, and the studs were spread.
I do feel under most conditions, for most people, the M7 type of fix is a good one, and good insurance......I would suggest these from the start before you need them.....
but if you already have mushrooming, better change out the top strut mounts [or go to camber plates] too...

Steve

 

^ True - the only "issues" I've ever seen with M7 plates were with cars which had already experienced some mushrooming before installation

 

Our '03 MCS had mushrooming after installing M7 plates. After repairing it for the 3rd time, we ditched the M7 plates and I installed IE fixed camber plates with the Craven top plates, which IMHO, fit the contours of the towers better than the M7 version.

I give M7 credit for filling the need quickly, but since then, I think Craven improved the idea and is now offering a better product for the task at hand. I installed a lot of M7 plates and the difference is night and day compared to the Craven plates I've installed in the last few cars. For one, installing the Craven plates requires fixing any existing mushrooming - otherwise, they simply won't fit.

Hopefully, the thicker metal of the camber plates combined with the sandwich action of the Craven plates will keep further mushrooming at bay. Fingers crossed.

 

^ good to know -- thanks for shattering my false sense of security (so much for sleeping well at night)

 

I am running H-Sport Camber plates with M7 top strut plates...makes a nice sandwich and no way they could mushroom.

 

I have a JCW with sport suspension and 17" wheels. I put the M7 SRP's on about two weeks after I got the car, and haven't had any mushrooming yet.

I autocross, and drive daily on the roughest stretch of I-5 there is.

 

My old 02 MCS had a Dinan stb on from day one and after 50,000miles had no mushooming with 215/35/18's lowered on eibach springs with stock stuts (worn out) and we get plenty of pot holes here in the late winter/early spring as the snow clears.

 

If you were determined to only use 1 fix to prevent mushrooming, I would go with the IE fixed camber plates. They are not too much more expensive than the reinforcement plates. The problem is that the reinforcement plates alone will not prevent deformation of the stock mount. The ie camber plates are much wider with more surface area. If you prefer to keep your camber stock, then you should call Ireland engineering and ask them to make a stock camber version of their strut mount. After seeing what happens to the strut mount with mushrooming, I have drawn my own conclusion that having a really thin weak strut mount with practically no surface area in contact with the tower is as much at fault as the thin towers.

But the best bet is to use reinforcement on top and use a beefed up strut mount.

Replacing the strut mount is pretty simple. You will just have to have something to compress the springs. No major work involved. Maybe a couple hours at the most.

 

+1 i have the ireland camber plates and have no shrooming. i'll probably add some craven top plates at some point for a little more piece of mind and a little bling.

 

It should be evident by now that there is no consensus on this issue.

One thing that should be obvious to all is that the plates that are sold to prevent mushrooming are remarkably stupid designs, as they are on the wrong side of the sheet metal to spread the load and prevent mushrooming.

 

LOL not really oh misinformed one.......you can reinforce any plate from either side and get the same results. As long as the plate is properly attached and designed as the Craven one is.

Now the best way is to get the camber plates, but the Craven STP's will work.

 

Agreed.

Disagree.

First, think about how the mushrooming is happening. An upward force on the strut stresses the strut mount, causing the studs to splay outwards, taking the tower with it.

The way the Craven plates capture the strut mount studs and then tie them all together with the top plate makes this splaying action very difficult. Impossible? No, I'll never say that, but highly unlikely - chances are the tower metal will fatique and fail first.

The M7 plates don't capture the studs the same way, although they will 'limit' mushrooming as eventually the splayed studs will contact the top plate. And I'll tell you this - removing an M7 plate after the tower and strut mount have mushroomed a bit is NOT fun...

 

Where can I find these craven plates?

Many thanks. Peter

 

cravenspeed.com

 

go with some camber plates. Not only will it make the strut tower stronger, but it will improve one of the design deficiencies in the Mini suspension geometry. Dinan is a bit less agressive than the IE versions....

I think the upper plate works to an extent, but it's not going to do as well as a plate from below. HAs to do with the geometry of the lower plate and the like.... But it will improve things, as many with strut tower bars and plates have found out.

You can do the plate install yourself, just get an alignement when done as camber and toe couple.

Matt

ps, here's a link to a "how to" for doing plates and spring perches....

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...&postcount=331