I am new to the mini world and will be ordering an '09 soon. I have read a lot about tower deformation and have learned that I should take a preventative position right from the start. My question is - Will a factory installed JCW strut tower brace prevent mushrooming or should I skip it and get an aftermarket one? If so, which one is the best? : )

 

Oh, I should have mentioned that I will be ordering an S (R56?) with 17" run flats. No track driving, just worried about potholes and ruining a new car!

 

The tower deformation was an issue with earlier models. There haven't been any reports of deformation with the R56. MINI made the towers beefier.

However, if you are concerned, there is a 3rd party strut brace that has integrated braces. I have the JCW and it porbably provides some reinforcement, but it doesn't cover the entire area.

 

if you're worried about mushrooming, use "strut tower plates," the brace itself will only provide minimal protection against that problem.

 

strut braces with single pivots at the towers on them are useless since they flex a that joint when loaded.
http://img.alibaba.com/photo/1152541..._Tower_Bar.jpg
IE these like JCW one is worthless...

and a decent strut brace should have not pivots on it
http://www.esmhawaii.com/user/image/stbBig.jpg
this one has no pivots.

and a good one will bolt to the fire wall also....3 point connection like this.
http://www.autoexe.com.au/mx5_nc_fil...soucyaku14.jpg

or

http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/me...g_fstb_evo.jpg

 

M7 strut plates should alleviate any worries that you have.

 

I have a M7 anniversary strut brace newly installed on my 05 MCS and I am ecstatic with the change in handling. It helps that I also have the H-Sport rear sway bar also.

 

How much does a strut brace increase handling? I have heard several negative comments on various other car forums (Honda, Mazda... please don't hurt me) and that they don't increase it that much.

My father installed on his super-modified 2008 Mustang GT, and he reports a significant increase in handling.

Maybe it is by-vehicle, but does it truly work for the MINI?

 

Ask any manufacturer of strut braces for factual engineering documentation of any handling improvement produced by their product and the lack of specific response will give you your answer.

Then ask yourself how comfortable you are spending your money on a product without proven before-after benefits.

There are myriad myths in the automobile aftermarket, caveat emptor.

 

I just installed the new M7 Strut plates with integrated brace:

http://www.m7tuning.com/parts/popup_image.php?pID=135

I did not expect to see dramatic improvements in the car's behavior, but I have to say I have been plesantly surprised. There is a noticabledecrease in torque steer and the overal feel of the steering is more precise. The car also feels more planted over uneven pavement.
The M7 piece prvides strut tower reinforement and bracing for about $200. It is beautifully made and simple to install. And the folks at M7 were a pleasure to deal with.
I guess the jury is still out on whether mushrooming is even an issue on the R56, but better if you can get both reinforcement AND bracing in one solution, I say better safe than sorry.
I never thought I would be this happy with the product. Far exceeded my expectations.

 

Ask any manufacturer of strut braces for factual engineering documentation of any handling improvement produced by their product and the lack of specific response will give you your answer.

Then ask yourself how comfortable you are spending your money on a product without proven before-after benefits.

There are myriad myths in the automobile aftermarket, caveat emptor.[/quote]

I have no quatifiable measurements to share. A brace may not improve track times. But I can tell you that it DEFINITELY improves the feel of the car. The difference was immediately noticeable. Whether or not that will translate into measurable improvements on the track, I cannot say. But if you want an fairly inexpensive way to tame some of the torqure steer in your R56 S, a good strut brace will pay off.

 

any chance of a photo from the side? i'm wondering if it'll clear the CAIs out there.

 

Not sure if this will help, but here goes. You can always check with M7 for your specific CAI.

 

It does, thanks for posting!

 

I am going to have aem's air intake 21-699c and i am afraid to select the
correct strut bar.
Is there anybody experiences with these king of problem ?
Could be crhomiumtech a solucion or wich one coul be correct strut bar ?

 

I have that intake and my jcw bar doesn't fit. It is hitting the intake box. I only tried once to get it to work the day the intake was put on. I'm going to have another go at it tonight and see where the exact issue is. I'll let you know if I can get it to work.

 

Say what u want about the JCW brace, I recently installed mine and the difference was immediately noticeable. I installed the brace with the car on the ground and the lateral torsion of the bar loose. Jacked the front end up to "preload" the bar. Adjusted the bar evenly and torqued it lightly. Put it on the ground drive and enjoy. The preload makes all the difference, don't believe me try it!

 

Can you elaborate on preloading the bar by jacking the car up?

 

If you look at my Album it has pics. The strut brace barelt touches the scoop. I used a heat gun to heat the scoop and taped paint sticks to my brace then closed the hood. It made a slight indentation to the scoop for clearance. I like it.

 

That is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for the tip! Did you do it in one try or did you have to heat and close, heat and close, etc. to make the indention? How long did you hold the heat on the scoop? The paint sticks is a genius idea.

 

As stated above, life the Car off the ground with the bar loose. Tighten the bar evenly then lower the car and enjoy. This "preloads" the bar before the struts do when the car is on the ground, making the bar active.

 

I did it all in one try. I added 2 paint sticks taped to the strut brace and heated the area only where it passed across until the plastics was soft. I then closed the hood on it for a half hour while it cooled and moulded to the brace.

 

Lifecycles, Thank you. I'm going to do this tonight. Hopefully I have the same results as you did. When you say 2 paint sticks, I'm assuming you stacked them on top of each other. Is that correct?

 

Won't this effect the cars alignment? It seems like if your going to preload the bar then a front end alignment should be performed after installing.

 

No, unless you take out the camber plug in top. The idea if preloading is to mate the two struts together under a small amount of tension (20ftlbs). You can not change the aliment, even if u tried.