Curious what the 2 black plastic things are under our cars just in front of the front tires? In the last year that I've owned my car I've had to re-insert these plastic pieces about a dozen times as they always seem to be dangling from one edge after a drive. The only use I can determine is for aerodynamics or as a curb feeler? They bottom out on nearly every driveway I enter or exit and usually come off.

I am considering removing them completely. Anyone have thoughts on removing them or their purpose? What have you guys done w/ them?? Do they annoy you?

 

Steam locomotives used to have metal cages on the front to prevent damage from stray cattle on the tracks (they were called "cow catchers"). These are the MINI equivalent, to prevent damage from field mice and squirrels.

 

Those BMW engineers thought of everything!

 

Those look like air-dams to me. They are critical to the aerodynamics of the MINI. They reduce the airflow under the car. This creates down-force at high speed and causes more air to go through the radiator. If you take them off, at high speeds your car will overheat and fly off the road.

I know this to be true because I just made it up.

 

Psh!

 

I've seen them described as audible warning devices by someone who I think is knowledgeable - they warn you when you're getting close to bottoming out the front end. I trigger them on one set of speed humps (colloquially known as "sleeping policemen" over here - cute, eh?) near my house and alwasy vow to take them slower next time.

Andrew

 

If i understand correctly what you are talking about under the front bumper, the only part of what robin said that was not true is the part about he car overheating if you take them off.

They are an integral part of the aerodynamics of the car. This has been discussed adnausium in the modifications forums.

The car can easily get squirmy at higher (hiway) speeds if these parts are removed.

 

so at high speeds these flimsy pieces of plastic that seem to always come off will cause my car to get squirmy?? Seems like they are an integral part of the cars handling then and should be connected to the underside of the car much better than they currently are (w/ a 3cent plastic rivet)!! These things come off every time I go down my driveway (which is a standard grade driveway), I lose them when I go to the grocery store, and over any speed bump. They are so low to the ground.

I am thinking of cutting them a bit so they aren't so prone to hitting everything and coming off all the time. (can you tell they annoy me)! Mine are looking pretty munched up anyway

Here is a question:
If they are so important to handling (and prevent our Mini's from getting out of control at higher speeds) why don't any of the 3rd party vendors sell more robust ones?

 

...I am thinking they are purely meant to be "curb feelers". ..I may shave mine about 1/2" though (hopefully my car won't lose grip at higher speeds and get airborne).

 

No, these flimsy pieces wont cause your car to get squirmy. Not having them will cause your car to get squirmy.

Sounds like there is a problem with your driveway.
Friends of mine have a similar problem. There is a small drainage gutter crossing where their driveway hits the road. They put a steel plate over it. Problem solved.

The air-dam comes off easily so that bottoming out on it doesn't cause major damage to integral and expensive parts of your car. It was probably designed to be a break-away part. It is needed for aerodynamics, but vulnerable to being hit. So, make it cheap and easy to replace.

The part lists for $45 (you could probably find it cheaper) and should just take minutes to replace. You could probably get a good deal on a dozen of them and after awhile you would be real good at replacing them.

You could cut them a bit. Then your car would only get a bit squirmy.

They do. It is called an aero kit. I've read reports here by racers who say they need the more robust aero kit to keep the car stable at 150 mph. So, if you plan on driving at 150...

 

LOL, ..this all makes sense, yet is a bit funny also.
I'll look for a replacement set or two like you said. Ouch, $45 though! -the platic tabs on mine have come off ..so they don't really stay on my car very well anymore.

 

Mine are pretty secure and have never fallen off...

 

I've never had a problem with mine, and I bottom out fairly often. I can only imagine what's going to happen when I lower my car.

 

The plastic tabs appear to be $0.58 each. I believe the part number is 51471911992

 

I lowered my car with H&R RSS coilovers. I scrape the plastic tabs all of the time, but they are a good reminder to slow down on speed bumps and driveways. I haven't busted one loose yet.

 

Mine went missing 2 days after the Megan coilovers went on!

 

Tick...Max is a VERY Hansome Fella!!

 

IMVHO, they are there to fake the owners. The engineers put them there so that people think twice before lowering the car.

 

Well, I hit a shopping cart wheel that was laying in the road as I was going about 60mpg. It ripped the plastic thing right off of the car. So I guess now I'm driving crooked down the road.

 

HA HA, -that sucks, but also kind of funny.

So check this out, I just looked at a friend's platic things on his stock aero kit/cooper S and realized that mine are different as I have the JCW aero kit. The plastic things on the JCW kit are much flimsier and aren't attached as well, not to mention they hang a bit lower than the stock aero kit plastic things do. Mine have only 1 attach point and are a hard plastic, the cooper stock aero kit's "things" are more flexible and have several attaching points.