Thanks to the courtesy (and interest) of my local dealer, I just had an extended tour under my CM4 to look at what's vulnerable and what offers the possibility of fixing a protective shield or shields over the tender parts. There are a lot of tender parts and, particularly, front-facing edges of things that could snag on or scoop up stuff one might encounter enthusiastically driving on unpaved terrain. My favorite is the leading edge at the bottom of the rear bumper (What? You tore off the rear bumper while playing in the dirt?).

I can see how to span between the subframe strips in the center to protect the drive train. The lower of the semi-trailing arms looks particularly vulnerable (I see why they went with struts for front and back in the JCW WRC). There are lots of complex structures around and under the engine that could be protected by a shield if a sturdy forward attachment point can be arranged.

I put some pictures of the bottom of my CM4 in my Gallery.

Anyone know of an effort to make the CM4 a little less worrisome for playing in the dirt?

 

MINI makes rails and front and rear protection for the Countryman. The front protection has a bar and attached skid plate. Have yet to see them to determin how functional they are.

 

This is true, but they only make them for the Cooper for whatever strange reason. You'd think it would be an option for the Cooper S, especially the All4, though in other countries you can get an All4 Cooper D.

 

I am interested in your findings if you get more details.

 

I've posted in another gallery here some photos available online of the JCW WRC MINI undercarriage to get some idea of how they dealt with the tender underside of the CM4.

 

I finally got the chance to get on a lift and install the skid plate I purchased from Detroit Tuned. Some photos help out.
First is the stock CM4. Then CM4 with the skid plate in place. Finally another view of the finished installation.

There are lots more areas to be concerned about under the CM4, starting with the rear edge of the current skid plate, especially the fuel lines (which are pretty much unprotected and exposed), the forward openings of the heat shields, and everything else but the exhaust pipe. It's obvious why the WRC cars shield the entire bottom and change the rear suspension.

I think this shield is a pretty good choice, and its installation mount locations look reasonably sturdy.

 

LOVE IT!!!

 

How much does it weigh? Also, it is easy to take on and off? I'm thinking that maybe prior to service, take it off so as not to illicit complaints from the service techs that would have to take the shield off when getting to the oil pan, etc. And who knows, they might even jack up the shield re-installing it... just a thought.....

 

It weighs 14 pounds.

There are five bolts (2 large in back, 3 small in front) to take it off.

There is a precisely positioned generous hole right under the crankcase drain for oil changing, and it's not necessary to remove the shield to service the CM4 (although I already checked with my local MINI service department and they said it wouldn't be a problem). In any case, installation and removal is pretty straightforward and obvious.

 

What's the blue line under the carriage? is that the fuel supply line??

 

Great pics! Where's a safe place to put a jack stand!?!?!

Seriously - if anyone knows, please share! Sorry to hijack - haven't seen underbody pics like this before!

 

Good question! The blue line and the adjacent gray line are the gas feed and return lines. I wish they and some of the other exposed components under the CM4 were better protected. That includes the peculiar plastic shields around the gas tank.

 

There are more underbody photos of the CM4 in my gallery.

If you look where the yellow supports contact the CM4 underbody, those are good places to locate a stand.

 

I've put up a photo sequence of the installation of the skid plate at:
http://hammanet.smugmug.com/Cars/MIN...295094_ZMHgfWV

 

Excellent Job ghamma…Can't get much more specific than that Cost again? Was that just for your everyday driving protection…or are you planning some driving off the beaten path as they say? Seems like some items still exposed and could be an issue on rough terrain.

 

The skid plate is featured at Detroit Tuned:
http://www.detroittuned.com/shop/
with a price of $379.99
http://www.detroittuned.com/shop/?ma...D=518&vote=yes

With so few issues during the installation it's a pretty good solution for protecting the up-front stuff. It seems very sturdy to me.

I originally purchased it for a very long trip that I knew would include some mountain trail driving in Montana. A number of issues resulted in me not taking the CM4 on the trip (it was in the MINI hospital) and the delivery was delayed so it wasn't until now I was able to put it on the car. I'm going to visit a family farm soon and I'm glad to add this barrier to the CM4.

You are exactly right that there are "some items still exposed" as you can see in the photos. I wish this shield at least covered the entry to the heat shield just behind it. The mechanic who was helping me with the installation photos pointed out the fuel lines being very vulnerable, etc. I posted some photos of WRC cars earlier and they are completely shielded underneath with good reason.

 

wow the gas feed line is pretty exposed....... scary, if i ever scrape the undercarriage, it's really dangerous to cut the feed line isn't it? isn't it a bit way too exposed?

is it the same story in the R56 coopers too?

 

You have a good point. It may not be obvious from the photos, but the two gas lines are in a kind of trough and recessed. They're not totally unprotected, but they're not armored, either.

I don't know if the R56 has a similar situation.

 

Well, I am on the planned trip and I found some time to play in the dirt. Here's Fenton exploring how well he can fly...actually, pretty well.

 

Way to go Fenton! Looks like it was a lot of fun

 

Great shot ghamma! Fenton looks like he's blasting off!

 

Wow great shot!

by the way, yesterday i scraped my CTM on some concrete floor while trying to get up an incline. ><" i don't know if there's much damage, but it was a pretty hard hit tough. i'll get you guys a pic to see the undercarriage scrape marks soon. I'm worried about the exhaust or fuel system damage.

from the pictures, the exhaust system is pretty well protected right? But the only thing i should be worried about is the fuel lines and fuel tanks right?

thanks

 

Ooh! Unfortunate scraping! The most likely part to be making noise I think would be the heat shielding that's on either side of the exhaust pipe and the brackets that support it. Looking for the pics.

 

Love this picture- I also had BlackJack flying one night - did you get stability and traction alarms or were you running with them off- I tried rally cross with them off and it was not very good- turned them back on and the cones were again safe. You will love the skid plate- I have done a very good job testing it- beware of the front mud flaps they are not very sturdy and were off on our first off road adventure Enjoy and maybe we can rally together

 

While making high speed runs through the trees I was running with normal DSC and TC mode and no alarms appeared from our brief flights.

My son was snapping pictures, then we went to play. There was a large grassy field with trees nearby and we tried the three DSC/TC modes. All on and the car went where you pointed it. All off and you could handbrake turn all over the place. It was almost like having a Mini!

Keep getting the tires dirty - we may be the only two with the DT skid plates (for a little while).