Are these any good and do they actually prevent Mushrooming? ....Did anyone buy these ???



http://www.ecstuning.com/News/MINI_R...R50_R53_ECSSTP

 

Like most plates, they do help a bit for coping with the slightly weak factory strut towers. The ones that goes underneath are probably better for this, but they'll raise the car slighty.

 

I know about the plates underneath ....I have a 2006 S ..i maybe wrong but did Mini add these plates to 2005 and 2006 Mini Coopers because of the issues with Mushrooming in earlier models???

 

I don't think that these were added to any year of MINI cooper. As for are they any good - they are a pretty basic pattern as long as they are made out of the appropriate metal - then they should help with preventing any mushrooming.

I have the craven speed personally and they look to be the same meatiness...

 

so which out of the 3 choices is best ???? The Craven , ECS or the M7 Plates ???? i would like to buy them ...although there is no mushrooming on my 2006 ...i would like to prevent it from happening ....

 

No way for anyone to know - because I doubt anyone has purchased all 3 - compare the specs... ECS is a solid company though...I trust them.

 

If they all do basically the same thing ..it comes down to price ...i noticed that the M7 were the most expensive and the Craven is in the middle and the ECS ones are the least expensive ...im leaning toward the least expensive ...

 

Just pick the one with the best price. I have the Cravens and they are holding up fine. 16 inch wheels with non run flats have the best chance of not mushrooming. I have 17 with runflats and mine were mushroomed when I bought it.

 

It's a thick piece of metal shaped like the strut tower that bolts onto a thinner (weaker) piece of metal to keep it from deflecting - not a huge amount of technology here...

 

I started out with the CravenSpeeds and went to the M7. They both seem to be real quality items. The only reason I went to the M7 was because I wanted the strut tower brace and I found a good buy on the M7. I would recommend either one of the two.

 

Funny you should mention the M7 ...because i would like to get the M7 Strut Tower Brace with the M7 STR plates as well ..and i just found a website called VividRacing that is selling the M7 Speed Black Anodized Strut Tower Kit for 247.00 ..which i think is a great deal ....Do you like your M7 Strut Tower Brace and does it make a difference in the handling? Any info is much appreciated ..thanks ... I see your in Arizona that VividRacing Co is based in Arizona ...lol

 

We've used all the different brands of plates, also sell a few different ones and find the Craven ones to be the strongest and bet at preventing mushrooming.
Craven STDs

 

I was looking at those too ...Do you offer a Strut Tower Brace that goes with those Craven plates like the M7 one ???

 

I have the m7 strut brace. I have mushroomed that. I have no idea how to straighten 1/2 aluminum plate. I wish it was steel. The potholes I hit are brutal.

 

It feels like the M7 stiffened up the front and made the steering more responsive. Our roads in Arizona are pretty well maintained so we don't have a lot of big pot holes for the most part. Vivid is not to far away but I don't think they have a store front.

 

I've read some long threads discussing the merits of the top-mounted plates, and the post that stuck with me was from a shop that said they had never seen mushroomed towers on a car with plates.
I bought the M7s, since I was also interested in a brace, and could kill two birds with one stone.
I don't notice much of a change in any respect from having added the brace, other than it looking cool, but still no mushrooming (25-30k miles).

 

I installed the VIP plates and strut bar. It's similar to the M7, but looks like a lot more attention to detail went into the design. The bottoms of the plates are contoured to the tower ridges, not just square edged grooves, and the custom T nuts leave the plates at full thickness instead of having recessed pockets. Not sure if those details really make a difference, though.

If you're just going with plates, the ECS look like another well designed plate, and the price is lower.

 

I have had the ECS plates and have had them installed for over 10,000 miles or more. I am very impressed with the quality and look. I like them a lot. Imo it's been shown they are all pretty much the same and Same concept.

 

I have the ECS plates on my 04. They have a well thought out design and great attention to detail. Maybe my imagination but between that and the diagonal cabriolet struts the front end seems much stiffer. I was beginning to get some deformtion on the passenger strut and the ECS plates seemed to pull it straight. I would heartily recommend these.

 

Thank for the kind words. They come is clear anodized ( sliver ) and black ( anodized finish ) also. The clear anodized ones give the engine bay a little machined metal look. For those who like the machined look of metal.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/ES2738370/




OR



http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/ES2738363/




Thanks

 

I've had the M7 strut bar set up on for about 7 years and have had no issues so far with mushrooming. I chose the M7 set up because I liked the idea of getting a two for one deal.. deformation protection and a strut bar at the same time. As far as stiffing up the front end, yes it helps but is not by any means a total solution in itself. I would agree with Way that the Craven mounts would offer better deformation protection. Mounting the plates under the strut tower tops, to my way of thinking and I'm no engineer, provides better deformation protection than plates mounted on top. But plates mounted on top are much better than no plates at all! Hope this helps.

 

Correction and apologies to participants, venders, and manufactures. In rereading the posts here I looked at the picture in Way's post more thoroughly and realized the Craven mounts are in fact top mounts. Back 7-8 years ago when I researched this subject more thoroughly some one made plates that mounted underneath the strut tower tops and I could swear that mfg. was Craven. And they supposedly offered better protection but the drawback was that you had to drop the struts to install them! Sorry for any confusion I might have caused.

 

I have the black ones and was VERY impressed with the quality and look it gave my Chili Red engine compartment. I then added the OEM Cabrio Braces and I am even more happy. Next is some new struts and sway bars

 

Craven speed does make underside plates, they are the UTI's (Under Tower Indurators) and the STD's are the top tower plates

 

I love these abbreviations, sex sells even in a twisted way.

If I am understanding this correctly, UTIs effectively decrease the pound per square inch of the footprint, while STDs increase the support of the strut tower to decrease deflection that has made it through. These seem to be those types of products that are more than the sum of the whole, where collectively they are stronger than than each of the benefits alone.