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I have a 2006 R53 MSC that has been modified. I occasionally track the car. When I modified the car, I installed the Dinan strut bar because it was one the few bars on the market this is straight (strut bars that are not straight flex at those points where they bend, thereby reducing the amount of bracing on the strut towers).
The stress of tracking the car caused one of the cast strut tower bar mounts to crack. Dinan no longer offers that bar (not that I would buy it again: great bar, terrible mounts). I have been unable to find any struts bars applied to the R53 that are straight, and offered by companies with legit Mini cred.
I researched having new mounts made out of billet, using water-jetting or CNC-machining, but water-jetting is not feasible and CNC-machining is cost-prohibitive, at least for one set (over $1,000). Stamped steel is also an option, but equally expensive.
If anyone has any ideas, recommendations, suggestions, etc. or has a Dinan bar and needs new mounts (we could arrange a group buy), please let me know.
I have a 2006 R53 MSC that has been modified. I occasionally track the car. When I modified the car, I installed the Dinan strut bar because it was one the few bars on the market this is straight (strut bars that are not straight flex at those points where they bend, thereby reducing the amount of bracing on the strut towers).
The stress of tracking the car caused one of the cast strut tower bar mounts to crack. Dinan no longer offers that bar (not that I would buy it again: great bar, terrible mounts). I have been unable to find any struts bars applied to the R53 that are straight, and offered by companies with legit Mini cred.
I researched having new mounts made out of billet, using water-jetting or CNC-machining, but water-jetting is not feasible and CNC-machining is cost-prohibitive, at least for one set (over $1,000). Stamped steel is also an option, but equally expensive.
If anyone has any ideas, recommendations, suggestions, etc. or has a Dinan bar and needs new mounts (we could arrange a group buy), please let me know.
Below is part of another post on the strut bar/strut protection plate combo that I have. It’s from VIP in Arizona and they say it’s CNC’d from billet 6061 aircraft aluminum. I haven’t put a straight edge to it, but I’m almost positive it’s straight and only looks curved because the top side is tapered to help with hood clearances.
Originally Posted by rb-mini
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For top protection i really like the plates by vip. The plates are full thickness at the mounting holes with machined t nuts for full thread engagement, and the notches for the strut tower contours are rounded and not square edged which are probably weaker or have stress points in the corners. It just seems like more thought went into the design of these plates. They also have a strut bar if you decide to go with one in the future. Just make sure to get the plates with the mounting holes as the pics on their site conflict. On the plate only description page there are pics with and without strut bar mounting holes.
I went with with the full set up and haven’t had any issues with mushrooming. I don’t know if the bar adds anything in the handling department, but it definitely helped with dash rattles. A couple of picks i have are the bar is not one piece and the hood padding caused the back of hood to bulge when first installed. The bar looks like it could have been one piece but machining time and material cost probably were the factor in having the two small mounting “brackets” at the ends. Instead of removing some of the padding I wet it several times which compressed it and allowed the hood to sit flat.
Rounded notches for the tower contour and t nuts for thread engagement without recessing the mounting holes.
We made exactly what you are asking for and what was needed. We found other bars just used extrude aluminum for the plates so they weren't strong enough to not bend. Then they would be multi parts so they wouldn't do as much as possible to stiffen the car.
here is ours. https://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-st...e-r52-r53.html
I did some inquiry into the construction of the Racing Dynamics bar.
While it is carbon fiber, the way that it's wrapped, it should be very strong in a straight line. So far it's holding up well.
The way that I attached my bar was to use the M7 plates (I didn't like the M7 "bar", plate), but the tower plates are plenty usable. I redrilled the M7 plates to match the Racing Dynamics attachment brackets and made sure that there is NO...oval or oversized holes anywhere. While I haven't had my car on the track yet, the way that I drive it is pretty spirited, like not normally using the brakes to go around city corners at speed.
In any case, your decision to use a "straight" bar is a very good decision.
Thanks for all of the great comments, including the reco on the VIP bar. I think that's the way I'll go.
@noodlesandsam, I know Steve Dinan sold his business to Driven Performance Brands around 2014, but I didn't know Dinan released an updated mount. I have what appear to be the same mounts as @smlzilla. I bought mine from Dinan in 2013 (along with exhaust, which has hairline cracks at the muffler outlet weld, so that's on the way out). Maybe Dinan sold me NOS.
I know the Whiteline has a bend. The Racing Dynamics aluminum, Wiechers selection, M7, Ultra Racing, OMP and Megan have or appear to have a bend (the M7 also has two extra connection points). @ocr, thanks for the info on the Racing Dynamics carbon fiber bar.
@WayMotorWorks, I called your shop to inquire about your bar. I was told the bar has a bend.
I've had M7, OEM Mini (JCW) and WMW on my 3 previous R53's .. and have just purchased another WMW one for my new R53 . . definitely the best of the 3 I've used
@noodlesandsam, I know Steve Dinan sold his business to Driven Performance Brands around 2014, but I didn't know Dinan released an updated mount. I have what appear to be the same mounts as @smlzilla. I bought mine from Dinan in 2013 (along with exhaust, which has hairline cracks at the muffler outlet weld, so that's on the way out). Maybe Dinan sold me NOS.
@WayMotorWorks, I called your shop to inquire about your bar. I was told the bar has a bend.
Yes our bar is bent to make it clear the airbox, but it is still one solid bar as that was what was important and making it fit between the airbox and hood, which it is still very tight.
The Dinan plates break like that all the time and it doesn't matter if its the early or later version as I think it's more about the casting of the material that causes them to fail as I've seen plenty of them broken.
Boys...a "bent" strut bar...is a spring..!
It's NOT a solid any longer. Simple high school physics. Works just like the springs holding the car off the ground.
I love the "works well" comments. There's is NO freaking way that you know if...or how well a given bar works without some simple scientific testing to verify the amount that any given bar is bending during loading. I spent the last 20 or so years testing things in the Aerospace Industry (Sr. Mechanical Test Engineer).
I can also pretty much guarantee that assemblies with "slotted" mounting holes, are all but useless without some sort of "filler" in the open area of the slotted holes. Friction joints make LOUSY joints if they are meant to be..."solid".
