FSD's and M7 USS both reduced my cowl shake. Either of them is worth getting for other reasons too. The two together is a fantastic combination.

 

My hubby put an Alta 19 mm rear sway bar and a M7 understrut system USS in his cabrio. There is a HUGE difference in feel between his and mine. We both have '06 MCSC, he's got the one with a little more aftermarket stuff. I don't necessarily need the extra hp (althought it would be MUCH fun) but I love the way his car feels.

 

Litabelle, what you going to do when your hubby starts going off and leaving you? You tell him he has to keep your cabrio up to date as well...or else...

KK

 

Litabelle , give me a PM we have a special " spouse discount " for you

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

ahhh-hemm!!

 

I just installed a 19 mm h&r rear sway bay and M7 USS. Dramatically reduced the cowl shake. Understeer definitely gone. My wife thought that I softened the suspension because the car is not jarred to hard when you hit railroad tracks, etc. It really stiffens up the chassis and allows the suspension to do its job. Next step would be FSD's or to get rid of the stiff runflats.

 

Thanks Randy! I didn't cost that much to begin with though... Oh! you mean on the USS. We'll be in touch. I have to say it is the best thing I have done so far for my Cabrio.

I want to talk more about the DFI too but should probably wait till she catches up a bit...

Litabelle's hubby

 

Honestly, he hasn't gotten far from me yet!

 

I just installed the M7 USS kit on my 06 MCC and all I can say is HOLY MOLY!!! I have a completely different car! It's totally tight and solid. It goes exactlly where I point it. In the corners it doesn't twist like a mobius strip any more and understeer is very nearly nonexistant. To be honest I never really new what "cowl Shake" was until after I installed this hardware, but now I do because its not there anymore. I think this should be the first mod anyone does to a cabrio. Forget the CAI and the Cat back exhaust. They are just window dressing compared to what the USS does for your motoring experience.Great work M7 Tuning!!

 

I have heard good things from some cabrio owners during our last run as well. Seems like a good product.

 

My local dealer here quoted me 7.7 hours of labor at $125 per hour to install a rear sway bar on my cabrio. Does that sound right to everyone? Those of you with RSBs, did it really take that long/cost that much to put yours on?

 

Is your dealer on crack?
I'm sorry but that's BS (too much time)
are they real mechanics?

If I were you
I'll run as far away as possible from this dealer.

That mod can be done in about 3 hours at the most.
The Cabrio install takes longer because of the extra middle bolt.
but not a full day of work.


try and find another dealer or experienced mechanic
believe me it's not that hard to install it.


hope that helps,
regards,
Charles

 

Not only no but hey'll no. Try 1.5 to 2 hour. I've seen some install it (correctly mind you) in 30!

 

Maybe I've just driven crap cars before now (highly possible) or I'm just a wimp, but the cabrio feels pretty tight to me, even in twisties... We were down in Hocking Hills (SE Ohio) last week and really had the car stuffed into some tight turns, and it always felt pretty solid (although, I admit that I don't drive that car like I used to drive, say, my motorcycles when I was 20). Honestly, how far do you really need to be pushing to really "feel" this difference? I'm not even sure what you guys are talking about when you say "understeering" - is that something that you really only experience when AutoX-ing or when white-knuckling the turns on the Dragon?

If anyone with a Cabrio has one of these installed and attends the Outmotoring MODfests or the Quaker Steak things in Columbus, please introduce yourself to me - I'd love to see what this feels like, if you don't mind.

Thanks!

 

ImagoX - I can notice the flex in the body during just day-to-day driving. A rough rail crossing, pot holes or rough pavement tend to make the whole body shake and shimmy. With your top down sometime, watch the top of your windshield when going over some rough roads and you can see it moving out of sync with the rest of the body. This would be flexing that I am assuming would be helped by the USS. Convertibles are always going to have less rigidity than hardtops, but I think the USS would help minimize the flex and add back some of the firmness.
I noticed this the most the other day coming back from MITM. On some very rough twisties the car would hop fairly drastically even at 30 MPH going around a curve when it ran into the braking washboards in the middle of the curve. The USS would not eliminate the effect, but should tame it down a bit.
I plan on getting the M7 USS soon. I would like to find out however if there is a fitment problem between the MillTek exhaust and the M7 USS on the MCC.

Chuck

 

I noticed the effect of the M7 USS immediately in my MCC. Driving home after the installation, the first time I changed lanes I just went "Whoa!". The car responded so immediately where I had become used to feeling my way through it. I believe that the body flex causes a delayed response to the driver's actions and the suspension's response to the road. The USS has made the handling more immediate and precise. This is in normal street driving. 80% of my driving is stop-and-go in congested San Francisco streets, and the remainder in the highway.

 

Improving handling on any MINI should include :

- rear swaybar
- springs
- tires

 

Not a USS or in addition to? (is it "a USS" or "an USS" - who cares?)

 

anybody have issues with the USS hitting the cat? It was hitting the resonator on the MillTek, but we filed down the spot to allow more clearance. Now, more noise from up front...looks like it's hitting the cat. :(

 

I was talking about this to a friend of mine (he's an automobile engineer out at Honda as well as an ameteur Mazda race enthusiast who has tricked out his car to an extent with MODs like these), and he pointed out an interesting thing that, if I'd thought about it for a while I would have realized...

In a car like the Mini, the engineers created a design that balanced greater-than-average perfomance against car-part longevity and wear, and what we have is the stock Cabrio. Granted, the ride can be tweak and adjusted by add-ons like this that DO inprove performance, but all the energy that the stiffeners and other devices absorb or transfer has to go SOMEPLACE - either into the tires, the frame (and, hence, transferred elsewhere eventually), or what have you. This does lead to other componants becoming stressed as they are forced to deal with the energy that was, before the MOD, being sent to the flex point.

My question is this...For a car that you plan to drive hard then sell in a year or three as you move on to brighter and shiner things, that's fine, but what about if you plan to keep the car for the long haul? Has anyone had unexpected repairs or had to replace wear items like tires, bushings, joints or any other items after using an "improved handling" modification of this sort?

Physics is physics and the force created while driving does indeed have to go someplace. That's not to say that the car won't handle and perform better with this sort of thing (because, obviously it does based on user testimonials), but there may be a price for that performance down the line, and I'm wondering if anyone's seen an impact, knowing this.

Really interesting thread, guys... I love this sort of stuff.

 

Interesting point and something to look into. I have about 55k miles on my car which has damn near a full track suspension, just ask my wife LOL .

Leda custom valved coilover shocks
H-sport front and rear competition sway bars
SAC front adjustable camber plates
Adjustable billet aluminum lower rear arm
M7 upper solid motor mount
M7 front strut tower brace
Uminitza rear strut tower brace
Mini Convertable front reinforcment bars
M7 Under Strut System

Of the total 55k miles on it probably 80% have been either on the track or in the canyons . To be honest i think the canyon miles are a LOT harder than the track but we have rough roads out here. I will be sure to let you know if any of those areas you mentioned or other related ones have issues. At this point the only things replaced have been tires and brake shoes all other bushings ,axels etc. are original .

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

It would appear almost obvious that if the energy produced for a given action on the oem vehicle is sent to the flex point the question must be asked, "To what use is this energy applied?" This energy can be wasted or used. It would seem the purpose of the USS is to distribute the energy produced throughout the structure and in so doing improving the synergy between driver and car thus achieving the desired response...control. The amount of control after I installed the USS was amazing. And trust me, I put Paris thru some very hard paces over several days of before and afters, removing and re-installing because I was a non-believer from the get-go.

KK

Call

 

Somewhere on this thread, or another, I read that a solution to this was to add a washer or two underneath the front brace to give clearance to aftermarket exhaust systems. The USS works fine with my stock exhaust. Again, this is the first mod I've done to my MCC,and I am completely amazed at how much improvement it has made in everyday handling and canyon carving. Huge bang for the buck!

 

one already in...guess we'll try two!

 

Its tough making a product that will fit every possible aftermarket configuration and so far the Miltec has been the only issue that I am aware of.We designed it to fit the stock exhaust and as many aftermarket systems that we could. Steve's Auto Clinic installs a ton of Miltec's and has come up with a successful fix. I know its not a unsolvable problem. On the other hand our exhaust has no issues so you can always upgrade Good luck Margie and you know you can call me anytime for some ideas .

Randy
M7 Tuning