haven't pulled the pins, no not yet. Just wanted to get the bar on, which was a mistake. pouring rain and dropping 5 degrees an hour, go to hell weather channel.

did you have to make the same adjustments I did? I'm worried that it looks like I only extended the bar on the passenger side, not sure if that makes a difference or not. did you also have any concern regarding whether or not the part of the brace on the strut towers, particularly the ones closest to the center, would dig into the strut tower at all? Esp during bumps etc. I wanted to test drive it today to see if I could feel anything, but I haven't gotten the bottom of the car wet yet and I've been wanting to hit it with wax/boeshield first so.... idk

 

If I understand everything you did, that is the same as I did. I would not have assumed that it was shipped all ready to drop into place which is why it is adjustable. What I did is leave the nuts on the bar lose and tightened the nuts on the shock tower first but didn't have the bar in place. Then fit in the bar with the end pieces adjusted so I could just fit in the bolts. Then tightened the bolt with the hex head and then the adjustment nut. If all is really tight, it should be fine.

 

gotcha - can't wait to take it for a spin!

 

"I wanted to test drive it today to see if I could feel anything, but I haven't gotten the bottom of the car wet yet and I've been wanting to hit it with wax/boeshield first so"...

Kyoo - you are making me grin here...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

lmao i know.. im ocd

 

Question that dives into the gray area:

For the Cooper, there are actually several versions of the JCW springs - they get progressively stiffer as you add on options, i.e., a sunroof. Is it "legal" in SCCA stock class to have those stiffer springs put on your base MINI?

My assumption is no, since springs are tied to VIN numbers, and who knows if it would actually be an improvement in handling anyway - then again, by technicality, not sure. Has anyone actually done this, or do people who go the JCW suspension route stick to the JCW springs they're "supposed" to get? It doesn't seem right to get a spring meant for an optioned car on a stripper.

Just to clarify, I won't be doing this, period - just wondering what people out there are doing

 

I'm pretty sure the rules would only allow the springs matched to your VIN. I can think of several sections which might imply that.

Currently I'm going with the sport suspension as delivered, plus shocks and rear bar. So it's only theoretical for me. I wouldn't risk it.

 

Another issue I can think of is ride height. Stronger springs will increase the ride height. May not be a good thing, and might drive it out of spec, which is also not theoretically allowed.

 

right, that was my thought too - both that it wouldn't be right and that it may not be optimal. actually it came up when someone on another forum speculated that some minis may be doing this. thanks for the input

 

Drove the Mini with the JCW STB for the first time this morning... Actually I completely forgot that it was in the car, and I noticed no difference, as I expected. I think without triangulation or perhaps a better design, it shouldn't do anything - I'm just hoping it helps prevent doming somewhat, if I ever hit a bad pothole

 

It helps a bit with the pot holes around here. I hit one hard enough a while back that it popped the driver's door open. It seems to cut down on the side to side movement.

 

gotcha - I'm sure I just haven't had/put it in a situation where I would notice anything

 

Damn!

Are you certain that you didn't accidentally nudge the EJECT handle ??

 

This happened in my '07 S. I had just taken off from a stop light and was accelerating onto the 4 lane highway. I hit a manhole cover that had dropped about 2" down in the pavement, maybe more, with the frost around it. The driver's door popped off the first catch and was held by the second catch. I do remember having to reach over to open the door to close it fully because it was in the middle of all the traffic rushing to get on that 4 lane highway. No, no grabbing the eject handle... I don't think I had the brace in at that time. Not sure it would have helped with that, but I know that I was thinking once I had it on that the car would be better with it.

Now, I will also note that I was running the stock 16" wheels with the OEM runflats at the time and I credit them with protecting the wheels. There was no damage or flat tire, which was my second thought after I said "Oh Sh*t".

Around here I have a year long "Solo course" that is forever changing with the pot holes and whether they are new or filled. Sometimes I forget and hit one. I have never had that happen again. But I run the 16" wheels just because of that. For me, the brace is for "peace of mind".

 

Kyoo,

I had a 2010 VW TDI once that I was going to develop into an HS car. Certain things made this car a good candidate and it showed promise, until I went to get wheels to put Hoo$iers on. Then ***** went downhill in a hurry, and I got the MINI.

http://www.sccaforums.com/forums/aft/415373

In the above link, some guy figured that if the JCW stuff was legal as a port installed option, then VW Drivers Gear stuff, which is supposedly port installed as well would be fair game, thereby making VW's just as quick.

Not so much, as I first learned regarding the OEM wheels on the TDI.

Moral of the story... I personally wouldn't trust dealer documentation because I had VW North America documentation stating that the TDI had 7.5" wide wheels from the factory and the SCCA still had govt. documentation (The Tire Guide) proving otherwise.

Worse comes to worse, the JCW strut tower bar is ruled illegal via a protest and it takes 5 minutes to remove, thereby rectifying the issue.

Did you ever contact Craig Wilcox?

 

Thanks for your input - if I get protested even with dealer documentation I got nothing - and like you said, worse comes to worst I can just uninstall the part literally in 5 minutes. I shot him a PM just now, hopefully he's got some insight on the matter. The most frustrating part of it is that it IS port installable. I doubt locally anyone will care though

 

Just replied to your PM, send me your email and I will send you a copy of the MiniUSA letter showing all the port installed items.... Getting ready to jump back into a Mini for 2014. ;-)

 

Welcome back and good luck.

 

Thanks! Please keep everyone posted on your plans

 

I've done oil change how-to posts before, and there are plenty out there, so I'll just keep this brief. Changed the break-in oil out at 650miles with Amsoil SSO 0w30 today. Pretty standard procedure, except that the copper crush ring was on so tight I thought it was part of the drain plug (https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...no-o-ring.html). Eventually I pried it off with a knife. Also, there was something that came off of the drain plug or something that wasn't magnetic, but not sure what it was (https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...rain-plug.html)

Everything else was standard fare. 8mm hex to undo the drain plug, drain. 24mm for the oil filter housing. Old filter out, old plastic ring out, new ones on, and back on. New crush washer on drain plug, and back on. Everything was tightened hand tight. Then fill, check, fill check, and done! This was my first time using rhino ramps to get under the car, was definitely very quick and easy.










Posted this in one of the aforementioned threads, but does anyone have any idea what this is? I seem to have wiped it off of the drain plug, but it's not magnetic. Just being paranoid...




Also, coated some of the underbody bolts in wax, and sprayed down a bunch of areas on the driver's side with Amsoil HD Metal Protectant, and the passenger's side with Boeshield T9. Not sure if I'll be able to tell which one will hold up better/protects against rust/grime better, but at least I'll be able to tell if one is significantly better than the other.

 

Decided to hit the car with a few rust protectant/prevention measures today:

1) Wax a few of the bolts with a special wax that a friend got me
2) Hit driver's side with Amsoil HD Metal Protector
3) Hit pass side with Boeshield

Notes: Amsoil's spray is actually totally orange, and completely matches the orange from the wax - I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same stuff. Boeshield goes on clear, but it's easy to see the waxy/filmy consistency. Also surprised to see the entire underbody is some kind of orange rubberized sealant (normally it's black but maybe that's grime lol)


Amsoil and Boeshield (wax not shown):



Before Wax:



After Wax:



Driver's Side:





Passenger's Side:

 

Only one can? Heck I used 3.5 almost 4. I sprayed in every hole I could find, every exposed fastener. Even in the engine bay as I saw a mini that had been unprotected and it was.....um pretty bad. One final place was under the door seals where the rust likes to occur, and trim panels. I look at it is if water can get there, then salt can get there, and finally rust can form there.

 

jeez.. do you have pics? which did you use? I wasn't sure which parts were okay to spray down, ie exhaust? oil pan? anything close to anything that gets hot?

 

Heheh, pics? I was freezing my *** off when I did mine, pics were the last thing on my mind :D

I hit every spot that wasn't going to
- Get super hot like the exhaust....but wasn't picky if it got dripped on, the excess just burnt off in the first mile. Stuff like oil pans would not bother me......BUT as I had my skidplate on, I didn't hit anything on the underside of the engine...but the steering rack and the skidplate.
- Need grip.....ROTORS do not spray brakes......but if you change out wheels and run steelies.....spray the insides and let the stuff dry before installing them

Everything else was fair game. Heck I even hit the plastic in the wheel wells while I was spraying down all the metal parts. I figured it would help the snow fall off instead of caking.

If my underside looked like yours....I would over kill it. It'll never look that clean again.

Also any drain holes you find just pump the stuff in those in every direction.....moisture will sit in there.

 

gotcha.. i'll hit it again maybe next weekend, supposed to be a little warmer than now. fortunately, i have a true beater, so i don't need to drive the car in the snow/rain until next year or so