-Strange, the connector-holder fit the tab on mine fine.
-Yep, should have powder coated them. Notice the rub mark?




Jim

 

After another run through the fun stuff yesterday, I continue to be very impressed by the effects that the diagonal braces have on the car.

Just one example of the changes it makes is how much better it controls the car when launching from a stop: with my LSD (ASC Off) and cold pavement, my summer tires spin fairly easily, but if there are any camber changes on the road while launching, I sometimes also got considerable wheel hop.

With the cabrio braces, the wheel hop is gone, and so is the tendency of the LSD to wrench the wheel suddenly when you cross the center line and the road camber changes while passing another car.

Now it may be that I'm really feeling the effects more than most if the cabrio braces are more effective because of my upper and lower strut braces, but in any case, it's a great tweak. I'd recommend it particularly to anyone with Big Wheels or more engine power, as either of these will stress the suspension and attachments even more than usual.

These braces are certainly the best price-performance add-on you can add for your MINI suspension. They are easy to install, inexpensive, and OEM.

 

OldRick
Thanks for the second report. The comment below on effects of road camber changes while passing has been one of the quirks in my suspension that I would like to cure. I will be adding the cabrio braces along with the lower brace ( probably the MINI Madness) before my car comes out of winter storage.
Thanks, Steve

[quote=OldRick;2049341]tendency of the LSD to wrench the wheel suddenly when you cross the center line and the road camber changes while passing another car.

 

Got the eyes - three days later. Here's an image of the diagonal braces (and her pretty eyes).

 

Scooby03,

Would you please PM me info on the cabrio braces. Thanks.

 

Sorry, I just saw this. I will send you a pm.

 

Here are the dealer part numbers. The parts should cost 50-60 dollars.

51617123515: Left Brace
51617123516: Right Brace
07146957269: Screws. 8 are needed.

 

We sell them for $48.72 plus shipping.

 

Just an update: the addition of the front three braces has increased understeer noticeably, so I tightened my 22mm Mini-Madness rear sway bar from the Medium setting to Firmest. The car feels excellent now, IMHO - just right for its intended purpose - hairpin joy!

 

After reading this topic (and the other one) I bought and fitted the diagonal braces to my otherwise standard 50k miles '05 Cooper. The roads around my place are not the smoothest, with lots of repairs, ruts and pot holes. The improvement in HVH is very noticable. The reduction in road roar is supprising. Various squeeks and rattles have been subdued and the whole front end just feels more composed and solid. This is without doubt the best £25 I have ever spent (on a car) .

I have an OMP lower brace which I will fit in the next day or two. It will be interesting to see if this makes a further NVH improvement. I dont really expect it to improve the handling, and feel that a bit more negative camber is what is really needed.

 

I just wanted to add that I finally got around to putting these on my car. I am not going to say the handling is any better but the front end is smoother going down the road now. It doesn't have that jittery feeling to it anymore.

Strange how a simple and cheap part could make such a difference. I know there are those who are skeptical, which I was too, but the front end has a more planted feel.

I did drop one of the screws into the depths of the front end so I am going to have to order another one. It was the one on the drivers side that goes under the wiring loom, which is a pain to put in.

From looking at how they tie the front end together I am really surprised they are not standard on all of the models, not just the cabrio. I wonder, since they do make the front more solid, if the upper strut brace would now have a more positive benefit? Before I couldn't see it but now I can. It would be like the braces for old mustangs that also bolt to the core support on the front of the car.

Got to find an M7 bar for same now....

 

I ordered these for my 11/03 build MCS from Jayson at Classic, despite me being a huge skeptic at first. After witnessing my strut towers starting to mushroom, I figured the braces wouldn't hurt anything. It's not like this would be a wallet-breaking mod anyway.

While I did not notice anything in the steering/handling department, I did notice immediately that my dash no longer makes noise on bumpy roads (I live on a dirt road). It used to make a kind of buzz at certain speeds on these road, and it has not done this since (it has been a couple months now). The whole cabin doesn't seem to vibrate as much now, and I know it's not just mental - as my gf was questioning if I changed anything on the suspension (she had absolutely no knowledge of me even working on my car).

It was a fairly easy (but time consuming) install for me. I found that removing the plastic inner fender well helped dramatically with installing the lower mounting torx bolts. Makes me wish I hadn't bothered trying to install them without removing the inner fender wells, as I wasted most of my time screwing with that.

 

Here's my pic

 

As a follow-up, I'd strongly recommend these to anyone with factory LSD, as it cures the tendency to force you into the car you are passing when you cross over the crown on a country road.

Without these, the car can be deadly if you're not expecting the behavior - they ought to be part of the factory LSD option.

 

 

What a moron...

 

Has anyone been able to confirm when the factory installed nutserts were integrated into builds? I've got a 09/03 build MCS.

 

Just look under your hood where they attach. If you have the holes awesome; if not, you're in for some work to install these.

Side note: Scooby, you've got a PM

 

My car is a 10/03 and they were hiding under some little black plugs.

Jim

 

Same here, with my 11/03 build.

 

Hey Scoobey
Did you say you have the tension bars for subframe to rockers?
Old Rick
Were the holes already there in sub-frame and rockers?
I have 06.
Here is pic of oem (R52) bracing, trying to figure out if holes are pre-drilled under the cars frame.

Nevermind, New Post made, pic is also in new post.

 

I put these on last week and the car feels a bit more planted. Then again it also has 104k miles on it. It def. stopped some of the dash rattle too. I ended up painting mine w/ some red high heat engine paint to match my red valve cover. It looks pretty sharp. I couldnt justify spending $50 on powdercoat when the parts cost that much. If in the future they have rubbed alot I rethink it.

 

I put these on my car. I know they must do something.

But I'm absolutely blown away that you say you can feel the car being more planted. WOW! Glad you like them & you feel more planted.

 

I guess I should start a new post, cause I am asking about the "other" bracing down below, not the one up above, near towers.

 

holes and plugs are there on mine (09/03 build) so I would guess the nutserts are also; if not, easy to remedy.