while at the track this weekend w/ a friend driving a cabrio, i notice two braces that ran between the front subframe and the shock towers.....has anyone thought of adding these to a hard-top MCS? the holes to install the part are pre-drilled and plugged, so it would be a simple install. to me, anything that will help stabilize the shock towers is good.....they can't cost too much....any comments?

 

Had mine on for over a year,now. Do they help??? I dunno.
Jm

 

Yes I have seen them on a hardtop. Anything to help brace the shocktowers would be a good idea. Was told that my 03 is alittle more hard to install, has the bolt holes are not there and would have to install inserts. I belive 05 and up the holes are there, making it really easy to do. Was told they are about $20. I'm going to get them eventually.

 

My car was built in 10/03 and had the tapped holes for the braces. That's the earliest date I've seen with the holes.
Jim

 

Nice pics you have .

 

04/03 definitely doesn't have the holes. Maybe we can find the exact build date that the threaded holes came into being.

Steve

 

any of the suspension/handling gurus out there have an opinion on the worthiness of this simple (for my 06) mod?

 

the point of the thread is to see if there is any benefit to them, not to see when the build date of the holes may have come in, so lets get back on topic please, as some of the track racers may have some input on the topic

 

Whats the problem? For the amount of money these cost $40.00 why not put them on?????? They can only help . And BTW SRTech is a autocrosser.

 

CUSTOM MINI SHOP STOCKS THEM
IVE GOT THEM, THEY MUST DO SOME GOOD OR THEY WOULD NOT HAVE PUT THEM ON THE CONV. FROM THE FACTORY.

 

I am glad to hear that, however too many threads get hijacked and off subject, and as someone who is on the track I have a vested interest in hearing from any of the racers or other track minis that would be out there with information on this topic.

If someone wants to figure out the build dates for the changes for holes or no holes, that sounds like it could be it's own thread and have many different postings from many other people, who A - never get on a track, B - could really care less about track time, C - will probably run to their cars and lift the bonnet just to see if they have holes or not and fill this thread with useless info

Yes for $40 they cannot hurt

 

CMS has sold about 10-12 sets to autocrossers in Northern and Central CA and so far everyone has been happy. It's a hard product to quantify performance wise, but most everyone seems to think they make a difference. And since it's a very inexpensive mod IF you have the holes already, people are willing to spend the money. IF you don't have the holes, then it's not so inexpensive and many will think twice about spending the money. So holes have a lot to do with this mod and my customers will appreciate knowing whether or not they do it inexpensively.

Steve

 

Oooh, somebody got their Weaties peed in this morning, didn't he?

 

Do we have a part number for these?

 

left: 51 61 7 123 515
right: 51 61 7 123 516
screw (8 required): 07 14 6 957 269

 

Thanks :D

 

I was thinking the same thing!!
Jim

 

frosted flakes, and thank you for the info and part numbers

I agree if you have the holes then it's cheap and easy mod - if you don't then it's probably not worth it, however I have seen many a thread get hijacked into no mans land and I didn't want to see this one go that route.

The build date wasn't important, you have holes or you don't seemed simple enough.

I appreciate the feedback from the 10-12 customers, yes it is a hard thing to quantify if it helps or not, but those kinds of numbers usually speak for themselves, 10-12 is good enough for me to know that others have thought the same thing and if there is any hint of helping that is worth the $40

 

Heck for $40 it's a no brainer. I would guess they'd help some. The converts with no metal roof really do need the stiffening help those provide.

 

i ordered mine today.....why not? my local MINI dealer couldn't match the $20/side, but still not expensive. they take good care of me.....i'll be on the track at Sebring in ten days, so i'll let you know if anything good happens.

 

Just browsing the threads here, haven't read much in a while. The reason I'm reading up is because I want to make my '06 JCW Mini (standard S susp) more neutral.

Anyway, I'm reading here about the potential benefit of adding chassis braces designed to replace some of the stiffness lost when the top is chopped off (conv.) right?

What I want to know is how much they weigh. Adding weight is never a good thing, especially if you get no real benefit. It is possible they add stiffness, but then again it is possible they do not.

Could it be that the chassis with roof is stiffer than the braces you are adding? In which case, they would do absolutely nothing other than add weight to your front end?

Anyhow, just thought I'd add my perspective. Hope I don't cloud the issue too much.

 

The braces discussed are maybe a pound each, or a touch more. I haven't seen anyone use them personally, because most of my modding buddies also autocross, where adding additional bracing beyond what comes with the car throws you into a pretty competitive class.

 

Yeah, but will adding these constitute as a "stock" part or an aftermarket part?

 

I have a hard time believing any significant structural "brace" would weigh one pound, at least not anything effective.

Seriously, how would one pound of steel effectively resist the powerful forces induced when pushing a vehicle to it's limits or beyond?

 

I remember them to be pretty light. I've had mine in for about half a year now. I had them powdercoated because the black coating is easily scratched. I'm not sure if they help significantly, but they do seem to stiffen things up a bit. I like them, and the are stealthy on my '05 MCS.

Richard