I know this is a basic question, and I can assume it's for more stability. Can someone please provide more specifics as to what's the purpose of the strut bar?

Thanks, I did a search but didn't find my answer.

 

Depends on how you use the car.

For street use the strut bar is bling.

For cornering forces experienced at track and auto-x events it helps maintain the structural rigidity of the chassis

 

Thanks, I don't track my Mini, so I guess I would not get any benefit.

Your answer was helpful.

 

I should probably add that for convertible it will help remove some of the cowl shake. I know first hand the Under Strut Brace by a variety of vendors does a better job of stiffening the front end of a vert.

Funny, I was just reading Rondel in the tech Talk the same question was asked. It's almost like I wrote the response. The reply went onto say that Steve Dinan, much to the chagrin of his marketing people, also says the same thing.

 

I felt a noticeable difference in my car when I installed the front strut tower brace, if that is what you mean.

The car feels noticeably more solid and less "flitty" in the front during hard cornering. I don't track my mini, yet, but have some fun when it's safe on the street. It is nice to have that extra little bit of rigidity.

Things are relative, spend your money how you see fit. For some, the cost of the bar is prohibitive, for others it's so cheap why not?

I guess it depends where you are in life and how freely you spend your dough.

 

I enjoy buying mods for my cars, and can do it. But if I'm not going to get benefit on a performance related item, why? This item is not an expensive piece, so cost isn't the issue.

So, you have felt a difference? It sound like you drive spirited like me even though not on the track. Is there a particular brand that works better?

 

If you are going to do it then the M7 bar with the tower reinforcement plates is very good option. Mostly for the plates.

 

Aside from getting a more rigid front end, another great benefit of having a strut bar (from what I read here as well as product reviews with M7 & DINAN bars), avoids/reduces/completely eliminates the chance of mushrooming, which many MINI owners have experienced and the repair was costly.

 

I think I remember reading with issues if raising the hood with these brands. Is there an issue?

 

From what I've read, both Dinan AND M7 bars will raise the hood slightly. I have the M7 bar and the hood is slightly raised, but only like 1/4" or a tiny bit more.

Nobody will notice other than yourself.

My car was slightly mushroomed when I did the install, I couldn't tell though until I laid the plates that come with the M7 bar in place, then it was very noticeable. I pounded the metal flat with a block of wood and a small sledge and installed the plates/bar.

I have not developed further mushrooming since. That doesn't mean that this has 100% solved the problem, or that it is not possible to still get some mushrooming. It does, however, mean that since the install I have noticed a better, more stable feel and have not suffered additional mushrooming.

I felt that the relatively low cost of this part was well worth the gain that I feel came from it. I recommend the M7 bar over other bars simply because of the plates that will help prevent mushrooming.

Yes, I drive "spirited" on the street. I take the car to the edge of it's (relatively high) limits on a regular basis. The route I drive to work and back includes some very entertaining freeway on/off ramps and I travel during a time of limited to no traffic. I am able to really push it on the street without endangering anyone's health or well-being other than my own.

That said, this mod was well worth the money.

 

....to take your money for unproven real benefits and give you a ricey-blingey look.

deja vue all over again: there are numerous threads about this going back for years. despite several simple proposed tests to see if the mini shock tower mounts move or not during high loads, NOBODY has bothered to test this.

 

I beg to differ. First of all, the bar is black. I don't drive around with my hood open, so this "ricey blingey look" you speak of does not apply to me.

Secondly, I remember reading a post where someone tied a piece of kite string from one tower to the other, then jacked the car up from the center. The string became taught when the car was raised, and sagged when it was let down.

You mention unproven results, yet most if not all of the items people bolt onto their cars are "unproven." There is no real way to scientifically measure these benefits available to the average consumer.

However, I will guarantee you 100% that the chassis of the Mini Cooper is not 100% rigid and resistant to flex under high loads. Claiming such would be asinine.

 

All we have is personal experience with these bolt-ons.
I have found the car to feel more solid in the front end with the bar on (and pre-tensioned); the trade-off seemed to be noticeably more understeer. If I were to hit the track, the bar may come off if I could not otherwise compensate for the understeer. But, for fast autobahn driving--three-digit speeds--the bar was a benefit as far as high-speed stability went. Pick your poison.

And, yeah, all of the above is "unproven".

dan

 

A moderate rear sway bar will counter the added understeer of the front sway strut; a more agressive RSB will result in less understeer than was present originally.

 

To quote a much older thread:

I couldnt find the actual thread wherein meb and Randy spoke, if it wasn't all over the phone. Here is the thread I grabed it from https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...=strut+bar+zip

It is a good read about all sorts of bracing.

 

Gee I remember having a Strut Bar on my 1966 Shelby GT350, oh well I guess Carroll just put it on there for a ricey-blingey look.

 

Things have some a long way since 1966, some cars strut bars make a difference. In the Mini they Don't

 

That's pretty strong language. I have now read two conflicting reports in regards to a "test" done to decide if the mini will flex at all between the tops of the front struts.

Somehow, you have decided beyond a shadow of a doubt from this overwhelming evidence, that you opinion is correct.

It would be more helpful if people would not make statements like this that are not supported. It may be your OPINION that they do not help. Stating your opinion as fact is not helpful.

I'm curious to learn from Mr. Webb how much "driving" he did with his test set-up, what kind of driving it was, what kind of mods the vehicle in question had, and if he tested for flex in both directions. I'd also like to know if he tested more than one Mini.

A single test on a single subject measuring a single element of force in a single direction even if done by the hardest driving most intelligent man on Earth is anything but conclusive.

 

The MINI is a Mcpherson strut automobile. The strut towers are made of sheet metal. If they can mushroom, they shure as hell can flex. I noticed a difference in stiffness when I ran Solo II events. It also feels more connected on the street. I'm outa here!

 

Saw this link from M7:
http://www.m7tuning.com/techinfo/Ins...stbfitment.pdf

Says you can just use a spray bottle....

 

I encourage you to buy the M7 STB for the plates to help with mushrooming, our area roads are not the best at times. Then you can add the bar when you want to in 5 mins. Just follow the M7 site for soak and slam fitting.

NOTE, the M7 STB will NOT fit under JUSTACOOPER bonnets.

I like the way the M7 STB impacts my MINI on the street and in the cones.

Just my 2 cents.

 

I have the M7 bar on my MCS. I covered the bar with clear contact paper,
sprinkled baby powder on it to get the outline of the hood insulation, and
then cut it out with a utility knife. Works for me.

 

Great info. I wouldn't want my hood raised 1/4 inch.

 

We installed the JCW strut brace and ran back to back sessions with two cars....In both instances, on high-grip racing surfaces, the differences were sufficient for us to take a couple of laps to adjust our turn-in points on some of the corners. My lap time difference was 0.4 seconds. That's sufficient evidence, to the extent that we've never removed them!

That was the only change we made. Of course, these cars were already fairly stiff, with cages, etc., but the top strut did make a positive difference, and will on any MacPherson-type suspension, IF it is not already well-braced/triangulated AND if you drive the thing hard enough to matter.

 

you dont need a strut bar on the MCS for street use.

when a car's rear tire lifts off the ground when you slightly lift
the front, you know the chassis is rigid.