Does the Dinan Bar give any protection against mushrooming? Also how does the Craven STD compare with the M7 tower plates or strut bar? Thanks

 

no it does not, mine cracked from mushrooming

 

^ Mine did to. What a waste of money. I have nothing but good to say about thier engine tuning kits and im very happy with the S2, but their strut bars are weak

 

I can't believe what I'm reading. I have DINAN stress bar, the only reason I bought DINAN is because tuner shop said it's as good as M7 bar, maybe even better!

So my question now...

1. What causes mushrooming?

2. What bar / aftermarket part do you guys suggest to eliminate or reduce the chance of mushrooming?

 

1. AVOID potholes and other road hazards!

2. Get a set of camber plates, and the car and bar will be fine.

 

Did anyone try to get a dinan replacement after their strut bar broke? Was the warranty claim denied?

 

I've had the Dinan on my 02 since new and have no mushrooming, wether the bar helps to protect or not is subjective, the bar wasn't designed for that purpose neither was the M7 bar, neither are camber plates. Should they help? Probably, but they are not the answer to pot hole abuse.

 

Yep that's EXACTLY what happened to me. Dinan said it was MINI's fault (mushrooming known problem); MINI of Fairfield CT said not their problem, they did not install (which was true, but still they are a Dinan dealer).

Anyway Dinan Strut bar POC, big time!

I now have M7 Strut Re-Inforcement Plates after beating down the mushrooming (thanks Lucas!) NO issues!!!

BTW anyone want to buy my Dinan Strut Bar? $50 + shipping! The ears can be welded or replaced by Dinan for about $50! Best of luck with this POC!!!

 

I cannot believe what I am reading either...this is nuts, I would have to fully agree with Ovrezee here. Dinan makes very high quality parts and I would not imagine that their bar would crack or break. You guys must really be driving rough.
Spinley...I know the shop that you are talking about and I know that both of the owners of that shop are stand up guys and would not mis guide you in any way.
Qtip...Great suggestion from attacking this both with camber plates and a strut bar. A great way to prevent mushrooming is to attack the weakness of the metal on the strut tower from both sides, think of it like a sandwich, you are strengthening both the underside and topside when doing so making it a ton stronger in preventing any mushrooming.
Loss of words here on what people are saying...

 

If that the case, im tempted to just buy new ears", fix the mushrooming and
install it again. Maybe they redesighned the ears" ? Id hate to let this bar go to waste. Its a beuatiful bar and its just collecting dust in my basement right now

 

That's cool! Hope to meet you there one of these days. I still have lots of modding to go. And I totally agree with you. The owners of the shop are top notch guys. I don't plan to have any other shop modify my MINI, except at Rob's shop. I am very please with their customer service A+ and knowledge of MINIs. My comment was directed towards DINAN (surprise to read what happened to his bar), but like Overzee said, mushrooming/damage to bar will only occur "to pothole abuse."

 

I am not in any way saying the Dinan bar caused any type of mushrooming. I am saying it does not protect against it. My mushrooming is caused by poor road quality. It is not a bad product just doesnt help with mushrooming. I probably will be selling my brace if anyones interusted.

 

Ovrezee

I beg to differ that the M7 stb's aren't designed to reinforce the shock towers and prevent mushrooming.

I bought M7's specifically for that reason. In fact the top brace portion can be removed and you can just use the end plates.

"Important Info for Customers: The M7 Strut Re-Inforcement Plates and the M7 Strut Tower Brace are two separate products that have the same function in regards to strut tower mushrooming (you only need one or the other). "

http://www.m7tuning.com/parts/produc...products_id=29