Ok. So I have been trying to decide which lower brace to get, and I am rather certain that I have narrowed it down to these 2:

Anyone have any experience with either? All opinons and feedback are welcome!

OMP
http://www.mini-madness.com/index.as...ROD&ProdID=290


Madness
http://www.mini-madness.com/index.as...ROD&ProdID=309

 

great question. i'm looking at both and the m7 as well. i guess as usual, there's that price/benefit/use equation. i don't think i'm gonna be able to track my cabrio much, so i'm leaning towards m7 stb to deal with mushrooming, the h-sport rear sway bar and the omp bar. should make for a fairly decent daily driver! i might go madness if i was doing track stuff....just my 0.02. either way, you'll notice a difference according to the many responces on this issue in prior threads.

 

I just put the OMP on and was very impressed with the improvements...
Best $95 spent so far....

 

dont use the omp if your super low,i was 2" lower than stock and i destroyed the omp bar in about a month,if your going that route and your car is lowered a lot i would opt for the m7

 

I am lowered quite a bit on H&R RSS Club sport coilovers... About far down does the OMP bar extend past the existing low point? (either that rubber piece or the plastic airdam in font)

 

Might as well turn this into a Lower Brace/USS reference thread. Here are some more pics of others.

M7 Under Strut System (USS)
http://www.m7tuning.com/parts/produc...products_id=28

 

The M7 is definitely lower profile, however my concern is with exhaust clearance, as I have a full aftermarket exhaust. I have heard there have been some clearance issues with the M7 uss.

 

I think I've decided on the OMP as it is not any lower than the bottom point now.
As seen in this pic:

 

Unless I'm missing something in my searches, has anyone installed both the OMP lower stress bar AND the Madness lower strut brace on a Cabrio? Or for that matter, what about the TSW on a Cabrio? I have a USS, but a relative of mine just got a cabrio and wants some kind of under stiffening. Not sure what the "go to" setup is these days for the cab. Thx...

 

Do these mods make a substantial difference? Is any one better than another (loaded question, I know). I was thinking about the M7 system, but was not certain what I'd get for $349.

Your opinions are appreciated.

 

The OMP made a great difference for my car! I love it! Bought it for $65 USD in the Uk and this part has been totally worth the price! Firmer response up front, better cornering and planted feel, especially with TSW springs and a 19mm rear sway bar. I can only imagine what the others feel like and for the money, I can say the OMP is a great mod. As previously stated though, do no drop the car too far with this mod or you will destroy it! A modest drop is all one really needs to extract the mini's full potential anyways.

 

I've got the OMP lower brace, and it works well, but it does cut ground clearance by almost an inch. I've touched down on it once, and it is the first thing that gets banged by medium rocks.

As the image above shows, the tubing comes down almost as low as the "airdam" warning-scraper. The difference is that the warning-scraper is a cheap plastic consumable, while the tubing of the brace is firmly attached to the frame of the car, so something expensive could get bent if the OMP brace makes solid contact.

I've also seen a USS brace where one of the 1/2" thick aluminum bars had bent downward about 1/4", making me wonder if aluminum is the right material for this apparently high-stress use.

Bottom line is that each bar works, each has its proponents, but all of them do reduce ground clearance, and price seems to be the major differentiator.

That said, I'll keep my OMP until something with less impact on ground clearance comes along.

 

The brace is made to break away if it gets hit too hard. Word to the wsie, don't drive your slammed mini with this mod, but don't feel like you can't install this piece and DD your car. It can be done and i've done it for over a year now in prob. the worst climate imaginable!

 

I received the Madness lower bar this week. I chose the Madness over the OMP because it had two additional mounting points to the subframe. I know most people have been happy with the OMP but I felt that the additional mounting points couldn't hurt. I was limited to these two choices because the TSW/M7 would interfere with the underbody paneling on the GP and I did not want to modify that.
Upon opening the box I was impressed with the finish and the quality of the brace. It comes with two longer bolts to replace the stock ones and two studs with nuts to use in existing threaded holes. I slipped the bolts in the brace and found that the hole tolerance was very close. My first thought was
"this is going to be fun getting this to fit". To my surprise everything lined up perfectly. I used a little blue loctite and torqued the fasteners up. It is a very quick install if everything lines up. Unfortunately it will be a few more weeks before the snow and salt goes away and I can get to test this out.
Steve

 

Steve...what did you torque the bolts to?

rt

 

I used an impact dialed down a bit...Maybe 150 ft lbs? (Tight!)

 

i got the omp because i know at some point i will change the exhaust.

my omp impressions:

relatively inexpensive (paid $100), and vey easy to istall. it took more time to get the car on jack stands than it did to put the bar on. the finish is nice, it's quite red...but not many will see it

the ride is more "solid." less noise, and a smoother ride. it feels like a "luxury car" version of the mini.

i can't say more about the handling because i put on an h-sport 19mm rear sway bar at the same time.

all it all, i'd agree that this is a great "bang for your buck" mod

 

Where did you get the bar for $100?

 

Ordered a MM lower bar and the MM rear sway bar. They should be in soon.

 

http://www.motorspotstore.com/lowerstrutbar.html

 

It has been discussed before. Search tem OMP. I have it and like it. It stiffended front enough that car picked up a little understeer it didn't have before.

(LONG SINCE CORRECTED)

 

Do these bars bolt up to some existing bracket or bolt? They look simple enough. Has anyone tried to fab up one at home?

 

This comment sums it up the best! Buy it, you won't be disappointed!

 

Gann
02-06 Bently manual call for controll arm bushing bracket torque to be 44 ft-lbs. Can be found on pg. 230-11 in that manual. This is a 10mm bolt that fastens to the chassis.
Steve

[quote=Gaan;2083082]Steve...what did you torque the bolts to?

Modshack
There is no way I would torque a 10mm bolt to 150 ft-lbs and expect it to survive. Please see above!
Steve

 

I just saw this today
http://www.masonengineering.net/Subp...iCooperR53.htm
It looks surprisingly similar to the Madness I just installed .
Steve