Definitely do that^^^

Mine is an 05, after doing the soak N' slam method I have no bulge.

 

Thanks.

 

+1 -- but you only remove the bar from the plates -- in other words, you don't have to remove the plates, of course

 

Is the bar just one piece? So, 2 plates, and 1 piece bar? Thanks.

 

The bar is 5 pieces, actually. Two plates and three pieces for the bar.

Removing the bar from the plates is pretty trivial. Maybe 2 minutes.

 

OK, good news. Thanks.

 

Just an update. Got the STB today and installed it - very simple to do although it's recommended you use a torque wrench to properly re-torque the bolts on the strut towers.
So, as to the battle of the bulge - here's how much it raised the trailing edge of the hood:


View from the other side:



And as to whether it will rub the hood release cables - no way, not on this R53 anyway:



I've soaked the hood liner with distilled water and covered the brace with a plastic, etc. and closed the hood (some may know it as a bonnet) - now I wait at least overnight. I'll update after it has a chance to conform to the brace. Knowing myself rather well, I'll do this step several times before re-posting. Bottom line: there is a little bulge even on my '04!

 

Thanks for the update with pictures.

 

Oh, as you may know, some people have put a little weight on the hood (sand bag; phone books, etc.) to help the liner deform and mold to the bar.
Just a reminder.

 

Phone book? I've been sitting on it for the last hour. Does that count?

 

It should; I would hope.

 

Update on my install and bulge---Installed 2 days ago and what i did was wet down the lining often, i have likely done it every 4-5 hours since install. as of the last treatment about an hour ago--the bulge is just about totally gone. i used the plastic on the bar idea about mid way-really helps. in my first few wet downs i didnt and for sure the bar was discolored-but made like new with some wd-40. so my thanks to all for the idea--seems to work great and hopeful tomorrow i will have no bulge at all! robert

 

It's your personality that counts.

 

I've got this strut bar on my 2006 S and did not have any fitment problems. It was expected from comments on NAM from other MINI owners, but did not materialize. Even if it does, there are easy fixes.

 

this sums it up pretty well https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=128373

 

I haven't read a thread yet that has any hard data that would explain why some cars have the bulge and others do not. There are statements like "it seems to be random" but that doesn't explain much.

So, maybe

(1) The construction of the bars vary (seems unlikely to me).
(2) The construction of the cars vary (also unlikely).
(3) Whether there is a bulge or not might be partly due to perception---some people notice it while others do not and hence claim there is none. This is possible.
(4) Different cars have different amount of mushrooming (or none).

I think 4 might be the best explanation. If folks with and without the bulge would check for mushrooming by placing a ruler on the strut towers and check for even slight curvature, we might nail this down.

 

I think you're right.
Having been up close and personal with the brace now, I'd say there is little to no chance of any variation in their construction but being a 3 piece design, there is room for a slight difference in overall height particularly with regard to a slightly mushroomed tower. You start with the tower caps but leave them un-torqued until the bar is fully assembled and tightened - then, you crank down the bolts on the towers and depending on how convex they may or may not be, the angle of those plates at the bar attachment point could stress the bar, possibly giving just a slight arch or dip.

Having said all that, I wouldn't underestimate #3.

 

Yes, no. 3 relfects one type of human nature, I guess.

Yes, from what you've described, a slight deformation of the mounting points would arch the bar up and cause the bulge.

 

oops!!

my bar went on when i brought the car home. had 30 miles on it....and no potholes....not a remote hint of mushrooming...and yes i had the bulge!! so we might be back to "random," vs. an as yet unthought of explaination!!

cheers!

 

I had no mushrooming either. Slight bulge at first - pictured in post #32 above. 2 days later it's barely perceptible. Not only did I soak the hood liner (three times thus far) but I cut two long slices in the liner material along the length of the cross bar, just where it touches the liner and it seemed to help allow that exact section to conform to the bar easier. A lot of fiddling to accommodate M7's design but I feel it's well worth it. It's a nice piece and easy to remove the center section for service access. Here's what it looks like now:

 

 

Looks great! Glad it worked out for you.

I think I will take the advice of others and instal the Ireland Engineering (IE) fixed camber plates as well as the M7 bar.

 

Actually I think this is the most likely cause. Some variation should be expected when stamping and welding sheet metal. We're talking about a few millimeters that can make a difference between bulging or not.

 

Thanks. I have much to learn about the IE plates. For now, I've got to start motoring much harder - I mean I had NO mushrooming - that doesn't reflect well on my sporting nature, does it?

 

as a new mini owner-can you overview the IE fixed camber plates you mentioned. i thought the plates that bolt down over the suspension areas on the ends of the M7 strut bar would be all that would be needed to prevent mushrooming. thanks