Hi guys....need your help again....GP 0395 just rolled in its first 1000 miles and it needs Strut Tower protection and an alarm system. Will an M7 STB be a good choice? Will it fit the GP?.. I have also checked with our local Mini dealer re the R53 factory alarm system and was told that the GP is not pre-wired for it!.. Is this true? (sounds rediculous for a refutable company like BMW to offer an option item without a provision for its installation!)..thank you

 

The M7 STB looks good and will fit; I stayed with factory and used the JCW strut brace, but the M7 looks tougher!

GPMINI has the factory alarm - maybe one of the only GPs to have it, since the GP is not pre-wired (!) and installation is a major job and a major cost. At least MINI did realize their error and create a retro-fit kit, but expect to pay $800-$1000 depending on your dealers labor costs.

 

Yes the M7 is a good one, might also think about the Craven STD

 

Strut braces do little to help mushrooming. Camber plates or the new Madness under tower supports.

 

I think your mistaken. I think anything helps. I had taken my STB off long ago to access my Deka battery and on a recent trip to LA....THE RIDE WAS HELL cause the Mini is so hard and slammed that it busted the clips off my sideskirts and shroomed my drivers side tower pretty good....and the point is.....I HAVE camber plates...and if my tower brace was on I wouldnt have had a problem.

 

Plates arent going to help anyways. A good amount of force from a pothole at speeds is still going to force that impact into the tower. Whats the plate going to do? Little. A STB is only there to improve lateral chassis flex...nothing more.

 

Thank you guys the much needed info....GP 0395 is scheduled for the factory alarm installation next week...For now, I have decided to go for the M7 STB Black Chrome for strut tower protection, chassis tightening and handling and possibly vibration and noise attenuation....camber plate will follow in the near future (cannot yet conceptualze hot it work!...need more research!!!...Thank you all..

 

I have a mushroom on the drivers side,it is said that the material is too thin accompanied by short suspension travel inherent to the mini,therefore the best solution that we have at our disposal is to sanwich the metal top and bottom.Mabye it's not a total cure but must help,my logic tells me that the surface area of these aftermarket parts must also factor in,the larger the area the more support as in a big washer has more support than a small one,so i chose M7 on top and IE plates underneath.

 

i am a believer in the sandwhich theory as well. btw, be aware that some have experienced bonnet bulge after installing the m7 plates with the bar. fortunately this is almost always resolved with a little modification of the bonnet liner. if you need to do said modification, please save yourself some aggravation and do the "cut the backside" method, instead of the "soak" method.

lastly, many here do not think the stb does much/?anything for our cars (i've driven with it on/off several times). but i couldn't resist the bling of the bar, so it stays on. if you want to tighten up the front, the lower brace (omp, m7, tsw, ?others) does much more

happy trails!

 

M7 STB at GP 0734.