Alright experts I'm having to yield to you on this one. I have the factory JCW strut brace currently installed on the car. However, I will be upgrading the shocks to the adjustable Koni Yellows, which means I will have the adjustment **** poking through the strut tower into the engine bay.

Will the strut bar interfere with using the adjustment **** on the shocks? Has anyone run this combination without problems, or if you did have problems, what was your solution.

I'm asking because if I need a new strut bar, I need to know obviously, but also because there are a couple bars on sale that I can pick up on the cheap.

 

I have adjustable Koni Yellows with the JCW strut brace. My question would be whether you are tracking your MINI or if this is a daily driver. If it is a daily driver, set the shock at install and forget it. If you want the adjustability the **** will fit in there but it is a tight fit. For alignment you want to take care the location of the top of the strut\mount plate of the strut bar is always in the same location.

 

It's going to be primarily a daily driver, with the occasional autocross and DE thrown in. i don't have to time to warrant making it a true dual purpose weapon, otherwise I'd be looking at coilovers instead of the Yellows. I just wanted to know if that **** would fit under the JCW bar.

 

I just went out and double checked it for you. The **** does NOT fit under the strut bar mount. Mine is a daily driver and slightly lowered with NMs. When I did mine, I was advised to stay on the softest "out of the box" setting on the shock, but I went stiffer a notch or 2, don't recall exactly. I'm not sorry, but it is a firm ride and I like it. The back have to be removed from the car to make any adjustment. On the front, you can see the adjuster and you could get in there with something small, clamp a small vise grip or small wrench if it were imperative.

 

Mind explaining this a little bit more? I think I know what you're getting at, but just want to make sure we're on the same page.



Did you have to do any drilling on the rears to get them to fit? As for adjustment, what danger is there in just taking off the bar to turn the shock ****, then putting the bar back on, other then length of time?

 

You shouldn't have to do any drilling to get the rears to fit. The only drilling is for the people who want to access the top of the shocks to adjust them without removing them from the car. Not sure what "bar" you're talking about. You shouldn't do any drilling with the Konis. The only solution for adjusting the rear shock is to remove it from the car.

For the fronts you can get in there with some needlenose pliers to turn the adjustment ****. Just don't twist it too hard as you can damage it. It should turn easily. Hence the plastic **** they give you. The idea is the **** will strip out before you damage the shock.

 

I was talking about the front bar, not any bar on the back.

 

Yes, if you loosen off the plates of the strut bar to use the **** to adjust the shock and the position of the shock changes relative to the body of the car you are potentially changing the alignment. So the needle nose is the best way to adjust. Like I was saying though, set em and forget em. No drilling on the back. Or anywhere else.

 

I see what you're saying, but I'm not sure I can understand how it could happen since the holes for the strut bolts aren't slotted like on the GP.

 

Perhaps my memory is fuzzy on the slots. Though if your strut bar is tight across the strut towers, doing one side at a time would locate the other back to it original position if there is any question.

But to your original question, no you cannot use the **** to make adjustment with the bar in place. My experience is that you either leave the adjustment full soft or one stop more firm depending on your taste, front and rear, install, have fun.

Let us know how it turns out!

 

Yes, you will have to drill the rear spring hat to get the Koni shaft to fit.

 

Then how did Mike install his without drilling? I don't understand how a shock can be made for a platform but require drilling to make it fit. Seems the shock maker, this case Koni, would have made the shaft in such a way as to work with factory top hats.

 

I have no idea how, but it's really hard to put a 12mm shaft into a 10mm hole...

 

Our TC Klines (custom valved Konis) came with a new cylinder that goes into the rear shock top hat that had a larger inner diameter to match the Koni shock.

 

seeing the issue now, lol.

 

i thought drilling was only required for the last gen mini for konis?