Man this thing is pretty. Probably the nicest looking thing I've installed on my mini yet. Beautiful clear coat glossy black. Then there's this awesome "WMW" cut out of a base plate like piece. Beautiful. It killed me knowing I was going to scratch it up sliding it around under the car on the driveway as I tried to install it.

Installation was a breeze like everyone said...even when I was using only car ramps that gave me all of 5 inches of clearance to work.

How did it feel when driving around? Phenomenal. I read in a review where someone said, and I'm paraphrasing here, that you'd only really feel the benefits under extreme driving aka autocrossing...and that the x brace is overkill for daily drivers? Well I don't find that to be true at all. I tested it out on my daily commute and I felt noticeable differences in everything from just pulling out of my driveway, to taking corners, to even changing lanes lol.

The mini feels way more planted, feels like it reacts quicker, and overall made my mini THAT much more fun to drive. I've been wanting to pull the trigger on this for so long...and as soon as I saw the price drop almost a full hundred bucks, I was sold! Fast shipping from Way as always.

 

I mean this in the kindest way, but if you've already gutted the boot, why wouldn't you just go straight to a bolt in roll bar? The weight difference between both parts is negligible compared to the curb weight of the car, it stiffens the monocoque, and you're increasing safety.

I'm not trying to be a pain, but am speaking from experience when I had a MINI as a track toy.

 

Not a pain at all lol, I appreciate the input!

I didn't even know bolt in roll bars were out there. I just assumed folks were custom fabbing stuff. Any particular place you recommend picking one up from? I'm all for making this thing as go-karty as possible. Plus it would definitely complete the look of my "wanna-be track car" project lol (I'll never track it because I can't afford to blow the engine).

 

Autopower sells a lot of different bolt-in solutions. I had this one in my MINI:

http://www.detroittuned.com/autopowe...race-roll-bar/

You can afford to go to the track. When the cost/minute is compared between auto-X vs. track days, the track day is more beneficial.

As long as you're not pushing some insane boost number you won't blow your engine. The driver, tires, and suspension (in that order) are what make a car fast.

 

awesome, thanks man! dammit...really wish I didn't just drop some dough on some truck parts.

This is definitely on the radar now though. Good to know--thanks again!

 

I appreciate your open-mindedness!

So many people are stuck on horsepower when you seem to be on the right track

 

haha yeah, I never saw this thing as having any potential hp wise...at least not on my budget. So I've only cared about trying to make it more fun in the twisties.

Besides, I've got a sport bike for my 'go fast' fix (track days only of course)

 

Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like it so much. The X brace is by far the best stiffening system for the MINI as it bridges the open gap under the car rather than just following the subframe like other systems. And it's the easiest as it's just 4 bolts that are already on your car.

 

I picked one up in November, ran it for about a week, then pulled it off. It broke my heart every time I heard it hit a chunk of ice, and we had a pretty major storm just after I put it on. I can't wait to thaw out here so I can put more miles on it. I really didn't have enough seat time to focus on a difference, especially with my winter tires on.

Way, would it make sense to offer one without the bump in it, for guys that don't have a resonator or 2nd cat? I'm not too low (TSW springs), but it seems like I lost significant ground clearance. I know that having another part number on specialty parts is difficult, but just an idea....

Have fun,
Mike

 

I could've sworn I read somewhere that the r53 x brace would fit on an r56...and it doesn't have that exhaust clearance "bump" like the r56 version does...

Way would be the guy to confirm that though...

 

Yes the R53 and R56 braces fit the same. The R56 just has the bump to clear the pipe. If you put an R53 one on the R56 it will likely hit the exhaust pipe. We have put the R56 ones on the R53 when people have had some aftermarket headers to get more clearance.

 

Yo, Cambo. You have an IG? Finally found another Cambo with a mini lol

 

lol yeah man we found each other like last year remember? lolol

What's an IG?

 

XD oh yea! Lol but Instagram.