Has anyone else had this problem? Tried to install and the bar would not reach all the way across. From pictures I have seen elsewhere, it doesn't look like the bar catches a lot threads on the end bolts. BTW, the bar I have measures 29 3/4 ". Could someone please measure their bar?
Thanks Gang!!
Jim Williams
04 MCS

 

My bar is also 29 3/4 ".

 

maxmini,
Did you notice any difference after installing the rear stress bar?

Thanks,

retroom

 

maxmini, thanks for the info.

Where about in the SF Bay Area are you? I'm in Castro Valley.
Jim

 

Im am further south in L.A but get uyp to the Bay area to race sailboats a few times a year. usually drive the mini as Route 1 is not to be missed As for noticing adifferance I can not say yes or no as I also installed a different shock system at the same time.
Randy
TeamM7
www.m7tuning.com

 

DOH!! Sorry Randy, I meant to ask retroom the "sf Bay Area" question.

And yes, Hwy 1 is a blast !!
Jim

 

After a bunch of fiddling, loosening, tightening , the bar is in. Still think the bar should be a bit longer to get a better "bite" on the end bolts, though.

Thanks Everyone!
Jim

 

jimz68,

I live in Sunnyvale and work in Fremont.... did you notice any difference with the bar installed??

retroom

 

Hey guys, I live in Los Altos, go to school in Palo Alto, and work in San Jose. If either of you want to give a poor soul who's anxiously awaiting an 05 a ride in your MCS to pass the time, let me know. Love to feel what a modded MCS could do.

-mike

 

my personal opinion. i dont think minis need stress bars, there a way to make money. the minis body is so rigid as it is and the bars are for show and nothing esle. i havent heard of a strut or stress bar that does anything. if so mini madness would have one but there is no need so they dont. if you want to spend money on a good bar buy the madness sway bar, i love mine. best money for suspenion i ever have spent and that did some thing


chris

 

Just out of curiosity, how does that bar mount onto the car?

I forgot that the strut tops don't come out on the rears inside the cabin
on these mini's (other thread on stb's 'underthebonnet forum' ) even
though I installed the H-sports and swaybar several months ago.
hehehe. worked on too many other cars since.

 

Nothing like a good stress bar debate to finish off the evening Ok where do we start . Yes the mini has a very strong body just like the advertising says but does that mean it cant be improved ? My car has been lowered on coil over shocks. When i didn't have a front strut tower brace it rubbed in hard cornering when i tried three of four different bars is no longer rubbed. Now tell me it doesn't work ? As for mini madness not carrying one I think I would put my confidence more readily in John Cooper Works you may have heard fo them . The carry a front strut tower as part of their track package as well as a rear top mount wing as a mater of fact. You want to try and convince Mini owners that JCW doesn't know what they are doing and you are going to have a long night Sway bars are certainly a good investment and there are many good ones out there. The H-sport seems to be leading the pack in that area as they are one of the few offering hollow ( lighter ) bars. Not sure who makes the madness unit or if it is hollow or solid. Now of course everyone is entitled to a opinion , I am just not sure if i want to take handling and suspension advice from someone who's motto is " if it ain't rubbin it ain't low enough " Come to think of it maby that is why you don't feel a strut tower is necessary you like that rubbing sound LOL

Randy
Team M7

www.m7tuning.com

 

Kenchen it is a real easy deal actually. You remove the stock top mounts in the rear strut towers that the rear seats clip into . The you replace them with the Pilo units. The have a sightly taller attachment point for the rear seats which leaves room for the bar. It makes the rear seats stand about a inch more upright. There are two bolts in each mount so it should be no longer than a 20 min job at most. Hope this helps clear up the picture

 

Thank you, maxmini. :smile:

 

BWAHAHAHA! "rear strut towers"

 

Do you have the bar pushing or pulling on the body? It is designed to pull in to help reduce any movement.

 

What movement? The rear suspension is completely located by arms nowhere near your "Rear Stress Bar".

 

Logical Fallacy Alert!

Andy - just because the suspension mounting points aren't near the brace doesn't necessarily mean there isn't any movement where the brace is mounted. Check yourself man, you're slipping.

However, that doesn't mean there is movement, I wouldn't know, I haven't checked, but alas, not the point.

 

Thats cool, but how does your Mini perform in the water?

 

I think he uses those big flotation tires like they use on the pedal trikes at the beach. It is pretty pathetic though.....racing sailboats......they don't even have a motor! I hope you feel good beating them every time.

 

Movement from what? Even if there was movement, what difference would it make if the rear seat mounting locations moved closer together or farther apart?

 

Movement from chassis flex, silly, what else....my MOM?

The positioning (closer or further) isn't the point, it's the tension reducing the probability of flex.

Of course, this is all hypothetical.

 

My point is this. Front strut braces attempt to limit the movement of the tops of the struts by connecting the two towers. Although none of the strut brace manufacturers have shown even a hint of testing data that suggests the strut tops move significantly, at least the theory is there (sort of). Limiting movement of the tops of the front struts limits changes in camber of the wheels.

At the rear of the MINI, the place where the Pilo bar mounts, there are no struts. The "rear strut towers" as maxmini called them are actually mounting points for the top of the rear shocks. The difference between these and struts is that the shocks do not do anything to control the geometry of the rear suspension. That geometry is controlled by:

A) A big trailing arm on each side, that is pivoting from its base way down low in the chassis (not even in the same area code as the rear brace)

B) A pair of control arms per side that are pivoting from their bases way down low in the chassis (not even in the same area code as the rear brace)

I'd be curious to know how bracing the area between the rear seat latches is supposed to have any effect on the geometry of the rear suspension.

 

!!logical fallacy alert on the logical fallacy alert!!

one of fundamentals of logic discovered by the greeks is "the onus of proof is on he who asserts the positive."

suppose someone claimed "there is a herd of reindeer living at the center of the earth writing beautiful music and making great physics discoveries."

if,when asked for proof of the statement, that person claimed "i don't have to give you any proof, it's up to you to prove it's NOT true," the fallacy has been committed because there isn't any proof of the negative. there must be SOME evidence to the truth of the statement or it it just an arbitrary, groudless assertion.

the people making claims about stress bars on the mini are doing just this. although some cars benefit from such bars, NOT ONE single piece of measured numerical evidence for a mini has ever been put forth by these people.

given the numerous rubber bushings in the front and rear suspension sytem (whose flex has been noted by several authors, including jlm, i believe) and the relative stiffness(by inspection) of the mini structure (compared to say the long flimsy front end of some muscle cars that support a much heavier engine), these bar people are making claims without any basis in fact.

the logical fallacy is theirs, not ours.

flyboy2160

 

MY car is lowered about 1.75 inches .
Without the braces the tires rub the fender liners on hard turns expecially if i hit a bump while cornering.
With the braces the tires do not hit the fender liners while negotiating those same turns at the same speed.
I have no idea what numbers are being generated and actually am more interested in wether or not the car performs better , which obviously it does .
End of message, end of discussion.
Randy
Team M7
www.m7tuning.com