Just like to say I love this bar. It is the most affordable and best value bar in the market. It is adjustable and very easy on your pocket.

 

where did ya get that?

 

call any sparco dealer and special order it. I knew sparco made bars, but didnt know they made it for mini, so i looked at the list and mini was listed. called a dealer and they ordered it from sparco. for $120, cant beat it.

 

that's sweet! I installed the H-sport and like it well enough, but didn't like to have to drill new holes...

 

is it aluminum, steel, coated steel? inquiring minds want to know. does it fit over intakes?

 

it is steel powder coated in red. Plenty of room for intakes. very stiff. This is why I like it. Its steel and has an adjustment for tension. Made by Sparco.

 

do you have a link where to buy them ?

 

just call a sparco authorized dealer.

 

It looks nice and a great price but, it doesn't look like it will fit with the Alta CAI. Any info. on that?

 

Sorry, should have asked in my earlier post, what is the weight?

 

sorry, i dont have that info. It is steel.

 

It'll take 5 minutes with a dremel or similar rotary tool to notch the alta. The bar and filter will probably be touching, but that's not a big deal.

btw, gmed, that looks like a nice piece from a reputable company. thanks for the heads up.

 

wow, nice find

So if they are making suspension parts for the mini, does anyone know if they will be selling their new harness mounting system?

 

that is exactly what i was thinking. i bet if we show enough interest in that they'll make it.

 

I called Sparco within the last 2 months to ask if they had or would make their harness bar for the MINI. They said they had no plans to make it. The guy mentioned something about the layout or construction of the MINI interior which made it too complicated to design and not worth the investment.

 

shoot...that would have been nice...looks like roll cage will be the best option then

 

gmed,
Nice picture showing the bar mount with two bolts and notches cut in the top of the ECU cover and Intake box.

A word on front tower strut bars. Steel is strong AND heavy. The BMP aluminum bar weighs 3.5 pounds and the equivalent in steel is quite a bit more but not much less in cost.

This bar is less costly but no one really knows:
1) How stiff each bar really is. Not easy to test one plus it has to work on the car itself not just under some test conditions.
2) How much any strut bar will add to front end stiffness since the MINI chassis is so stiff already
3) How much difference in time any bar will make when a MINI is driven in autocross (maybe none although you might feel the front end is stiffer on hard turns) vs on the track.
4) How much metal fatigue the MINI will sustain over time with use that will result in loss of stiffness in the front end. Thus adding a front strut bar would help to reduce fatigue and keep the chassis stiff.
5) How much the strut bar would help to prevent damage to the top of the strut towers when the MINI hits a huge pothole from Hell that might risk bending the top of the tower plates (once that happens you won't be able to install a strut bar anyway! Yikes).

While strut bars do look nice and while they do significantly help in other cars with less stiff front ends, the MINI does quite nicely right out of the factory. Some strut bar owners are really happy with their bars. You are adding some weight and there is some cost. It's generally easy to install although some cutting of intake box or ECU cover. If you haven't done any other suspension upgrades then consider doing the rear swaybar or lowering springs first. Enjoy.

 

I found this site and they have them for $103.55 if anybody is interested. It indicates the weight as 10 pounds, but that looks like total shipping weight. I think I agree with Minihune and his list of reasons why we don't really need one though.

http://www.abtivan.com/browsebybycat...uspensions.htm

Ken

 

My understanding is that ALL unibody cars will flex over time and lose some of their integral strength... is this not a maxim?

I do concur with Minihune's summation, though...

 

I tried to order one but they said Sparco has discontinued this item

 

already? thats not a good sign

 

Maybe not moving fast enough? I'm going try and find one on Ebay.