I don't know if this bar is of the high quality of the Pilo bar(also sold by Moss). But I know people wanted the bar and it was in high demand. I found this one on Ebay for $45 + $16.99 Shipping. Thats about $60 less then any other brand I have seen.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33591

 

I bought the Ebay one, installed it today. Good fit and finish. Took it out for a short drive and I can feel a difference...could be the placebo effect. Give me a few weeks driving with it and I'll know for sure. For the price it's a good deal, $70.00 including sales tax (Cal) and shipping.

retroom

 

Good to know it wasn't crap But the whole debate over whether or not it does anything is still on going. I have a Rear Strut Tower bar and I think it helps.

 

I was thinking about getting the same Rear Strut Tower Bar from eBay. Now that some of us had gotten one in their mini. For the price I would love to try them on my MCS.

 

Anyone thinking about those bar should really look at their car closely.

Jack it up and pop off the rear wheels. Study where the top of the rear shocks bolt into the chaise, then look where that aftermarket rear bar attaches to those rear seat back clips. Not very close is it.

Now look under the carpet, if you can, just behind the rear seats. If you can't then it's still easy to see the built in factory rear shock tower support in the form of a boxed section running from one shock to the other.

I just don't see that rear brace doing anything...

 

Eye Candy/Bling..Thats all. Something to show people who know 0 about cars

 

Two positive comments for the rear strut bar. Don't be so quick to dismiss it until you try it. The same bar should fit both MC and MCS.

Rear Strut Tower bar is a misnomer, a more accurate name would be rear chassis support bar????

retroom

 

I don't know if it is mental, but I felt that the rear stress bar makes some difference. Now I feel the car more solid.
I bought mine from Moss, did not know about the deal in eBay.

 

What difference?

Positive or negative?

Did it improve your lap times? make the car safer? improve your gas mileage? improve your radio reception?

All you really hear about parts like this is that "I felt difference". I have no clue what that actually means...

 

After I installed the rear bar, I took it out for a short drive. My impressions; in turns the rear end felt more responsive, like the car rotated around it's axis easier. On rough roads, the car felt more solid, like it was more in one piece.

A few posts have downplayed the need of a rear bar. In contrast, the general opinion of people that have installed the bar is "it makes a difference". In my opinion the bar does change the feel of the car in a positive way. However, I will remain open-minded... I will know if the improvements are imagined or real after driving with it on my favorite routes for a few weeks.

retroom

 

its real easy 2 test if it worx or not!?
just dont bolt down strut bar when mounting,
put it on snug enough so it does not move around on its own
take car for a spin and listen 2 it
if ur car flexes u' will hear it through ur bar,
ends of bar will hit sides where mounted & u will find out if it worx or not!
i dont think its designed 2 work like a front unit.. its just designed 2 keep cabin flex down.. not 2 tie strut towers in together!!!

so, its all just a theory of mine.. i dont own one yet and i thought about getting one 2 test but it would b' a real expensive test if it does not work!!

have an idea 2 make one out of wood 2 test just not that important right now

 

I just installed one tonight and took the MINI for a long drive. My impressions were the same but, as somebody else pointed out, it may be a placebo effect. I typically do not drive the car that hard around corners as I did tonight while looking for a difference. I did notice one benefit - the car didn’t rattle as much as it typically does. Anyway, whether or not it works is debatable. At least I got something to hang my grocery bags from!

 

let me ask u'

how much of an incline does rear seat sit at? one of d' reasons why i have not made my purchase!

 

Hi Rick
So you finally got the bar install and I hope to get my soon. Thank you for the info.............

 

I have the rear bar and just installed a BFP carbon Fiber front bar. I think both work as a placebo. Maybe I only think they work because of less money being in my pocket .

Also for the back seats. They will sit up about 1/2" higher then before due to the change in the bar brackets. Very minimal. Although my seats don't sit flush with one another. I need to mess with it some day to make them look right if I can.

 

was this after u' installed strut bar??

 

Although I like this for aesthetic purposes, don’t expect it to do too much. I can bend it in half with my bare hands! Neuspeed makes the real thing - at least for the GTI - which is made of steel and is triangulated with an additional bar, which goes to the floor. Running my GTI with and without this rear strut is like night and day. Like I said before, it gives a place to hang the grocery bags.

 

I had the same experience with my 89GLI 16V and Neuspeed upper rear strut bar and my 99Si with a Neuspeed upper rear strut bar - actually, upper and lower front and rear strut bars were installed in each of those cars. I agree, there was night and day difference with regard to feel and responsiveness.

To me, the Mini feels better than the other two as is. I'm sure it flexes;

Onasled, you have a camera in your car? Might be interesting to fasten string in an 'X' pattern across the rear in line with the strut towers - one slightly loose and one taught - actually, one straight up and down as well. So long as all three meet exactly at some center, a slow motion camera might pick up some tension and compression between these strings during a track event. Not scientific, but the submarine guys use this method to keep an eye on hull deformation. Perhaps tensil wire is better; the string might vibrate too much???

...improve your radio reception? Ah, it might...

 

I installed this e-bay deal rear bar on Thursday night. It is not bendable by hand and actually heavier than I thought. I drove the car expecting nothing more than a waste of a small amount of $. I usually drive with the radio on so that I don't hear rattles and this drive was executed with the radio on also. I must say that I don't know if and how it may change cornering behavior, but the car felt much more solid and better over potholes/bumps.

The big test was when my wife came with me for a ride with the radio off. She did not know about the bar install. She commented that the car felt better as a passenger and wondered what was different!

Also, normally when there are 2 people in the car we can hear rattles from the drivers and passenger side window areas. With this bar the windows do not rattle anymore. This alone was worth it to me. Also the fact that the cabin was obviously stiffer means less flex and less long-term slow loosening of body joints. Deffinitely worth the price for quiet and peace-of-mind over longterm body loosening.

 

Sadly I don't know for sure. It might of been that way before hand.

 

what that bar needs is a strut going to the rear hatch as well

 

Will there be a noticeable gap between the seats and the parcel shelf since to accomodate the new brackets? $70 shipped to me seems fair. At least I can securely strap my spare to it.

 

Do you mean, triangulate? As in, create a truss? I agree! Maybe you have a new product on your hands jlm...when will it be ready for shipping?

 

Yes, the Neuspeed has the truss bar is what I was referring to in my earlier post. I had one on my GTI and it made a marked difference. Here is a photo:

http://www.neuspeed.com/products/product_details.asp?app=23|G2&type=12&ltype=ns_eur o&p_id=263

 

That was my thought as well when I bought one of these from eBay: Since ditching my runflats I had been carrying around a compact spare in the back. It had been strapped down with a complex web of bungie cords, but I didn't like the ide of the almost 50 lbs of weight (compact spare plus jack and all of my extra tools tucked into the wheel well) pushing against the seat backs.

As you can see from the photo, the gap is abit bigger than advertised, but it was very easy to install. I put some rubber spacers on the end bolts to stop them moving vertically. I think with a little bit of careful design someone should be able to design a better bracket that doesn't make the rear seats as vertical, but my daughter didn't complain about the change the first time out. We'll see how it goes on a long trip....

Now I have a nice solution to keeping my spare strapped down (notice the bag from NAM's own Baglady Jerseygirl?) I'll let you know if I think it actually does anything for handling as well.

For about $70 I say .