Hey, now!!! No personal shots! That "Actual Size" sticket can come of, budy!

 

so far its still not on yet, tha guy doin' it has taken his royal time like all machine shops do but did a test fit and its all good!! im havin' a couple more things done to it. will keep yall updated, ihope i dont forget
tha early liner will do nothin' well atleast in my case and theres no need to cannibalize it!! after u soak this liner it will come pretty close to perfect but close wuz not good enough fer me

 

I am with Joker on this one. That hood sticking up even a 1/32 would drive me nuts!

 

It's probably going to increase the noise a tad without the insulation under the hood. That being said, I know plenty of people that have taken it off and been completely fine :D

It does mention on M7's website, though, that the strut bar does not work for the Cooper:

 

Hey guys this is Jonathan from World One Performance....

I have reviewed the thread thanks to one of my group buy customers

Peter and I have discussed this time and time again and have come to a couple of conclusions...

First off I will be honest and let you know that I can't remember what years there were some minor issues with the fitment on installation of the M7 Strut bar. That being said, we have some options

1.) Cut the area where it doesn't fit with the liner (not my favorite idea!)
2.) Soak the area and compress it to help it fit snug
3.) Take off the liner...like someone said if you don't cut it you can always reinstall it later
4.) Best option and the only one I reccomend 100%...Peter told me that I can get a hood liner that is from the earlier models that is more thin than that of the late MC/MCS for $40...if you are really this concerned about warranties and such, I doubt a tech will notice the difference if you do a clean install...

I welcome any questions or concerns anytime of the day on my different communication levels below in my signature

I know this is a pain in the ****, but this piece is a great mod and will really help the longevity of your struts from mushrooming...

Cheers all and good luck! Let me know if you need my further assistance! M7 and World One Performance stand behind the products we sell and distibute so please don't worry as you will be taken care of

Jonathan

 

Jonathan,
I know that the strut was designed for the MCS and perhaps M7 might not have even tried installing on an MC. Is there is any chance it will fit on an MC with thinner or no liner, or will it simply not work because of the lower hood? I already have a modified battery cover, so clearance should not be an issue.

 

I test fitted it yesterday on my MCc by removing the battery cover. I was able to close the hood and it was sticking up about 1/16 at the cowl. I am sure removing, or trimming the liner would allow it to fit, but don't take my word for it.

 

Why by something that doesn't work? Look to a different brand that fits correctly.

 

I've measured the heat on my Indi Blue under direct summer sunlight at 154deg F with the white roof measure around 80degF using an infrared temp gun. How hot does an engine run?

I know from experience a header will create a "hole" in your skin, instantly burning off several layers of flesh and cauterizing it so there's no blood loss, and only takes an instant to do this. I've never experienced a hot hood doing that.

[edit] I've seen plenty of hoods with cracked paint due to the heat of the engine--it wasn't from the sun.

Richard

 

It would be great if I could find even a single brand that has no fitment issues! So far, I have seen reports of the hood bulging or unable to close with these brands: M7, Racing Dynamics, Umnitza, OMP, and BMP/ProMINI.

On my 2006 MCC, the hood liner already has indentations from pressing against factory equipment. There doesn't seem to be much room for anything extra, and 2005/2006 apparently have thicker liners that make the problem worse. The evidence suggests that fitting a strut bar means that I would have to live with a bit of hood bulge (that may go down as the liner compresses), unless I apply a remedy such as removing, trimming or using a thinner liner.

 

For those with a MC or even MCS, why not the M7 USS and skip the whole strut tower fit issues? Then get the SRPs to help with possible mushrooming.

 

- Jonathan -

Do you know if Peter is certain that the thinner liner WILL definitely fix the issue? NAM'er JOKER mentioned in Post #27 of this thread that he tried it and it didn't help enough to justify swapping it out.

I would consider going that route since it sounds like the cleanest solution. If M7 can assure us that this liner will :
1> fit on an '05 or '06 MCS and
2> fix the issue

then you could even ship both items to me at one time if that works out.

Pictures of successful installations would be helpful too...

Thanks,
Robert

 

Note that I'm seeking a bar for a non-S Cooper (convertible in my case). The description of the fitment problem was described in the Umnitza strut bar thread, posts #15 and #17. Your bar looks very nice and I'd be happy to use it if I could be assured of fitment.

 

Did you know-

Newer MINIs 05-06 have thicker insulation compared to earlier models.....

This may be your problem

Si

 

I only reported what I saw posted, and don't have personal experience with your bar. You might contact ahamos (the poster in the Umnitza thread) for his opinion. Are you based in the SF Bay Area? PM me if you want to test fit on a 2006 Cooper.

 

I'm certainly the dumbest one commenting on this post, but is this correct?
Does the under strut system provide the same or better rigidity and stability while the strut towere reinforcement plate, stops the mushrooming? Of course it costs $300 more right? Michael

 

I have two raised ridges in my bonnet where the brackets pushed up the metal. And that was after taking out the insulation and the spacer plates.

The bar still sits up at least 2mm too high. I really want this bar to fit, and I suspect that redesigning the brackets would make all the difference in the world. Please pardon my illustration:

)=---------------=(

Assuming this is representative of the bar and its brackets, machining down the ) and ( to have the = fit smoothly into them would meet the requirements.

Unfortunately, = is not square, so I'm not willing to try this myself.

Umnitza will hopefully understand my very poor illustration skills.

 

In my opinion the USS system provides more of a handeling upgrade than the strut tower brace. Both will help in a track or autocross environment or for those with coil overs , sticky tires etc. If I had to pick one I would go with the USS but would add a upper brace when I could. I have always been a fan of the upper strut tower brace and still have the BMP unit on my car as we can not keep our own in stock , customers do come first I would not venture on the track without one as I am so used to it. BTW my hood has been lifted up in the back about a quarter inch for about 45,000 miles now and I count that as a small price to pay for added performance. If that gap at the back is too much for some to deal with then perhaps you do not want this item on your show car

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Unfortunately, the USS puts you in a different class for autocross than a strut bar.

And the issue that I have with my hood is not a bulge, but two creases, permanently extruded, in the metal.

My car is no show car, but it shouldn't have to suffer obvious visible damage for a (relatively unnecessary) suspension component. Heck, you guys at M7 are the ones who have complained about the poor quality of the average CF bonnet.

 

goaljnky, I saw in the Marketplace forum that your wife's JCW is receiving a JCW strut bar. Could you try test fitting it on your MCC? Several people on MINI2 have mentioned installing a JCW bar on a Cooper.

 

I can do that, but it will have to wait couple of weeks. Her bar is going on this Friday, than on Saturday the USS is getting mounted on the MCc. After that it's a week long road trip. So I will try it sometimes after that. I can say for certain that the battery cover will definitely need to be altered for the JCW bar to fit.

 

Thanks, whenever you get to it. USS is another mod I've been thinking about for my MCC later this year, and would look forward to hearing about it also.

 

I was wondering if there would be a class issue with regards to the USS, thanks for the confirmation.

I agree creases in the hood is a deal breaker , I would want to see that resolved as well. The hood gaps we have seen on most CF hoods are far greater than the gap causes by any STB I have seen so far. There is a car at the local shop as we speak and everyone thinks the hood isnt closed. Now THAT is a gap LOL.

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

I'll trade you my JCW bar for your M7