I'm trying to figure out exactly which mods are the most important to have done first. I'm looking for mods that won't effect my warranty. I'm going to wait to do those later.

The ones I'm looking at include:

Strut Tower Brace, Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates, Sway Bars, and an Oil Collection Can.

Does the Strut Tower Brace also act as a Strut Tower Reinforcement. I know I would like to prevent any mushrooming before it has a chance to start. How Hard are these to install?

With the Oil Can, if I don't get this done soon, will there be any damage to the supercharger? Also, will it be harder to install if I wait for the OCC? I've heard that the oil gets trapped in there. Is that a mess?

Does anyone know if any of these effect the warrenty? Thank you.

-Seth

 

If I answer, MotorOn will be all over me, i rather pass on this

 

why cause you never held a wrench in your hand before? jk

 

I have seen a very very mod-friendly dealership deny warranty claims for a catch can and sway bar. Anything you mod will possibly affect your warranty. You should of seen my SA when I brought my car in! It was classic.

 

well, an exhaust would be safe =]

 

when will you change that sig btw?

 

M7 Strut Tower Brace

 

depends wether you want performance or you want the cute stuff with tons of claims.

Just do intake, exhaust, chip and wheels....everything is reverseable just save your stock parts.

 

Driving without an oil catch can, will not allow damage to occur to the supercharger. Oil will collect within the intercooler but it is easy to clean. How the vehicle is driven determines the service interval but if you rinse the inside of the intercooler with acetone at least every other oil change, there should be very little loss of heat exchange efficiency from the IC.

A strut brace will not prevent deformation of the strut towers and they are very easy to install.

What is an “important” mod is highly subjective and depends on your needs, aspirations, and desires. The reality is no “mod” is absolutely necessary to get enjoyment out of your MINI.

 

How are they a "very very mod-friendly dealer" then?

 

K-heuvo,
You mean that it will prevent mushrooming?
That is why I got one.

I would do the M7 strut brace and plates. Mushrooming issues. Then SC reduction pulley. Then CatBat and then header. Add the OCC's when you can. Just preventative and a good conversation piece. You can find them all over the web. You can get the M7 OCC or Alta. But you can get the same from Perrin, which is Alta without the markup in price and various companies. I picked up a M7 look alike on ebay for cheap. It looks the same, but it did not have the fancy M7 Logo. Let me know if you need one. I have the M7ish Oil Collection(Catch) Can available for sale.

 

I wrote what I meant; there is no way attaching something to the top will prevent deformation of the strut tower when the insult comes from below.

 

Why not? That's like saying a rollcage won't help in an "incident" because it's inside the car.

 

That’s not a valid comparison because the roll bar’s shape and attachment points act as bracing against the external force. A conventional strut brace is only good at bracing against lateral loads, for a diagonal force there is nothing to “brace” against. If there were another brace attached to the subframe and to the strut brace to act in tension then it would be valid contention.

 

haha, my reading comprehension skills are pathetic. I thought you were talking about the mushrooming issue and M7 reinforcement plates.

I agree, a strut bar is questionable (to be diplomatic) as a performance mod.

 

I am referring to the inability of any commercially available strutbrace to prevent tower deformation (mushrooming).

I am not anti-strutbrace all together; for the first time there is a design (commercially available, removes easily) that looks like it might have half a chance at resisting torsional forces and I’ll give it a try when I can afford it. There is race-ready bracing that appears to be affective but it isn’t stock engine serviceability friendly.

 

Seth,

IMO the only one that I would consider from your list is a rear sway bar. I have the H-sport "Sport" bar on the middle setting for street use. Other things to consider are a 15% pulley, Koni FSDs, CAI, lighter wheels and non-RF tires.

 

So I guess I did read that right And I still don't agree with you in principal. From the mushrooming pics that I've seen, I seen no reason why bolting a big chunk of metal on top of (or directly beneath, or on both sides) the strut tower wouldn't help.

Whether or not there is a fool-proof solution on the market, I don't know. But, I really think that, in ME speak, this is a solids problem, not a statics problem.

 

Technically, the dealership could deny you warranty work for almost any change you make. I'm not saying that it's right or fair or legal, but it's possible for them to do it and to make your life very difficult while you try and appeal, sue, whatever. I'm not trying to turn this into a Magnuson-Moss thread... so please search the forms for the threads where that is discussed. I'm just pointing you in that direction so you can make informed decisions.

I'm much like yourself... I want to have mod fun but I want to protect my warranty. I did new brake pads and an upgraded swaybar fairly quickly. It's possible, but I doubt that I'll have any suspension related warranty work. If something does happen, I still have my stock parts and can switch everything back fairly easily. I'm trying to keep my fingers out of the engine bay (pullies, oil catch cans, etc) as I have less knowledge about those items and I just don't need the headache of having engine trouble and worrying if they caused it.

I've recently done a moderate lowering spring (higher spring rates so they still play well w/ the stock dampers) that might draw some attention at the dealership (I took the car in today and the SA noticed it right off... but he was more interested from a modders standpoint). New control arms and front camber plates are coming... more than I intended to do, but the mod bug bit me w/ the springs and I couldn't resist. Again, I can't imagine how I might have a suspension related warranty repair, so I'm not too worried.

 

funny how $200 springs can turn into an $1000+ suspension overhaul:

The Plan:

springs - Texas Speedwerks $ 199.00
camber plates - H-sport $ 490.00
control arms - Ireland $ 210.00
end links - Powergrid $ 155.00
---------------Tot: $1,054.00

and that doesn't even count the RSB & struts...

 

Seth, seriously, you're probably not going to feel any difference from stock with the mods you've listed. They might help bling, I guess. OK, a stiffer rear sway bar (assuming that you don't change the front bar) will dial out some of the inherent understeer, but it's only detectable under aggressive driving.

And, as mentioned above, if your dealer wants to be a jerk, anything you do can be used against you (but you do have the Moss-Magnuson Act on your side). That said, you might as well take the plunge and do the usual first mods (pulley, chip, rear sway bar, springs)...

My 2 cents...