MINI2

pkman · Nov 4th, 2005, 08:38 AM

Hi guys,

just looking for a bit of advise here. I just had a OMP upper and lower struct brace put onto my Mini Cooper yesterday. The problem with the upper struct brace is that the bonnet wouldnt close properly so I had to remove the sound deadening off the car. My main concern is what are the consequences of having this remove? Does it affect the engine in any way? I know it will be more noisy once its remove but does it keep the heat away fromt he car etc etc? I won't want to have the struct brace and then later find out its detriment to the well being of the engine and other components!!

I also fitted a Pipercross induction kit onto my car as well yesterday. Does anyone have a slight problem with it not sitting quite right? It keeps on rattling against the metal mount on the side of the car to begin with - now i stuck some plastic on the edge of the metal mount to soften the bashing so there is no rattling. Is this always the case or is it just 55' models? Any suggestion or do you think there will be cause for LT damges? I also left the cold air intake out since I dont know where to put it....

I will post some pics of what I have done next week so u guys understand a bit more - but any advise is greatly appreciated.

I have driven it around and the induction sound is great

Havent noticed too much of a difference under cornering yet...

David

Rich'sFroggy · Nov 4th, 2005, 05:15 PM

Seems to me removal of the sound deadening material could potentialy harm the paint on the bonnet due to excess heat.

Also. From posts I've read on other sites. It may be installed wrong, or I've read some people claiming the '04 & '05 bonnet liners are thicker. One guy was frustrated enough with his OMP strut brace for the very same reason that he returned it.

sa3dos · Nov 6th, 2005, 02:37 AM

pkman, your Viper-like Stripes are Sweeeet, nice ride man. Keep it Up !

CoOpEr_dAvE · Nov 6th, 2005, 03:27 PM

Yo! ive had an omp strut brace on my 55plate cooper aswell but got it removed because it was touching my battery caseing on top. when i tested it out for real on a sharp corner, i heard a CCCRRRAAACCCKKK, coming from my battery caseing. From day one it was touching and has cracked so soon. now that its removed, my car is fine again.

dAvE

shazam · Nov 6th, 2005, 08:42 PM

I have the omp on my s, and it is a bit tight- but im not convinced it is any good anyway. Understeer which is the cars biggest problem is still just as bad. Leave it off and dont worry about it.

Im taking it off for the service soon, so will be able to tell if its any use or not.

pkman · Nov 6th, 2005, 09:54 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by CoOpEr_dAvE

Yo! ive had an omp strut brace on my 55plate cooper aswell but got it removed because it was touching my battery caseing on top. when i tested it out for real on a sharp corner, i heard a CCCRRRAAACCCKKK, coming from my battery caseing. From day one it was touching and has cracked so soon. now that its removed, my car is fine again.

dAvE

Its also touching a bit on my battery. It's not touching the bonnet once I had the sound deadening removed. I hope it doesnt crack, i much prefer to have the brace in my Mini. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

pkman · Nov 6th, 2005, 10:27 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by shazam

I have the omp on my s, and it is a bit tight- but im not convinced it is any good anyway. Understeer which is the cars biggest problem is still just as bad. Leave it off and dont worry about it.

Im taking it off for the service soon, so will be able to tell if its any use or not.

Sure. Let me know how it feels.

For me, it does feel like the handling is better - not sure if its the upper or lower stuct, but I certainly dont want it on at the expense of my battery case cracking!

Seems a waste at £43...

pkman · Nov 6th, 2005, 10:29 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by CoOpEr_dAvE

Yo! ive had an omp strut brace on my 55plate cooper aswell but got it removed because it was touching my battery caseing on top. when i tested it out for real on a sharp corner, i heard a CCCRRRAAACCCKKK, coming from my battery caseing. From day one it was touching and has cracked so soon. now that its removed, my car is fine again.

dAvE

btw - just wanted to know, what happened to ur battery - was it damaged in any way?

pkman · Nov 6th, 2005, 10:35 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by sa3dos

pkman, your Viper-like Stripes are Sweeeet, nice ride man. Keep it Up !

Cheers - will do!

pkman · Nov 6th, 2005, 10:38 PM

Pictures posted on gallery - feel free to have a look at the induction kit and the struct braces!

pkman · Nov 6th, 2005, 10:40 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Rich'sFroggy

Seems to me removal of the sound deadening material could potentialy harm the paint on the bonnet due to excess heat.

Also. From posts I've read on other sites. It may be installed wrong, or I've read some people claiming the '04 & '05 bonnet liners are thicker. One guy was frustrated enough with his OMP strut brace for the very same reason that he returned it.

I am worried of excess heat on bonnet too..and the deadening is thicker on the newer models...lets just hope the OMP will sit fine in my Mini...

pkman · Nov 7th, 2005, 11:01 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by CoOpEr_dAvE

Yo! ive had an omp strut brace on my 55plate cooper aswell but got it removed because it was touching my battery caseing on top. when i tested it out for real on a sharp corner, i heard a CCCRRRAAACCCKKK, coming from my battery caseing. From day one it was touching and has cracked so soon. now that its removed, my car is fine again.

dAvE

just wondering - the battery is inside the battery casing right? so the actual battery didnt crack?? cos if the actual battery cracked - the fluid would be everywhere?!

CoOpEr_dAvE · Nov 8th, 2005, 01:55 AM

for a start, those strut brace doesnt fit properly. when i took it to the BMW dealer, they said it was a bad fit and advised me to remove it. also, the dealer has to change the new battery for me. the fluid didnt go anyway but the casing was cracked.

wils · Nov 8th, 2005, 03:54 AM

so u've had the omp on ur car a few days now...given it a workout yet? i am interested in both lower and upper strut, can u recommend these? as this is the first time i've heard anything negative abt it (battery cracking) and am now a little worried

thanks and i echo sa3dos ur car looks great

wils

pkman · Nov 9th, 2005, 09:25 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by CoOpEr_dAvE

for a start, those strut brace doesnt fit properly. when i took it to the BMW dealer, they said it was a bad fit and advised me to remove it. also, the dealer has to change the new battery for me. the fluid didnt go anyway but the casing was cracked.

http://www.mini2.com/forum/suspension/103538-john-cooper-works-strut-brace.html

Have a look at this link - I think Ian Clark left the top casing off, or you can get a low profile battery casing for you, i am thinking of this option, since I have bought the strut brace already.

pkman · Nov 9th, 2005, 09:27 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by wsw

so u've had the omp on ur car a few days now...given it a workout yet? i am interested in both lower and upper strut, can u recommend these? as this is the first time i've heard anything negative abt it (battery cracking) and am now a little worried

thanks and i echo sa3dos ur car looks great

wils

Same here - but see above about the battery casing. interested?
I have been working so I havent had much time to do driving - I will give it a run tonite.

and cheers about the stripes

I am thinnking of adding smth to the doors - not sure yet, might be OTT...

wils · Nov 9th, 2005, 03:11 PM

what's OTT mean? what do u want to add to the doors?
i think the viper stripes look awesome...dun think it needs anything on the doors tbh...
come on pkman all work and no play is no good...go out and drive and drive and drive then tell me whether the OMP sturs have made it a lot more fun or not

yeah i know abt the low profile battery cover...i saw it once on a japanese MINI site but when i asked them abt it they never replied....if u can find out where to get one that would be great!

but then i'm in australia and ur in london so hehe might not make much difference even if u can source one!

go out and drive!

wils

pkman · Nov 10th, 2005, 08:41 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by wsw

what's OTT mean? what do u want to add to the doors?
i think the viper stripes look awesome...dun think it needs anything on the doors tbh...
come on pkman all work and no play is no good...go out and drive and drive and drive then tell me whether the OMP sturs have made it a lot more fun or not

yeah i know abt the low profile battery cover...i saw it once on a japanese MINI site but when i asked them abt it they never replied....if u can find out where to get one that would be great!

but then i'm in australia and ur in london so hehe might not make much difference even if u can source one!

go out and drive!

wils

OTT means over the top! heh. I was thinking of adding a chinese dragon on one side of the door and a pheonix on the other.
Tbh, i didnt push the car without the brace on because it was still runnning in (the car) but now its past that period I pushed it hard yesterday and it feels good, the problem is I am not sure how big a difference is without one - but when I went round the corners, it felt really stable.

I should be gettin the low profile struct brace from Promini in the US. Its the only place that does them I think. the shipping is expensive tho.

Cheers,

David

wils · Nov 10th, 2005, 10:02 AM

u getting a different strut brace? or u talking abt the low profile battery cover??
oh so OTT means over the top hehe makes sense

yeah maybe a chinese dragon on one side and a pheonix on the other would be a little bit like that...but it could look really good too....would it really go with the viper stripes though? i think maybe if u had the decals on the side u would have to lose the stripes....
thanks for the update, i think i will end up getting the omp struts, just need to get my finances up though coz i'm also getting a new headunit and maybe even wheels in the near future? plus i need to fit my eibachs....haha all these plans so little money *sigh*

wils

pkman · Nov 10th, 2005, 10:16 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by wsw

u getting a different strut brace? or u talking abt the low profile battery cover??
oh so OTT means over the top hehe makes sense

yeah maybe a chinese dragon on one side and a pheonix on the other would be a little bit like that...but it could look really good too....would it really go with the viper stripes though? i think maybe if u had the decals on the side u would have to lose the stripes....
thanks for the update, i think i will end up getting the omp struts, just need to get my finances up though coz i'm also getting a new headunit and maybe even wheels in the near future? plus i need to fit my eibachs....haha all these plans so little money *sigh*

wils

apologies - I meant low profile battery case!

I just dont like the idea of it touching even tho there might be no harm in it! I might even be able to put the sound deadening back on once I change the battery case (mebbe the strut brace will tighten up a bit more and it wont sit as high??!)
I just dont like the idea of potentially damaging the paint work on the bonnet.

I got my car in Sept and so far I have had a Miltek Cat back system put on, Pipercross Induction Kit and the Upper and lower strut braces.

I plan to change the tires from run flats to performance tires once I'm finished with these ones. Since I have sports suspension plus on my car, i dont think I will change anything there...I might potentially change the head unit cos the standard one sucks big time...i mean it doesnt show the time of the songs or anything...

Nov 4th, 2005, 08:38 AM	#1
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Struct brace and induction kit fitted Hi guys, just looking for a bit of advise here. I just had a OMP upper and lower struct brace put onto my Mini Cooper yesterday. The problem with the upper struct brace is that the bonnet wouldnt close properly so I had to remove the sound deadening off the car. My main concern is what are the consequences of having this remove? Does it affect the engine in any way? I know it will be more noisy once its remove but does it keep the heat away fromt he car etc etc? I won't want to have the struct brace and then later find out its detriment to the well being of the engine and other components!! I also fitted a Pipercross induction kit onto my car as well yesterday. Does anyone have a slight problem with it not sitting quite right? It keeps on rattling against the metal mount on the side of the car to begin with - now i stuck some plastic on the edge of the metal mount to soften the bashing so there is no rattling. Is this always the case or is it just 55' models? Any suggestion or do you think there will be cause for LT damges? I also left the cold air intake out since I dont know where to put it.... I will post some pics of what I have done next week so u guys understand a bit more - but any advise is greatly appreciated. I have driven it around and the induction sound is great Havent noticed too much of a difference under cornering yet... David

Nov 4th, 2005, 05:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rich'sFroggy MINI2 Regular Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Freeport, NY Local Time: 05:26 PM Posts: 168 Offline	Seems to me removal of the sound deadening material could potentialy harm the paint on the bonnet due to excess heat. Also. From posts I've read on other sites. It may be installed wrong, or I've read some people claiming the '04 & '05 bonnet liners are thicker. One guy was frustrated enough with his OMP strut brace for the very same reason that he returned it. Last edited by Rich'sFroggy : Nov 4th, 2005 at 05:54 PM.

Nov 8th, 2005, 03:54 AM	#14 (permalink)
wils formerly known as wsw Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Melbourne, Australia Local Time: 08:26 AM Posts: 642 Offline	so u've had the omp on ur car a few days now...given it a workout yet? i am interested in both lower and upper strut, can u recommend these? as this is the first time i've heard anything negative abt it (battery cracking) and am now a little worried thanks and i echo sa3dos ur car looks great wils i got an exhaust because i wanted to make my car sound fast, but its not fast at all, so therefore i am a ricer....

Nov 9th, 2005, 03:11 PM	#17 (permalink)
wils formerly known as wsw Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Melbourne, Australia Local Time: 08:26 AM Posts: 642 Offline	what's OTT mean? what do u want to add to the doors? i think the viper stripes look awesome...dun think it needs anything on the doors tbh... come on pkman all work and no play is no good...go out and drive and drive and drive then tell me whether the OMP sturs have made it a lot more fun or not yeah i know abt the low profile battery cover...i saw it once on a japanese MINI site but when i asked them abt it they never replied....if u can find out where to get one that would be great! but then i'm in australia and ur in london so hehe might not make much difference even if u can source one! go out and drive! wils i got an exhaust because i wanted to make my car sound fast, but its not fast at all, so therefore i am a ricer....

Nov 10th, 2005, 08:41 AM	#18 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by wsw what's OTT mean? what do u want to add to the doors? i think the viper stripes look awesome...dun think it needs anything on the doors tbh... come on pkman all work and no play is no good...go out and drive and drive and drive then tell me whether the OMP sturs have made it a lot more fun or not yeah i know abt the low profile battery cover...i saw it once on a japanese MINI site but when i asked them abt it they never replied....if u can find out where to get one that would be great! but then i'm in australia and ur in london so hehe might not make much difference even if u can source one! go out and drive! wils OTT means over the top! heh. I was thinking of adding a chinese dragon on one side of the door and a pheonix on the other. Tbh, i didnt push the car without the brace on because it was still runnning in (the car) but now its past that period I pushed it hard yesterday and it feels good, the problem is I am not sure how big a difference is without one - but when I went round the corners, it felt really stable. I should be gettin the low profile struct brace from Promini in the US. Its the only place that does them I think. the shipping is expensive tho. Cheers, David 'Always play fairly when you have the winning hand...' Its all a Mini Adventure

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Nov 6th, 2005, 02:37 AM	#3 (permalink)
sa3dos Black Cat Owner My Classifieds Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Montreal Local Time: 05:26 PM Posts: 126 Offline	pkman, your Viper-like Stripes are Sweeeet, nice ride man. Keep it Up !

Nov 6th, 2005, 03:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
CoOpEr_dAvE MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Nov 2005 Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 9 Offline	Yo! ive had an omp strut brace on my 55plate cooper aswell but got it removed because it was touching my battery caseing on top. when i tested it out for real on a sharp corner, i heard a CCCRRRAAACCCKKK, coming from my battery caseing. From day one it was touching and has cracked so soon. now that its removed, my car is fine again. dAvE

Nov 6th, 2005, 08:42 PM	#5 (permalink)
shazam MINI2 Regular My Classifieds Join Date: Feb 2004 Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 377 Offline	I have the omp on my s, and it is a bit tight- but im not convinced it is any good anyway. Understeer which is the cars biggest problem is still just as bad. Leave it off and dont worry about it. Im taking it off for the service soon, so will be able to tell if its any use or not.

Nov 6th, 2005, 09:54 PM	#6 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by CoOpEr_dAvE Yo! ive had an omp strut brace on my 55plate cooper aswell but got it removed because it was touching my battery caseing on top. when i tested it out for real on a sharp corner, i heard a CCCRRRAAACCCKKK, coming from my battery caseing. From day one it was touching and has cracked so soon. now that its removed, my car is fine again. dAvE Its also touching a bit on my battery. It's not touching the bonnet once I had the sound deadening removed. I hope it doesnt crack, i much prefer to have the brace in my Mini. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

Nov 6th, 2005, 10:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by shazam I have the omp on my s, and it is a bit tight- but im not convinced it is any good anyway. Understeer which is the cars biggest problem is still just as bad. Leave it off and dont worry about it. Im taking it off for the service soon, so will be able to tell if its any use or not. Sure. Let me know how it feels. For me, it does feel like the handling is better - not sure if its the upper or lower stuct, but I certainly dont want it on at the expense of my battery case cracking! Seems a waste at £43...

Nov 6th, 2005, 10:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by CoOpEr_dAvE Yo! ive had an omp strut brace on my 55plate cooper aswell but got it removed because it was touching my battery caseing on top. when i tested it out for real on a sharp corner, i heard a CCCRRRAAACCCKKK, coming from my battery caseing. From day one it was touching and has cracked so soon. now that its removed, my car is fine again. dAvE btw - just wanted to know, what happened to ur battery - was it damaged in any way?

Nov 6th, 2005, 10:35 PM	#9 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by sa3dos pkman, your Viper-like Stripes are Sweeeet, nice ride man. Keep it Up ! Cheers - will do!

Nov 6th, 2005, 10:38 PM	#10 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Pictures posted on gallery - feel free to have a look at the induction kit and the struct braces!

Nov 6th, 2005, 10:40 PM	#11 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by Rich'sFroggy Seems to me removal of the sound deadening material could potentialy harm the paint on the bonnet due to excess heat. Also. From posts I've read on other sites. It may be installed wrong, or I've read some people claiming the '04 & '05 bonnet liners are thicker. One guy was frustrated enough with his OMP strut brace for the very same reason that he returned it. I am worried of excess heat on bonnet too..and the deadening is thicker on the newer models...lets just hope the OMP will sit fine in my Mini...

Nov 7th, 2005, 11:01 AM	#12 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by CoOpEr_dAvE Yo! ive had an omp strut brace on my 55plate cooper aswell but got it removed because it was touching my battery caseing on top. when i tested it out for real on a sharp corner, i heard a CCCRRRAAACCCKKK, coming from my battery caseing. From day one it was touching and has cracked so soon. now that its removed, my car is fine again. dAvE just wondering - the battery is inside the battery casing right? so the actual battery didnt crack?? cos if the actual battery cracked - the fluid would be everywhere?!

Nov 8th, 2005, 01:55 AM	#13 (permalink)
CoOpEr_dAvE MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Nov 2005 Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 9 Offline	for a start, those strut brace doesnt fit properly. when i took it to the BMW dealer, they said it was a bad fit and advised me to remove it. also, the dealer has to change the new battery for me. the fluid didnt go anyway but the casing was cracked.

Nov 9th, 2005, 09:25 AM	#15 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by CoOpEr_dAvE for a start, those strut brace doesnt fit properly. when i took it to the BMW dealer, they said it was a bad fit and advised me to remove it. also, the dealer has to change the new battery for me. the fluid didnt go anyway but the casing was cracked. http://www.mini2.com/forum/suspension/103538-john-cooper-works-strut-brace.html Have a look at this link - I think Ian Clark left the top casing off, or you can get a low profile battery casing for you, i am thinking of this option, since I have bought the strut brace already.

Nov 9th, 2005, 09:27 AM	#16 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by wsw so u've had the omp on ur car a few days now...given it a workout yet? i am interested in both lower and upper strut, can u recommend these? as this is the first time i've heard anything negative abt it (battery cracking) and am now a little worried thanks and i echo sa3dos ur car looks great wils Same here - but see above about the battery casing. interested? I have been working so I havent had much time to do driving - I will give it a run tonite. and cheers about the stripes I am thinnking of adding smth to the doors - not sure yet, might be OTT...

Nov 10th, 2005, 10:02 AM	#19 (permalink)
wils formerly known as wsw Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Melbourne, Australia Local Time: 08:26 AM Posts: 642 Offline	u getting a different strut brace? or u talking abt the low profile battery cover?? oh so OTT means over the top hehe makes sense yeah maybe a chinese dragon on one side and a pheonix on the other would be a little bit like that...but it could look really good too....would it really go with the viper stripes though? i think maybe if u had the decals on the side u would have to lose the stripes.... thanks for the update, i think i will end up getting the omp struts, just need to get my finances up though coz i'm also getting a new headunit and maybe even wheels in the near future? plus i need to fit my eibachs....haha all these plans so little money sigh wils i got an exhaust because i wanted to make my car sound fast, but its not fast at all, so therefore i am a ricer....

Nov 10th, 2005, 10:16 AM	#20 (permalink)
pkman MINI2 Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: London Local Time: 10:26 PM Posts: 163 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by wsw u getting a different strut brace? or u talking abt the low profile battery cover?? oh so OTT means over the top hehe makes sense yeah maybe a chinese dragon on one side and a pheonix on the other would be a little bit like that...but it could look really good too....would it really go with the viper stripes though? i think maybe if u had the decals on the side u would have to lose the stripes.... thanks for the update, i think i will end up getting the omp struts, just need to get my finances up though coz i'm also getting a new headunit and maybe even wheels in the near future? plus i need to fit my eibachs....haha all these plans so little money sigh wils apologies - I meant low profile battery case! I just dont like the idea of it touching even tho there might be no harm in it! I might even be able to put the sound deadening back on once I change the battery case (mebbe the strut brace will tighten up a bit more and it wont sit as high??!) I just dont like the idea of potentially damaging the paint work on the bonnet. I got my car in Sept and so far I have had a Miltek Cat back system put on, Pipercross Induction Kit and the Upper and lower strut braces. I plan to change the tires from run flats to performance tires once I'm finished with these ones. Since I have sports suspension plus on my car, i dont think I will change anything there...I might potentially change the head unit cos the standard one sucks big time...i mean it doesnt show the time of the songs or anything... 'Always play fairly when you have the winning hand...' Its all a Mini Adventure

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