[Capsaisin]

Have seen a few posts about "mushrooming" of the strut towers due to the hard ride on the Mini and maybe other factors

I see EssentialMini are selling M7 Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates. I have a couple of questions.
Is it a good idea to fit these, even on a road going Mini (no track use)? But plenty of speedbumps and potholes around here.
If I were to consider fitting these plates, would I actually be better off fitting the whole M7 strut brace?
Need I say that the plates are considerably cheaper than the whole brace.

[ChallengeRacer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Capsaisin

Have seen a few posts about "mushrooming" of the strut towers due to the hard ride on the Mini and maybe other factors

I see EssentialMini are selling M7 Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates. I have a couple of questions.
Is it a good idea to fit these, even on a road going Mini (no track use)? But plenty of speedbumps and potholes around here.
If I were to consider fitting these plates, would I actually be better off fitting the whole M7 strut brace?
Need I say that the plates are considerably cheaper than the whole brace.

Good question...Must say I haven't heard of this "mushrooming" problem. Can you describe it? Is it a physical deforming of the unibody? I have the strut tower brace and have had no problems (and we race our Minis on high-grip tarmac, over curbs, etc.)...biggest problem is with the windscreen cracking, which the brace helped to fix. So did the JCW cage.

I can tell you that the strut brace really makes a nice difference in the turn-in. The suspension takes a "set" just that little bit quicker and is more positive. Add a bigger and adjustable rear anti-roll bar and the Mini's handling is transformed....

[Capsaisin]

You can search for mushrooming on mini2 or take a look here:

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...&highlight=srp

So maybe your strut tower brace IS protecting your strut towers from this effect?

[ChallengeRacer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Capsaisin

You can search for mushrooming on mini2 or take a look here:

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...&highlight=srp

So maybe your strut tower brace IS protecting your strut towers from this effect?

Thanks for the link. I have checked the area around the top of the struts and don't see any problems. Our Coopers are JCW racing versions with the roll cage and other mods. At our track, we sometimes bang over curbs to the extent that we have broken two SPAX dampers, and yet with no top strut deformation.

I cannot say for sure, but I would doubt that the plates are needed. BMW overengineers their toothbrushes, nevermind their cars. But all I can offer is the results of our own racing experiences.

Hope this is of some use,

Stephen.