Comments on: JCW Strut Brace Update

By: Mr ED

Mr ED — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 12:45:53 +0000

John Cooper website lists a Motorsport, solid Strutbrace for ALL minis @ Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£100. Can possible require small mod to sound insulation on bonnet underside.

By: dgszweda

dgszweda — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 18:16:55 +0000

Gabe,

Any updates on this?

By: steve

steve — Fri, 22 Jul 2005 06:00:32 +0000

Please email me what the front shock tower nuts should be torqued to when replacing with new Dinan Strut bar. Also how much is supposed to be tightened down on Dinan strut Bar? Anyone have the “manual” for this product. Ibought it second hand and need installation info. Thank you.

By: Doug

Doug — Thu, 12 May 2005 13:50:10 +0000

$154….I’d be in for a group buy.

By: alfredino

alfredino — Wed, 11 May 2005 15:56:00 +0000

Hey,

What was that….$154…..outta Germany……Group Buy, Group Buy, Group Buy…….what about it Philip sounds like you could work it for us mini blingers…. a buck fifty four sounds good to me, let us motoringfilers again share the good, still love my armrest by the way.

By: Art

Art — Tue, 10 May 2005 23:38:02 +0000

I have a set of strut braces on my '84 volvo station wagon I got mine for 30 bucks and it makes a difference on the boat, but a car as small and stiff as the mini? I guess it couldnt hur't. and they look spiffy :-)

-Art

By: JeffS

JeffS — Tue, 10 May 2005 23:12:51 +0000

Looks like something that should be selling on ebay for $35 to me.

By: David

David — Tue, 10 May 2005 22:52:28 +0000

Oh, and it also adds weight.

By: David

David — Tue, 10 May 2005 22:50:38 +0000

I'm with Greg,

For the minimal gains this strut bar will give you, considering the stiffness of the Cooper frame already, JCW is asking an awful lot for this piece. What it tells me is that there are a lot of people willing to pay for JCW parts because they're JCW parts.

I understand the whole warranty thing when it comes to the engine mods, but this bar could be two thirds to half the price. I consider it engine bay dressing and not much more.

By: nrkist

nrkist — Tue, 10 May 2005 21:29:48 +0000

Greg: I am becoming disenchanted with the whole JCW thing in terms of "bang for the buck". They won't sucker me on this one.

You go, girl.

By: Gabe

Gabe — Tue, 10 May 2005 21:25:09 +0000

Greg - MotoringFile isn't a forum site so we really have no forums for questions like this. We are a news site that allows users to comment on stories that are posted. For general questions (like the one above) I'd recommend going to a forums based site like North American Motoring or MINI2. I would imagine you'll have much more luck getting answers.

Hope that helps.

By: greg

greg — Tue, 10 May 2005 21:20:36 +0000

I hope this question is appropriate in this forum. I am looking into putting a rear sway bar (22mm?) on my Mcs. I saw a set that had both rear(25mm) and front(27mm). I’ve never heard of anyone mention this before, but just the rear. Is this a good idea or not a big deal?

By: johnsocal

johnsocal — Tue, 10 May 2005 20:50:56 +0000

You can make the JCW strut tower work on the MC by buying a modded (lower profile) battery cover from promini.com

By: Gabe

Gabe — Tue, 10 May 2005 20:49:53 +0000

Just because someone likes the look of something and wants to add it to their car (and has the means to do so) doesn’t mean they’ve been suckered.

By: greg

greg — Tue, 10 May 2005 20:43:49 +0000

So, a (nother) waste of money. Why did JCW bother to come out with this? So the car looks cool with the hood up? I am becoming disenchanted with the whole JCW thing in terms of “bang for the buck”. They won’t sucker me on this one.

By: michael Boice

michael Boice — Tue, 10 May 2005 19:03:16 +0000

I agree, I prefer a solid strut bar. That said, look at how the Mini’s engine (05) and tranny is attached. These components sort of fill the strut bar role…have a look see.

By: Neil Maller

Neil Maller — Tue, 10 May 2005 18:03:16 +0000

Strut bars reinforce the car's front structure against deforming under stress, especially during hard cornering. Depending on how stiff that structure already is, and how you drive, they may or may not do anything useful.

There's a long running quasi-religious debate about whether non-hinged bars are better than hinged ones. (Hinges at the ends make the bar easier to install.) My opinion is that since there's zero downside to buying a non-hinged design, it makes no sense to risk potentially inferior function with a hinged one. This isn't an engineering analysis: it's simply covering my bets.

So I rate the JCW (and many others) unacceptable.

The other thing a well designed strut brace can do for the Mini is to help protect the strut tower top sheet metal from the mushrooming problem, at least if the mounting plates make full contact in that area. This eliminates several other strut bars from contention.

Remaining "good" (by my criteria, obviously; feel free to disagree) designs that I've found so far are Helix, Dinan and a forthcoming product from M7.

Neil 05 MCS, w/LSD!

By: Gabe

Gabe — Tue, 10 May 2005 17:53:37 +0000

Typically on larger cars strut braces increase the torsional rigidity of the car by adding a reinforced cross member usually mounted above the engine. However since there's so little mass ahead the front bulk-head, the MINI really doesn't need much, if any reinforcement. It's also incredibly stiff to begin with.

That said, it still looks very cool.

By: greg

greg — Tue, 10 May 2005 17:33:15 +0000

Ok. For us newbies. What does a strut brace do? This isn’t included in the JCW suspension kit? (!)

By: David

David — Tue, 10 May 2005 16:54:19 +0000

Philip,

I was being facetious, but thanks for the instructions.