This is the Original, American-made, proven product.
I am going to cease production of this item due to low volume.
When my current inventory is gone, there will not be any more
MADE IN THE USA!
Two steel 4.5mm (not 4.0mm) thick, Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates, Made in the USA
Fix Strut Tower Mushrooming Now!
If you just acquired a 1st Gen (2002-06) Mini,
this is the first item you should install!
Avoid Big Repair Bills and Save Yourself a Bundle Later
Nearly every 2002 to 2006 Mini has this problem! Unless your Mini is very unusual, or rarely driven and then only on great roads, your towers are probably already "mushroomed". . The constant pounding of the strut into the tower causes the sheet-metal to deform or "mushroom". This occurs because the sheet-metal used to construct the towers is too light of gauge.
Take a look at yours. The towers should be flat across the top. You can probably discern the deformation with the naked eye, but to be sure, place a straight-edge across the top of the tower. A gap of 4-6mm is not unusual. As you might expect, this does adversely affect your front-end alignment, as well as the vehicle's handling.
In severe cases, the tower sheet metal will fatigue and tear. Avoid repairs costing $$hundreds by installing these plates now. You'll never have to give this another thought.
These Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates mount between the strut and the underside of the tower. In other words they are sandwiched in place. They fit the 2002 to 2006 Mini. These Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates are 4.5mm thick steel. Compare this to the 3mm or 3.5mm plates that others are offering, at a higher price! You may also have seen so-called reinforcements that mount on top of the tower. Those will not fix the "mushroomed" condition. Our plates, on the other hand, due to their heavy gauge and "sandwiched" mounting, will help to pull the deformed tower back into place and keep it there. There is no guarantee that your towers will return to perfectly flat, but they will be much, much improved and more importantly, they will stay that way.
We provide longer 8mm, Class 10.9, flange head cap screws with our plates. The factory original studs only have about 3mm of extra protruding thread. So while they might hold, with the additional thickness of a reinforement plate, we strongly recommend replacing the studs with the bolts that we provide. It is not difficult. If you have a tower cross-brace, you may need longer fasteners. Let me know when you order and these will be provided at no cost.
This is a true Do-it-Yourself project!
(see instructions below)
Over 1000 sets installed worldwide
Our plates are now powdered-coated in BLUE to provide a tough, hard coating for protection against rust and give a nice finished look. And, if you want, you can paint over this finish in whatever color you prefer. Photo #2 does show an unpainted plate in temporarily held in place under the strut tower, for illustrative purposes.
Once installed, your ride height will be affected slightly, as will your alignment. However, with mushroomed towers, both of these have already been affected, and you probably should have your vehicle realigned once you have fixed your towers with these plates.
All you need are common metric hand tools and a jack and jack stand. Allow about 45 minutes per side to install these. One person can do it, but having two people makes it go much easier. Instructions are included.
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Necessary Tools:
10, 13, 15, & 16mm sockets, universal joint, long extension, ratchet, all 3/8 drive. The 13mm socket should be standard depth.
To install:
Do one side at a time. Set the parking brake.
Open the hood.
Vehicle must be jacked up with the wheel off of the ground.
It is understood that the purchaser has the knowledge and the correct equipment to raise the vehicle and secure it in a safe condition to be able to work underneath it.
Remove the wheel.
Be sure that the floor jack is supporting the control arm, and then remove the other 2 nuts.
Save the nuts!!
DO NOT REMOVE THE NUT ON THE TOP OF THE STRUT.
At this point you should be able to place one of the reinforcement plates onto the two remaining studs of the strut. You will probably have to wiggle things around, but it WILL go. If it won’t, you may not have the car high enough off the ground thereby not allowing the control arm and strut to drop far enough.
Purchasers understand and recognize that
racing parts, specialized sports car equipment and all other parts sold by me
are exposed to many and varied conditions due to the manner in which they are
installed and used. Except for defects in materials, each part is sold “as is”
without limitation, any warranty of fitness for a particular purpose. Without
limiting the foregoing, there is no warranty expressed or implied as to whether
the goods sold hereby will protect purchasers or ultimate end-users of such
product and parts from injury or death. In no event shall I be liable for any
special, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damage whatsoever
arising out of or connected with the use or misuse of the products and each
part thereof. Purchasers are relying solely on their own skill and judgment to
select, purchase and use suitable products and assume all responsibility and risk
with regard thereto.