I wonder if the previous owner changed them because of the ride quality or they thought that it would make them go faster in the corners😊. The Spax that are on mine oem seem to work fine the way I drive it. Admittedly I don’t race it and don’t plan to do so since I know my mini coopers would run circles around this loosely associated bag of bolts.
I was looking at how the gas tank straps go around some square box tubing and how they use the corners of the tube as a pulley. Creative to say the least but MMC decided that only part of the strap needed to go around a smooth corner and the last maybe half inch of it goes around a sharp edge that doesn’t even appear to be filed smooth! Both straps are like that; someone should be spanked for that!
You can also adjust the ride height with the new shocks, my rear was very low while traveling with a passenger and luggage.
I put a piece of a fuel hose around that square bracket and it feel much more secure now
