LOL, well in all fairness, I use coco mats in a few of my cars. If I were you, I would move on. Choosing a fiber mat simply because you like the colors is not wise in this particular case. I drove Porsche in the 80s and all of them came from the factory with coco mats. That was then!
^Right, now that know it's there it's difficult to avoid. I'm counting on you to get to the bottom of this. If you find something, let me know and I'll get out there to prove it on my crappy hood fit.
That's a good question. The bracket is held in place by one solid threaded hole & bolt. One other self-tap screw simply threaded into the plastic under tray. IMO, this is not enough. Try nut & bolt instead and Loctite both.
You asked to use thinner metal? Are we talking about the plate under the car? This thing hits the pavement as it is! The rods take the beating but it's the plate that keeps the thing on the car.