so i ordered the transmission and driver's side engine mounts because i had diagnosed the transmission mount as having failed
[rant]
unfortunately due to streetunit not accepting credit card orders, i had to pay via transfer so it took just over 2 weeks for them to arrive via express delivery (12 days for funds to clear and order to be processed, 4 days transit time)
plus, i was charged $99US for shipping (the USPS label on the box suggested that the price USPS charged was $44US) because you can no longer email mark for a shipping quote and have to use automated shipping calculator
[/rant]
installation:
anyway, the process of installing the mounts were quite easy, and shouldnt take more then 20 minutes for the driver's side mount, although the passenger side will take a bit longer, so allocate at least 80 minutes to do everything properly
the passenger side mount requires removal of the airbox/intake, battery and battery box/ecu to get access to the transmission mount cover and tran,ission mount (5x 17mm bolts and 2x 10mm bolts)
the drivers side mount only requires undoing the bolts holding the radiator coolant and brake fluid reseroirs to get access to the mount
impressions:
i have only done about 90kms on the mounts so far and there are a significant amount of vibrations, mind you, there is a break in period for the mounts, but i dont see it improving much since the rubber gromets on the transmission mount were only 2-3mm thick, and there were two pieces
points i just wanted to mention:
- the dash above the glovebox rattles
- the glovebox door rattles
- the brake pedal vibrates
- there is a buzz noise from the engine bay that is heard from inside the cabin unless the clutch is pushed in, at idle
- rather than the engine moving on the mounts, all the force is transferred to the frame, so if you're not going out of your way to drive smoothly, then you will feel it
- rattle coming from under the gear shifter
- gear whine! especially in second gear
- slightly beefier sound when starting up
- front of the car feels a bit more planted on the road
- puts the power to the ground a bit better
so pretty much, unless you are willing to live with all the negatives, then i dont think it is worth the minor gain from the mounts if you are using it for a daily driver
for me, i dont mind the vibrations or rattles, love the gear whine and slightly better power down, and the fact that i feel everything that i do has both its positives and negatives, especially the forward/backward rocking motion felt inside the cabin
i chose the street unit mounts because pt performance wanted an amount for delivery that was equivalent to the cost of the mount, and protege garage wasnt responding to my emails, otherwise i would have chosen an awr driver's side mount and ptp transmission mount