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VibraTechnics 'Fast Road' Engine Mounts (manual) - 2 x sides and 1 x dogbone

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pudding:
I keep hearing about uprated engine mounts but why do I need them?

Because VW's mounts are sh1t quite frankly.  Who wants a big fat Walrus flopping around in a hammock when they throw their GTI into a corner?

The stock mounts are great for refinement, but that /\ is exactly what the engine feels like when driving hard - a heavy dead weight wobbling around and unsettling the car in the corners.  It doesn't feel like part of the car, but rather an anvil mounted on bed springs.

VW fit soggy mounts because their engines are not particularly smooth and average Joe doesn't want noise and vibration spoiling his facebook statusing whilst accelerating down the road.

Chaps and chapesses who want a more performance biased drive hate the standard engine mounts, but they also hate increased NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness). They also don't like wheel hopping when getting jiggy with the gas pedal in the wet either.

Hmmm, I know what you mean, and that wheel hop is super annoying.  Do these Vibrator Techniques solve that then?

Absolutely.  The engine actually feels like an integral part of the car and doesn't move around anywhere near as much, which is vital when you're balancing the car on the throttle mid corner and don't want unpredictable behaviour.   Wheelhop is completely eradicated, as is excessive engine rock, which can quickly destroy the short flexis you get in aftermarket downpipes.  The gearshift in manual cars improves drastically too  :smiley:

Yeah I'm feeling that.  Pics?

Here they are in their unfitted form, looking all purposeful and tasty.



Here is the right hand one fitted.  A bit tricky to see the juicy bits but the fact all the stock accessories bolts onto it like stock speaks volumes, compared to some other mounts which over look such obviousness.



The gearbox one fitted, in all it's billet alloy splendour, yum.



The dogbone.  I nicked RedRobin's pic as I don't have one of mine fitted, but they are gold in colour now, not alloy.



So why Vibrator Techniques over other brands made of polyurethane?

It's a rubber vs poly thing. Rubber is way more forgiving than polyurethane, hence why car makers do not use it in their road cars.

Vibratechnics have been in the game way longer than their competitors and they know only too well the downsides of poly engine mounts.  Some people don't mind the harshness of poly, but I hate it personally.  It makes me want to set fire to the car when sat in traffic for extended periods.

OK, so VT use tiny blocks of stiffer rubber to reduce movement, but there must be an NVH compromise, surely?

Yep, there is.  Anyone who says there isn't (and applies to other uprated mounts) is lying.

The VTs are actually smoother / quieter than the OEM mounts at certain rpms, and slightly harsher than OEM at other rpms.

The most immediate and noticable change is more mechanical chuntering noise from the gearbox in the cabin.  The engine / transmission sounds gruffer but it's not mega intrusive. It's actually quite nice in a weird Motorsport kind of way. Purposeful.  If you have the stereo on, or the windows open, or the HVAC blowing all the time, you will barely notice it.  If you're an everything switched off kind of guy, you will definitely notice it, but again, it's not that intrusive compared to poly.  Poly shakes the dashboard, these don't shake anything at all.

Cold fast idle = very slight increase in NVH ~1100rpm.

Warm idle HVAC on econ ~780rpm = stock smooth.

Warm idle with HVAC on auto ~900rpm = a slight vibration like a diesel engine.  I rarely use the A/C, so I never notice any vibes at idle.

The only other vibration I've noticed is at ~2300rpm ish, and it's slight.  Otherwise everywhere else in the rpm range it's stock smooth.

OK, sounds great.  I can stomach a slight increase in NVH. Should I buy them, and how much?

Yes, you should!  AKS Tuning currently sell them at 10% off, so get yourself a good deal  :happy2: - https://www.akstuning.co.uk/53-vibratechnics

For those who love increased NVH, VT do a Race Spec compound and they are epic.  A bit too harsh for me but they're brilliant on track.

They're just a brilliant upgrade for fast road driving, especially if you've already upgraded the suspension and bushes.  These mounts are just the cherry on top without totally destroying the cars refinement.  I use my car every day in heavy traffic and I am super fussy with NVH, so if I can live with them, anyone can  :happy2:

What about the small end of the dogbone?

VT have that covered too. Pic of it in the first image up top.  I have one, but haven't yet fitted it as it needs pressing in.

It certainly solves the issue of the shoddy voided bush VW put in it.

99hagued:
Great write up  :happy2: Iv already got the two dog bone mount bushes fitted on mine which eliminated wheel hop, but after watching my car get mapped last month at R tech and seeing the amount of movement that’s still present I think I will complete the set and buy the two top ones. Plus my stupid vwr intake keeps popping out of the stupid front mount so these should help. Did you get any further with your vwr inktake?

pudding:
Thanks mate!

Yep, even with the dogbone done, the standard shoulder mounts still allow a lot of movement.  Especially in the summer months when ambient temps and radiated heat from the drivetrain really softens them up. 

Mine has been dyno'd with all 3 VT mounts and engine rock was negligible  :happy2:    I have the small end VT mount pressed into a spare torque link but not yet fitted to the car.  Did you notice any additional NVH when you added the small end bush, or did you do both together at the same time?

Yes wheelhop is non-existent with all 3 mounts and the SuperPro console bushes......but I did get a bit of hopping when I backed my rebound off a bit recently, so damping also plays a part in the old hopscotch fandango front wheel dancing.

The VWR intake is still on the naughty step awaiting a suitable punishment  :smiley:  Currently I am giving the Revo intake a go.

I would say they are equal in terms of noise levels, but the Revo fits a hell of a lot better and is far better quality as well.  I know ITG make the VWR kit, but I have no idea who makes Revo's, but hats off to them.  You can tell it was designed to fit properly in a standard GTI.  The VWR appears to have been designed for their race cars, which clearly don't have things getting in the way of the canister!!

A1_Audi:
i made my own using stock mount and 60 shore polyurethane mix, massive improvement and hardly any NVH change. should have gone harder. not bad for 20 quid though, will probably upgrade to virba in the future

pudding:
Yeah I looked into that but I read that over time the urethane can start to separate from the rubber/housings and you're back to square one!  The Vibras aren't cheap but they are bloody good!  Anything is better than the stock rubbish.

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