should I get motor mounts before doing more engine upgrades?

[fateexceeds]

hey all. so far, I have an AEM short ram intake and the MSP Racing Beat axle-back exhaust. I'm planning on doing some more engine upgrades in the near future, including a JSPEC intake cam (and getting my stock intake cam repinned to exhaust cam specs), JSPEC pistons, and an intake manifold, among other things. I also want to get the AWR front and rear motor mounts and side motor mount inserts. should I get the motor mounts first, before doing any more engine mods? and are they even necessary? I've heard that the motor mounts are a must if I'm planning on adding more hp because of the driveline lash and wheel hop and the fact that the side motor mounts tear easily. also, does anyone have the AWR mounts in the 95 durometer, and if so, are you happy with them? I've heard mixed reviews. I'm planning on getting the 95 durometer because that is what AWR recommends for manual transmissions. any feedback would be greatly appreciated! thanks.

 

[JoshP5]

I'd say motor mounts are a must even if you leave it stock

I wouldn't go higher than the AWR 70A mounts for a street car. The rear mount in particular transmits a lot of vibration. Search and you'll find some horror stories. Some people are cool with it, though.

Check out the SLS mounts--they are an excellent compromise between bad vibes and driveline slop, although only the front and passenger side mounts are currently available.

There's yet another company that sells motor mounts for our cars that are 62A, and people seem to like them, but the duct tape over my mouth precludes mention of the company name.

 

[njaremka]

There's yet another company that sells motor mounts for our cars that are 62A, and people seem to like them, but the duct tape over my mouth precludes mention of the company name.

i have those on the way, and will be using them on the "street", since i don't do any track time. and the "unit" of measure for the urethane stiffness is refered to as durometer.

 

[JoshP5]

Clever. But don't forget to specify which Shore hardness scale!

 

[njaremka]

(glare)

Clever.

 

[fateexceeds]

hmm... those 62As do seem nice. a bit more expensive than the AWR though. maybe I'll go for these instead. how do their side mounts stack up to the SLS passenger side mount?

 

[Shift2xlr8]

So the bigger the number the stiffer the mount is? I was always lost on this, because this will probably be the next thing I buy for my car, other than a TWR shifter. But I am curious to know which is better, I don't mind much vibration, but my 3rd gear is hard to shift into and a few guys have told me that the mounts have so much play in them as far as softness goes that I should get stiffer motor mounts so that the tranny doesn't move around as much and I can actually shift to 3rd gear and not grind it 80% of the time. I just wanna fix the motor whiplash I get from shifting at higher RPM, on the track or driving to and from to work.

Chris

 

[JoshP5]

The grinding is probably due to bad synchros--I'd be surprised if new motor mounts helped that. But they will reduce the driveline slop. Generally, the higher the durometer, the stiffer, but the design also plays a role. For example, the general consensus is that SLS 75 durometer front mount offer less vibration than the AWR 70 durometer front mount.

 

[Shift2xlr8]

Oh ok. Well as soon as this new credit card comes in...I'll be looking for some new front and rear mounts. So could you post a link to a good location for some good mounts? And a link where I can find the TWR short shifter?

Chris

 

[thejetman]

i just ordered some "stiffer" AWR mounts that should be here this week. i got the complete kit since the engine was out....i will let everyone know how they feel next week.....i am installing a motor with only 20xxx miles, a stage II clutch, and a lightweight flywheel, i should see a difference in drivability

 

[fateexceeds]

Oh ok. Well as soon as this new credit card comes in...I'll be looking for some new front and rear mounts. So could you post a link to a good location for some good mounts? And a link where I can find the TWR short shifter?

Chris

Do you meant TWM? It depends on what shift knob you have as to which shifter you should get (different knobs have different thread patterns). TWM also sells a leather shift boot and polyurethane shifter bushings, both of which I highly recommend (I have their full kit with a Mazdaspeed shift knob). It is the best mod I have done to my car - I almost never grind gears, and my throws are much shorter and tighter. The TWM also lowers the knob height more than any other short shifter. They have specials on their kits right now: http://www.twmperformance.com/shortshifters/mazdashortshifters/mazdaprotegeshortshifters.htm.

 

[Shift2xlr8]

Thank you very much, as soon as I can sell my B&M shifter, I will buy one with the weighted shift knob, my knob I have it I believe like a hard plastic ebay type "mazdaspeed" white knob that screwed on to the B&M. But I will for sure invest in one as soon as I can. Thanks for the link!

Chris

 

[fateexceeds]

no prob. trust me, it will be the best thing you ever do to your car!

 

[Shift2xlr8]

Ok, so I looked again at the TWM shifters...ya and I think I'm going to go with the shifter, but might have to wait on the knob...didn't realize that it was another 100$ for the knob too, lol. Any other less expensive routes I can go with on the knob? Does anyone else sell a weighted knob for under $50?

Chris

 

[fateexceeds]

Ok, so I looked again at the TWM shifters...ya and I think I'm going to go with the shifter, but might have to wait on the knob...didn't realize that it was another 100$ for the knob too, lol. Any other less expensive routes I can go with on the knob? Does anyone else sell a weighted knob for under $50?

Chris

stock MSP shift knob (weighted aluminum) - $43.50 on eBay (Buy It Now from an actual Mazda dealer's eBay store):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/mazda-mazdaspeed-protege-speed-shift-knob_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33627QQihZ001QQitemZ110115767161

of course, if you go this route, make sure you order MSP shifter from TWM (the only difference amongst their Protege shifters is the thread pattern and the location of the rest on which the bottom of the shift knob sits).

 

[JoshP5]

Actually the threads are the same. Only the MP3 is "oddly" threaded. The MSP shift knob won't work because the stock shifter has a higher shoulder that won't accomodate it.

The MSP knob is $40 at onlinemazdaparts.com, and shipping is free if your order totals $100.