Engine Dampers -- Your Experiences, Thoughts & Suggestions

[jembr325]

Hey All,

My car shakes like two sumo wrestlers are fighting for the last peice of cake in the back seat everytime I hit the ignition button.

Have any of you installed an engine damper?

If so what was your experience? Do you have any suggestions or ideas on installation (some have mentioned issues with mounting)? What was the result of installing the damper and are you satisfied with it?

Any ideas, suggestions, info would be great (Im partial to AP2 info, but I think this would be a good place to put all info, such that others can have the benefit also).

[8695Beaters]

My knowledge of engine dampers is that they end up transmitting more shock into the engine bay and they mostly prevent the engine from rocking. Polyurethane engine mounts might be a better bet. You can do them with the engine in the car if you do them one at a time. I've never known anyone who has used an engine damper, this is all coming from what I've read about them.

[jembr325]

Heres what a polular maunufacturer is saying:

"An engine dampener is a small shock absorber that mounts between the engine and the chassis. It reduces engine movement and dampens its motion providing a number of benefits:

--- Improved off-the-line acceleration
--- Reduced wheel hop
--- Improved vehicle stability
--- Reduced shock load on driveline components
--- Smoother shifting
--- Reduced wear on exhaust system joints

Of course, some of these benefits can be gained by installing stiffer engine mounts but at a cost of noise and increased vibrations. And, installation of the engine mounts is a lot more complex than an engine dampener, which can also be adjusted to preload the dampening setting.
"

I especially like the idea of smoother shifting (S2k has sucky shifts in 1,2,3 because of engine torque), stability and wheel hop. They go on to state that many professional drifters are using dampers to help keep a consistent drift through corners.

What are everyones thoughts?

[PrimeTimeV6]

Engine dampeners are great for FWD cars. They stop a lot of the unnecessary rocking of the motor and do help with traction. I like them personally.

[TJ213]

When I start the '05 AP2 it shakes a lot while firing up (first second or so), and thats just part of firing up that longitudinally mounted f22c, it makes it feel like you're starting something powerful.

Aftermarket engine dampers will most likely make that worse, as they are usually creating a stiffer, less dampened connection between the motor and the car. I'm not sure about their benefits on a car like the s2000, but I've heard that they do help a lot on cars with motors mounted transversally over their drive wheels.

[8695Beaters]

Originally Posted by jembr325

Heres what a polular maunufacturer is saying:

"An engine dampener is a small shock absorber that mounts between the engine and the chassis. It reduces engine movement and dampens its motion providing a number of benefits:

I especially like the idea of smoother shifting (S2k has sucky shifts in 1,2,3 because of engine torque), stability and wheel hop. They go on to state that many professional drifters are using dampers to help keep a consistent drift through corners.

What are everyones thoughts?

Good drifters use rock solid engine mounts. Cheap drifters use torque dampers. Yes, teh damper does all the stuff that the add says it does, but think about it like this: It is physically impossible for the damper to do all of that well. An F22C weighs about, 350 pounds or so (I don't know the exact number, but it really doesn't matter here). Holding 350 pounds up takes a lot of work. Now remember that the engine is mounted at the bottom and the damper goes at the top. So if the engine is 2.5 feet tall, then the weight that the damper is holding back is actually 875 pounds. The shocks that hold up your car support about 750 pounds each. And this damper is much smaller and has no spring. I think you can figure out what the result is.

If you want to help your shifting, try a polyurethane transmission mount. That will keep the transmission from moving around and won't add too much vibration to the passensger compartment. The basic fact of longitudnal engines is that they are poorly supported in the direction they rock. Transverse engines are better supported, so the startup vibration isn't so bad. Here is what I would suggest overall: buy a complete engine/transmission mount insert kit. Then mix and match the mounts to see what gives you the best compromise of NVH and firmness. They are very easy to install (A couple of bolts are all you need to remove and on any S2K, they should pop right off. My '95 Integra had never had its mounts removed and I could pull that one off), and in a few weekends, you will have the ideal street/performance setup. Certain combos of mounts will mae the car uncomfortable, while others will be fine. Every car is different.

[jembr325]

Great feedback! Thanks guys!

[gxgman]

I agree with PrimeTimeV6. They work much better than stock mounts.