Vibra-Techniks engine mounts

N

Ninarvana

Member
A while back I saw a link on here to the Vibra-Techniks engine mounts as seen here;
http://www.venommotorsport.com/manufacturer_product.php?manufacturer=Vibra-Technics&category=engine&product=Mounts&make=BMW&model=Z4

Has anyone on here since fitted these to their M? With the nature of the oem mounts having the habit of shearing off I've been thinking about upgrading to these and wondered what the feedback was once fitted...

:driving:
 
its not the mount that sheers..... its the carrier bolts.....

however these are an incredible the mod, the difference is much much more pronounced than i ever thought possible.....
 
Beedub said:
its not the mount that sheers..... its the carrier bolts.....

however these are an incredible the mod, the difference is much much more pronounced than i ever thought possible.....
Click to expand...


I thought it was the mount that caused the problem Beedub... Aside uprating the mounts, what can one do to help prevent a problem?
 
Its the bolts that cause the issue and is normally on the drivers side thanks to heat from the exhaust. That said, if you're missing bolts or your mounts are loose on one side then chances are more stress has been placed on the other. Theres an uprated set of 'motorsport bolts' from BMW but i believe they are just a higher tensile bolt. I wouldn't worry too much though, get a socket on them and make sure they are tight and if they are i'd just leave them.

As for the VT mounts, I've got a set here waiting to go and given how my car rocks like an old muscle car when the throttle is blipped, i can't wait to get them on :driving:
 
I appreciate your input Beanie, this is quite an interesting topic and I'd like to do all I can to prevent an issue. I would be keen to have the VT mounts fitted if they make a good difference to stability. I'm compiling a list and once I pick up the car and get her down to Munich Legends to be looked over, I'll discuss having this done :)
 
Do you need two of the mounts, I seem to recall you do? I assume they are both the same part number since the link in the OP just has one listed (well two, but one for road and one for motorsport)? Would new bolts be needed or can they be reused?
 
Mike8080 said:
Do you need two of the mounts, I seem to recall you do? I assume they are both the same part number since the link in the OP just has one listed (well two, but one for road and one for motorsport)? Would new bolts be needed or can they be reused?
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Yes I would thought you order two of which type you require (I would choose road) - good point re the bolts however :thumbsup:
 
I've thought about these in the past but reading between the lines in the description of the product I get the impression that ride-quality will suffer. Is this fair comment?
 
The rubber in the mounts can tear too .

I have the street VT mounts. You do get some more vibration, especially in idle (sometimes a cilinder stroke is resonated through).
That wouldn't be acceptable in a 3 or 5 series, but in a roadster, where you sit 5" above the pavement.....not such a big deal I think personally.
When cruising on the highway the feel is about the same as stock.

What you gain is a more stable platform. The engine acts as a giant pendulum , where you can feel the engine moving from left to right when for example taking a chicane or a small roundabout on high speed as the street equivalent.
This limits that effect and gives you more the impression that your chassis is as stiff as a board. At least on small fast changes of direction.

Are they worth the money?
I think a set of stiffened up anti rollbars is maybe a mod with more impact (maybe more expensive too), but the effect is not 100% the same. MAybe depends on the car weight, engine weight, centerpoint of gravity etc. They do give a difference.
And stiffening up various parts of the car will ultimately come at a price somewhere, as forces on their respective mounting places get bigger as a suspended weight gets more stiff
 
Hmm, appreciate your input GuidoK :) - all makes for an interesting weigh up... How about going for some uprated bolts like Beanie mentioned, would this perhaps be a good starting point?
 
I have the fast road mounts too. What GuidoK said about the pendulum effect is correct. Everything feels much tighter, the other benefit is it prevents the engine moving too much under heavy breaking which causes movement on the gearbox and can lead to a blocked down shift.

As said at idle there is marginally more NVH but nothing noticeable. I really like this upgrade as it prevents wear and tear on other items by controlling the engines movement and resolves the shift block issue.

I have also added some uprated anti-roll bars which again are a great upgrade. They reduce lateral body roll so you will corner much flatter and direction changes are quicker but have no effect on pitch. As such will not resolve the shift block problem and could increase the engines pendulum effect.

Price wise, I fitted the roll bars myself whereas I was not going to chance dropping the engine so got the engine mounts fitted by my mechanic, so not much in it in the end.

Personally I would do the engine mounts first then roll bars.
 
Ninarvana said:
How about going for some uprated bolts like Beanie mentioned, would this perhaps be a good starting point?
Click to expand...

I have an m54 engine which doesnt have that problem :roll:
The z4m/s54 has a different left side motormount support bracket (dont know why, the right side is just the same) with smaller (shorter) screws in the blok (don't know why either). But If you get the rubber mounts off, taking the (both!) support braket off is maybe 20min work.
I've had them off to give them a quick (glass bead) sandblasting as they corrode like hell (cheap/poor quality) cast aluminium:
before:
03steuncorrosie.jpg

after:
04steunschoon.jpg
(I do that with almost all the alu parts coming off the car)

Mounting VT engine mounts is pretty easy (I have a car lift).
First remove the top nuts from the engine mounts (can be done from inside the engine bay, I think for both sides)
You lift the car in the air, place a transmission jack on the oil pan (block of wood between that) and jack up the engine after you've removed the lower (and top) engine mount nuts. You can rest the engine on the subframe in elevated position with a block of wood between the subframe and oil pan.

What you also can do when you have the car up on the lift is mount some stiffer transmission mounts. You can buy aftermarket ones (Rogue, UUC) or you can simply buy some generic bobbins (is that the right english word?) measuring 40mm(w)x30mm(h) with m8x20 threads (both sides):
06trsteunoudnw.jpg

You can probably get them at a well sorted local hardware store or online.

The stock ones look more beefy, but the rubber of a generic bobbin is tougher (I used shore55a), so a generic bobbin is quite a bit stiffer.
You need 1 or 3 m8 rings to fill up 1-2mm of space as the stock mounts are a few mm higher.
Costs.... 5gbp or so (for the pair :P )

installed:
07transgemonteerd.jpg
(installing is easy, just take off the lower bracket. Use a transmission jack to support the gearbox. there's not much load on these mounts; 10kg max or so.
Don't take the gearbox mount off before you've finished installing the transmission mounts, or the engine will be completely loose&wobbely)
 
Franzino said:
How do you know when there is a problem with the engine mounts?
Click to expand...
I believe the OEM ones are fluid filled, so if you spot what looks like a leaky mount, they are on there way out.

Other than that keep an ear out for knocking noises...

On the E46 M3 (same mounts) turner motorsports recommend changing out at 50k miles...
 
Mine were showing signs of the rubber tearing when my mechanic did a visual inspection, he did not notice any fluids leaking so i'm not sure they're fluid filled. The tears were small so i said i'd leave it as is for a while longer (i'm already taking it real easy with the car) until i get the Vibratechs too.
 
mine we significantly worn when i removed them at 10k miles, intact one was split from the outer case and has been compressed visually compared to the other side.
 
Beedub said:
mine we significantly worn when i removed them at 10k miles, intact one was split from the outer case and has been compressed visually compared to the other side.
Click to expand...

Any thoughts on the bolts Beedub? - Such as the uprated motorsport ones Beanie spoke of?
 
Ninarvana said:
Beedub said:
mine we significantly worn when i removed them at 10k miles, intact one was split from the outer case and has been compressed visually compared to the other side.
Click to expand...

Any thoughts on the bolts Beedub? - Such as the uprated motorsport ones Beanie spoke of?
Click to expand...


uprated bolts aren't needed imo....

the bolts that failed were a batch that were exposed to excessive heat during manufacture/install, their was an official bulletin released in the USA, apparently that batch didn't apply to the euro cars, very few have failed here, the bolts doesn't fail either, it loosens then fails obviously as it will start to see extreme stress, fwiw mine were all in place and tight when i did the swap, i replaced ALL the carrier bolts with new bmw items, i will get under the car at some point and check them again. i did this install on my back and it was a pain in the ass tbh... wouldn't want to do it again.

i went with the competition mounts and they made a huge difference on my extremely modded car.
 
here was my stockers, removed at 10k miles, note the heavy crack around the bottom of the mount.

D88-93BD768CD9A2-2363-0000039000E93600_zps59a4683d.jpg
 
Wow, terrible crack in that mount... Why did you decide to check these Beedub, was it because you were planning to mod the car at this point or did you notice a problem?
 
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