Z4m engine mounts

[InterlagosMC]

Hi all,
Looking to get parts together to refresh and improve the suspension on my coupe and have had people recommend vibra technic engine mounts but I have heard they are prone to failing within 5-10k miles or a few years.

Can anyone recommend other engine mounts or have good personal experience with the vibra technic street mounts in these.

Supposedly due to the weight on the iron block and the slant nature of the engine.

Thanks
Andy

 

[Ed Doe]

I hadn't heard that about vibratechnics! Mine have been on for years, and although not loads of miles they've had a fair bit of abuse from trackdays etc and seem to be fine?

 

[InterlagosMC]

Ive seen a few mounts and vibra seem good value for money but I’d want them to last a while before deforming or failing otherwise I’m looking at akg street mounts or the powerflex street mounts although they are near 4 times the price of vibra

 

[Mr Tidy]

When I had my bearing shells and engine mounts replaced by Ross at RBM I asked him about Vibra Technic mounts and he said that for a road car they would probably feel a bit harsh so I had OE mounts fitted.

How you use your car may determine what will suit you best.

 

[InterlagosMC]

Unfortunately it’s just a weekend toy so I don’t mind it being harsh, it’s already fairly harsh a ride and my newly fitted RPI exhaust drones out every other noise on the car

 

[mmm-five]

I didn’t notice any of the increase in NVH I was warned about with the VT road mounts, but I did notice a decrease in engine movement under sharp manoeuvring.

This was before I put on ARBs, strut brace and coil overs.

 

[maupineda]

VT fail prematurely. I have them and they are coming out in a week. I am using 034MS mounts. Btw, the VT mounts vibrate bad at idle, plastic rattles and visible vibration of the steering wheel. I had to rise idle to 950 rpm to mask the rattling at idle.

 

[InterlagosMC]

Thanks for the info, I’ll have a look at those mounts as another option then, think I’ll do the gearbox mounts at the same time but just go for a light polybush option

 

[Ed Doe]

So you've got two firsthand opinions suggesting VT are absolutely fine for road and don't fail, one that suggests they're harsh and fail, and one that says anecdotally they might be a bit harsh.

What makes you think any alternative to VT might be less harsh unless it's oem? For clarity the 6cyl is a harmonically balanced engine so by very design unless there's something wrong with it you're unlikely to get significant vibrations into the cabin.

I'm not having a dig in any way, but to my mind I don't really see the point in a middle ground between oem and vibratechnics - you either go the whole hog or go oem. Just my thoughts anyway

 

[AndyBeech]

VT fail prematurely. I have them and they are coming out in a week. I am using 034MS mounts. Btw, the VT mounts vibrate bad at idle, plastic rattles and visible vibration of the steering wheel. I had to rise idle to 950 rpm to mask the rattling at idle.

I've had them for 2 years now with track use included and I've had none of the problems you mention so you've either been unlucky or....who knows did you get the race version by mistake?

I noticed barely any difference from standard to be honest when they were changed, a very slight rumble at idle through the seat but barely even registered.

I've got no reason to big them up, if they were rubbish I'd happily say but they've been fine for me.

Also on the gearbox mounts IMO wouldn't bother upgrading from OEM, just replace like for like if you want to, the OEM bushes are pretty solid as they are if you've ever seen them. I replaced mine while I was having some work done in that area anyway but to be honest even after nearly 100k miles there was probably no need to. If you are worried about NVH I deffo wouldn't polybush this area especially if you aren't doing any track work, even then as a casual tracker I wouldn't bother.

As Ed says, no product is perfect. You'll do your swede in looking for aftermarket products that never have recorded issues, especially when it comes to NVH as everyone has a different perception of what is acceptable or even noticeable. All I can tell you is a lot of people have fitted Vibra over the years on here and I only found a very few posts with issues, most being happy.
For one person that says X product is better than Y you'll find someone else saying the opposite...I wouldn't spend too much time / energy exploring it if I was you for what is a relatively minor part in the scheme of things

 

[InterlagosMC]

So you've got two firsthand opinions suggesting VT are absolutely fine for road and don't fail, one that suggests they're harsh and fail, and one that says anecdotally they might be a bit harsh.

What makes you think any alternative to VT might be less harsh unless it's oem? For clarity the 6cyl is a harmonically balanced engine so by very design unless there's something wrong with it you're unlikely to get significant vibrations into the cabin.

I'm not having a dig in any way, but to my mind I don't really see the point in a middle ground between oem and vibratechnics - you either go the whole hog or go oem. Just my thoughts anyway

Not worried about them being harsh the issue is if they are going to fail prematurely, I was about to order them and then spotted someone on another forum say that for the s54 they can have issues whereby the rubber fails in the casing

 

[Ed Doe]

Well mine have been on years and my MC had certainly had a hard life with every owner but one tracking it, and they're still soldiering on fine! I can only report as I find

 

[AndyBeech]

So you've got two firsthand opinions suggesting VT are absolutely fine for road and don't fail, one that suggests they're harsh and fail, and one that says anecdotally they might be a bit harsh.

What makes you think any alternative to VT might be less harsh unless it's oem? For clarity the 6cyl is a harmonically balanced engine so by very design unless there's something wrong with it you're unlikely to get significant vibrations into the cabin.

I'm not having a dig in any way, but to my mind I don't really see the point in a middle ground between oem and vibratechnics - you either go the whole hog or go oem. Just my thoughts anyway

Not worried about them being harsh the issue is if they are going to fail prematurely, I was about to order them and then spotted someone on another forum say that for the s54 they can have issues whereby the rubber fails in the casing

A few people's experiences doesn't make it absolute, they got unlucky, fitted them wrong....who knows. If they failed all the time people wouldn't still fit them.

I read about Powerflex FCAB's failing on our cars and M3's and the rubber ripping apart inside the moulding, I still brought and fitted them because others used them without issue. I've had no issues with them and who's to say the alternatives are any better? There's always going to be failures of parts whatever the make nothing is completely infallible.

My point is a few people having failures on a product used on a lot on Z4's / M3's shouldn't put you off unless there's many or obvious trend of failures. IMO, there isn't but it's up to you of course to weigh it all up and go with your gut ultimately

 

[InterlagosMC]

Thanks for the response guys, it’s good to hear people with good experience of them as I’ve heard them mentioned here many times before I thought about doing on my MC, going to be a long spring in the garage now

 

[Simon 3.2M]

I have had standard mounts on my previous MR and my current MR - they is slightly more NVH but nothing to upset the feel of the car at idle.

My MC had track mounts on when I got her, now they were harsh, so much so I checked the whole drivetrain as I was convinced it was rubbing on the body somewhere. They are great for a track car but not the road, unless you are a mutant and like that sort of thing as standard. I put the OEM ones back in and that cured the vibration instantly. Needless to say, I’ll be putting a set of street mounts on her very soon.

Hope that clears it up for you.

 

[mmm-five]

VT fail prematurely. I have them and they are coming out in a week. I am using 034MS mounts. Btw, the VT mounts vibrate bad at idle, plastic rattles and visible vibration of the steering wheel. I had to rise idle to 950 rpm to mask the rattling at idle.

How prematurely?

Mine have been on for over 8 years (62,000 miles) of what I'd call 'leisurely' driving.

 

[XMetal]

I had the VT mounts on my car for about 7 years and 30k miles, when they were starting to show signs of wear with small cracks in the rubber. I've seen someone with similar issue and their mounts just suddenly fail soon after. I love the VT mounts, but the slight increase in NVH at idle was starting to bother me a bit. With that said, I don't quite like the spongy feel of the OE mounts, but had considered going back to OE. Ultimately, I took a gamble on the 034MS mounts and can vouch that they have the OE feel at idle and none of the spongy feel of the OE mounts when loaded - a great middle ground! I also liked that the 034MS mounts isn't fluid filled, so it won't fail/collapse like the OE will inevitably do soon after (the 034MS mount is essentially a solid version of the OE mount with the fluids being replaced with all rubbers). This is a win-win in my book :driving:

FYI - I did paired the 034MS motor mounts with the RE transmission mounts, as did with the VT.

 

[XMetal]

VT fail prematurely. I have them and they are coming out in a week. I am using 034MS mounts. Btw, the VT mounts vibrate bad at idle, plastic rattles and visible vibration of the steering wheel. I had to rise idle to 950 rpm to mask the rattling at idle.

I have a suspicion that you will like the 034MS mounts. It won't be as stiff as the VT mounts, but not as soft and spongy as the OE either. NVH will be eliminated (at least for me) at idle.

 

[maupineda]

Look up for VT on M3s and you will see there are more reports than me. A few from Z4Ms also.

Harshness is the least of the issue. As I said, a few more idle rpms cure it. But when the cracked after 3-4 years and 20k kms… and as expensive as they are… they are no good IMO. I will post photos for you to see.

 

[maupineda]

VT fail prematurely. I have them and they are coming out in a week. I am using 034MS mounts. Btw, the VT mounts vibrate bad at idle, plastic rattles and visible vibration of the steering wheel. I had to rise idle to 950 rpm to mask the rattling at idle.

I have a suspicion that you will like the 034MS mounts. It won't be as stiff as the VT mounts, but not as soft and spongy as the OE either. NVH will be eliminated (at least for me) at idle.

They are in a bin ready to go in about a week