To add to the thread, I installed the powerflex black today. You need an E14 torx socket for the bolt.

Pros: Removed some of the slop from shifting (I have a manual) and it honestly felt more responsive under acceleration. I popped the hood and had my wife hit the gas as well as pull forward a little, and there is almost no engine movement anymore.

Cons: When you take off it feels like you cant drive a manual any longer. Vibrations/Cabin Resonance between 1000k and 2000k RPMs (45 mph is in this range in 6th gear), really noticeable around 1200-1400k. Probably wont be able to sell the car like this lol.

If this was my daily driver I would probably do the standard Powerflex bushing. The start stop driving would probably not be fun with the black installed. If I had to do it over, I would probably get the yellow and put the insert in.

 

They do break in with a bit of time. Or at least the yellow did for me. I think yellow with insert is all anyone needs =)

 

The only reason I would go with the Yellow is due to the start/stop, the vibration/resonance I probably wont even notice after 100 or so miles with this as the new normal. I don't think any break-in will reduce the start vibration.

 

Just had the Powerflex yellow lower engine mount installed yesterday at Dynasport in Portland, OR. Based on the consensus here, I had them leave the insert in. There is a little more noise just at idle. It is more like a growl. I don't mind it at all. Don't notice any added vibration. The difference in shifting is huge. Before it was clunky( I say this coming from a honda civic, which shifted like a dream), but now it is crisp and precise, especially from 2nd to 3rd and with downshifts. Glad I did this. Thanks everyone for your insights into this.

 

I purchased this bushing like 6 months ago and have not installed it yet. Been really busy but hopefully I get to it before winter arrives. Thanks for the write up.

 

Installed the Black Powerflex but left out the inserts. Used a 3-prong gear puller to push out the Original MFG busing - super easy if anyone is doing. Only a small amount of driving so far - but makes a big difference. I’ve a manual and got rid of the first gear “judder” and also made clutch engagement more precise. I did not notice any real vibration issues or noise but was driving with windows down and new JCW Pro exhaust so time will tell. Right now pretty happy with the black insert and improvement as noted by others.



Lower motor mount - pressing out the old rubber bushing with 3 prong gear puller - works great

 

Did anyone notice that throttle response is better with the PowerFlex bushings installed?

Or am I just a bit nuts?

It seems that taking away the motion of the engine has translated into a little more “snap” to the car.

Also, could the softness of the OEM bushing in this link be related to the failure of the upper engine mount? *

At any rate, I just installed the Yellow version. Based on the discussion here I opted to leave out the insert. Drive-wise: Little, if any, difference in noise or vibration. Huge difference in drivability. This is the way the car should have been produced.

A couple of notes:
While doing this job I concluded the best option for removing the rubber bushing is shown above. Push it out with a puller. Or use a press. Or as someone above said they used a vice. Anything that will push it out whole. From there the job is simple. I had none of the above. And cutting, drilling, sawing all were pretty useless or extremely time consuming.

As was said at the start of this thread, this is either a 5 or 50 minute job. Me: about 2 hrs. I pushed and pulled and pried and got nowhere. I finally resorted to cutting around the steel spacer with a couple of hole saws and then cutting the rubber out at the short end. Even that was a chore.


Not pretty but effective

From there I was able to push/pry it out.

I wish I had found this tread before I started all of this.

Just so others can see the level of difficulty, rather how simple it is to remove and reinstall the stabilizer:


* A side note:
I am not sure if anyone has thought about the possibility that the very expensive failure of the upper engine mount is related to the amount of movement allowed by this OEM link with the soft rubber bushing. I suspect it is, as it was with some Gen 1 MINIs (reported by ECS). I am hopeful that the installation of the PowerFlex bushing in this link will help mitigate this other failure.

 

I’ve definitely noticed a better throttle response / quicker / more precise. Very happy with update and mine is a full “race” black insert. It will ‘break in’ a bit as your drive, good luck and enjoy. I still need to put in the quaife LSD…as well as some of the bits you have listed above…

 

Yes we notice it's a bit better as the drivetrain has a bit less slop in it with the Powerflex bushings so it transfers torque just a hair quicker.