I participated in the LOTF group buy on the engine damper, of course I got mine in blue. I'm posting my impressions here in the Cooper (non S) forum so that other Cooper owners can decide whether to do this mod as well.

First off, the total cost was less than $50.

Install took about 15 minutes, although this was after losing a part and waiting a week to get a replacement, then doing it again after learning what NOT to do.

The end result after several weeks of driving is WOW.

Now, before I get too far, anyone who has never experienced what a damper can do--that's me raising my hand-- may not know what to expect, or why one would do this mod. Admittedly, I was skeptical, and was buying the mod more for bling than actual performance gain.

So what does the damper do?

Shift your car into 1st gear. Now leave it in gear. Accelerate hard to 6000 rpm, now abruptly let off the gas. What happens? You should feel the car lurch. Repeat this a few times, stomp the gas to WOT then release the pedal. Seems normal behavior. The MINI jumps forward, then pulls back as you release the gas.

With the damper installed, that lurching disappears and instead is replaced with a feeling that's hard to describe, but similar to a more "connected feel" and smoother. It's not about shifting smoother either. It's what happens when you are already in gear. Shifting between gears is smoother too, because surprisingly, until you feel what it's like to drive without the engine moving all the time, the transition to new gears is also smoother and more "connected". It feels like more power is being placed to the wheels and not lost in the movement.

I'm excited to experience the results during the next Autox in a few weeks. I'm guessing it's going to only aid me in controlling the throttle and will assist me in being smoother!

Some people say there is increased vibration in the steering wheel after this mod. This isn't something I have noticed, but then again, my ride is pretty stiff, and it's not all that quiet either, so maybe I'm just not aware. I asked my wife about her impressions after letting her drive and not telling her about the mods, and her reaction was that it felt smoother and easier to change gears.

So there you have it. Wondering about the engine damper? I had to Dremel out an existing hole to make the install easier. That took all of 10 minutes with lots of sparks flying. I also put a racing jack under my engine and jacked it up a few inches so I could install a bolt easier. Sounds scary but was pretty simple.

I wouldn't drive an MC without this mod. Highly recommended.

 

I ask myself.. isnt it supposed to flex! Isnt having one of these installed causing too much stress on the subframe. There is a reason motor mounts are made of rubber. Could these cause further problems then its worth?

 

Yeah, my same thoughts exactly. I'm sure it works, I've had polyurethane engine mounts installed in my old car, works wonders to stop the engine movement. Everything is sharper and more precise because the engine doesn't "lag" behind the car.

However, this design for the MINI actually bolts the engine to a part of the frame not particularly designed for that load. But if the forces aren't that great there shouldn't be a problem.

 

I don't think it is meant to be inflexible, rather is offers a shock absorber type of damper to smooth out the movement.

 

Right.
The engine damper is not a solid link. It does give (very little) on acceleration and deceleration.

 

Anyone know more about the break away engine mount? I read somewhere that the MINI engine mounts are supposed to break away during a frontal collision to pass the engine away from the drivers legs. Was wondering if the damper would impede that and actually prevent that from happening, or maybe if the collision was strong enough for that to happen in the first place, maybe it wouldn't even be an issue.

Just curious.

 

or perhaps lets ask this question, Has anyone noticed any negative impact since installing it?

 

I don't have the LOTF damper but I have experience with the pink JDM and Texas Speedwerks dampers. There is additional noise and vibration that can be heard and felt throughout the car, and most noticable at the steering wheel. On my car (2006 MCC), it is also causing a buzz or rattle in the engine compartment. This is a noise that is normally very faint, barely audible, but the damper magnifies it to an annoying level. I currently have it off until I can try to track it down. Otherwise, a damper is a nice performance enhancement that reduces the lurch and bounce of the engine and makes it respond more immediately and predictably.

 

The interesting thing about this is that I didn't have additional noise or vibration. Maybe it's cause my 2003 MC is a lot looser than newer model MC's.

 

I agree with OctaneGuy........smooth is the best description.

 

I would love to buy one, it is something I would love to have.

 

I'm very happy with mine, and echo the positive comments here.

I also agree that it could be a concern that forces are now being passed through the car in places that are not designed for them. Even more startling, and OctaneGuy makes a good point: does it have any effect on the crash dynamics of the car? If it does, then I'm not so comfortable having it on there.

 

The Audi/VW guys do something similar and replace the front "snub mount" for a much stronger one. This keeps the engine moving during high torque application (throttle on/off). Works great, but does cause some vibration noise. It's a trade off.

I'm interested in the one for the MINI, but I'm more interested in replacing the original engine mounts for something more rigid. There is certainly a lot of slop in the system which you can feel during rapid on/off cycles.

 

The guys at Texas Speed Werks installed my damper. I'll 'second' or 'third' the description of 'connected' and I'll add my own initial thought of 'reduced drama under hard acceleration'.

http://www.txwerks.com/servlet/Categ...%3ADamper+Kits

I haven't felt the vibration or heard the noise. The last I heard, the guys at TSW believe it to be an issue of having pre-load on the damper. They now have instructions on a PDF to help you adjust the pre-load of your damper to reduce or eliminate these problems: http://www.metroplexmini.org/forum/s...ht=load+damper

 

I have the Texas Speed Werks damper as well. Love the "connected" feeling as it's being called. I was surprised it made as big a difference as it did. It's how the MINI ought to feel from the factory.

 

Does anyone know if one of these dampers is legal if you run H stock?

 

From the SCCA rule book:

"Alternate components which are normally expendable and considered replacement parts (e.g., engine and wheel bearings, seals, gaskets, filters, belts, bolts, bulbs, batteries, brake rotors, clutch discs, pressure plates, suspension bushings, drivetrain mounts, etc.) may be used provided they are essentially identical to the standard parts (e.g. have the same type, size, hardness, weight, material etc.), are used in the same location, and provide no performance benefit."

My thought is no, since the engine damper does provide a benefit and is in addition to standard parts... Although arguably NOT in time shaved off from run-to-run (which I tested), the throttle response does improve rather smartly and there's less lag...

 

I'll be less murky than Scobib: Definately NOT.

 

If' that's the right rule, quoted above, I'd agree. This is definatley an add-on and not a 'replacement' as you don't have one in the stock configuration and you have to add brackets to mount it correctly because no stock mounting points are provided.

 

actually on the LOTF implementation you DO use stock mounting points...

 

Oh well, it would have been nice, but it sounds like it would be an H-stock verboten. I kinda figured that.

 

But there is no "stock" engine damper...

 

I added the Texas Damper about a month ago and love it! I was able to put it to good use at the Pacific Raceway just south of Seattle on Monday. I believe that it allows YakiMini to shift much more smoothly and gives me the little extra torque I need to catch and pass MCS's :-) (which I did!)
There is some vibrations at idle but immediately vanishes when gas is applied.
Otherwise, this is a great mod to add to your MC! TSW designed this very well (ie. mounting brackets and placement under the bonnet)
Happy Motoring!

 

I added the texas damper a few months back and liked it for awhile until it started rattling and i went crazy looking for the rattle. I also noticed the mount is bending and the bolt on the front side is bent as well.

 

Seems like the solution to the rattle is a #12 o-ring between the rear bracket and the heim...

I'd email about the bending...