A few weeks ago I installed a Detroit Tuned Bypass Valve and a 15% pulley. They really woke my car up, but I noticed after a few days that I was getting a clunk on hard acceleration, it felt like right beneath me. My initial thought was a bad u joint, but then I realized that there wasn't a drive shaft in that tunnel. 😜

A little research led me to a probable cause of motor mounts allowing the engine to rotate enough that the exhaust was hitting my cross brace. Lots of threads later, I decided to swap the lower mount first to see if that resolved the problem. My top mount isn't leaking at all, so I was hopeful.

Research on this and other forums seem to indicate that all aftermarket solutions are hated by someone, except for the high dollar Vibratechnics gear, which was more, than I wanted to spend. I started out thinking I would do the Powerflex bushing inserts, but the price to do both ends was creeping up to close to an aftermarket mount. I found a really good price on the BSH lower mount (from BSH directly!) for roughly the same as the Powerflex inserts, so I ordered it.

Finally got around to installing this afternoon. Super simple install.

The big complaint about all of these aftermarket solutions is increased NVH. There is a discernable increase in NVH while still running the stock top mount and trans mount, but it isn't annoying. At idle, I could sense that I was definitely more connected to the car, but no increase in dash rattles or mirrors vibrating.

Hard acceleration seemed like more power was getting to the ground, and my clunking was completely eliminated. Probably a little bit more noise and increased "feel" from the drivetrain to my hands. Not a problem, if anything I feel more connected to the car.

Off throttle at higher RPMs seemed to induce the most drone/vibration, but again, not unbearable, and easily eliminated by getting back into the throttle. At highway speeds in 5th or 6th, NVH was not noticeably different than before, which was my biggest concern. I don't drive this car for the luxury car ride, I drive it because it is a little go cart. That said, I still want to be able to do road trips without being miserable. I don't see the increased NVH affecting that at all.

If you want your car to be as cushy as stock, this probably isn't for you. If you're building a car for fun, and don't mind a little increased connection to what the car is doing, this is a good swap. I give it two thumbs up. 👍👍😁

 

Ordered this yesterday as my stock mount actually broke. The metal around the big bushing broke in half and fell off. This also destroyed the flex pipe, portion from the flex pipe to the cat fell off, and ripped the o2 sensor connector off.

 

While that sucks, I'm kinda jealous. I'm looking for a good excuse to justify an exhaust upgrade to my wife. 😁

 

I've been running a BSH lower, Vibra-Technics top, and a poly insert in the trans mount for a while. I can't say I've noticed any issues to complain about except the engine doesn't bounce around anymore...

I don't know who these people are who keep perpetuating this harshness issue but they need to buy a Mercedes, Lexus, Cadillac, or something like that.

 

By definition, changing to more rigid design mounts that reduce engine movement will result in increased NVH. The question is whether the performance benefit is worth the tradeoff, and that is a very individual question. For some, the stock R53 may be at their upper tolerance for NVH-they will find the BSH lower to be "too harsh." Doesn't mean they should swap to a cushier sedan, just that they should stick with OEM mounts.

My previous DDs were an F250 and a heavily modified GT500, so I'm accustomed to feeling a lot of NVH. My needs were to not dramatically increase droning at highway cruising speed, and not significantly increase cabin noise that would decrease my ability to hear in car conversations (I have a profound hearing loss, so I have trouble hearing any passenger in just about any car). But I expect to feel bumps, drivetrain vibration, etc, because I am setting my car up for better than stock handling.

I wrote my review to help others understand a little better what the increased NVH would be like, to inform their own tradeoff consideration. It's not my place to judge what they should drive.

FTR, I will probably wind up with the same setup you are running, I'm just operating on the run-to-failure maintenance budget. 😁

 

Glad you like it and it works for you. We sell them, but 8 out of 10 customers that buy them end up removing them because of the NVH.

We also offer the TS version which is exactly like the BSH one, but a little easier on the pocket.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/torque...0-r52-r53.html

The other option that we have found worked out the best was replacing the rubber in the stock mount with the powerflex bushings. The big end is also adjustable as the black center can be removed to soften it up if you think it's too hard.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/powerf...t-bushing.html
https://www.waymotorworks.com/powerf...e-bushing.html

 

I understand, I'm not a simpleton. I appreciate your in depth review, because I couldn't be bothered with that kind of investigative work for engine mounts. Hopefully others will find it more useful than my belligerence. My choices were also based on failure rates, I would have stuck with the OEM mounts if they weren't absolute garbage.

Some of my other rides are a 99 F250 (leaf sprung solid front axle), a 1200R Sportster, a chopped up Suzuki Savage with a V&H muffler on it, and a classic Mini lowered on 10 inch wheels with a motorcycle muffler. I used to own a stiff NA Miata that wasn't quiet either.

My scale of NVH is different than most people but I also don't consider the R53 a luxury car where I'd expect it to be whisper quiet and smooth. It's a small and (sometimes) sporty hatch, it should have an element of harshness to it. To each their own but I feel like I'm on a luxury car forum (if that's a thing) and someone is complaining because they can tell the engine in their car is running.


That is absurd.

 

I completely agree with you. Folks are unrealistic in their expectations / requirements.

Toy car = performance in exchange for various trade-offs

 

Yes, very absurd, for your response to the cited statistics. Even as much as I track my Mini I only make NVH compromises when there is justifiable return on performance. The dog bone is not one. It amazes me that suspension improvements should rank the highest with our Minis and yet so little interest, especially in recent decade on this forum.

There will be a lot of added NVH for the performance parts going in in advance of next track season, and the dog bone will not be one. Read my lips. Stock one is just fine for me.

one of the NVH inducing part to be installed ; this alone will give me a couple of seconds per lap that I lose from slipping street clutch upon each upshift; what does your rigid dog bone buy you other than ^ NVH?

 

Hahaha, I didn't say he was wrong, I just said I thought it was absurd that 80% of customers returned an stiff engine mount due to harshness issues. Especially because I run all stiff engine mounts and don't think it is harsh at all.

Suspensions? Too expensive, that's why. And most of the people buying Minis are not buying them to perform. I put together a quality, good-performing budget suspension for my NA Miata for $400. Rebuild-able Bilstein Shocks and Eibach springs (I think, it's been a few years). Point me in that direction for the R53 and I'm in. I've spent all my mod money fixing bad factory designs.

The engine mount setup buys me reliability. I will most likely never have to change any of them again, like 95% of the rest of the cars on the road that don't have constantly failing engine mounts.

 

I have the TSW Upper, BSH lower and poly inserts on the transmission one... I'll take NVH over the engine moving around when shifting. My year round car was a '14 Corolla until I traded it recently and I just couldn't stand how much play there was. Comfort is nice, but when the engine is mounted in soft butter, it removes a decent amount of fun from spirited driving. In my case, I can justify it since it's a summer/track car, if I want comfort, I'll just take the Prius and look smug to people.

Some people like a more direct connection to the car, some like to vlog in their build thread, to each their own.

 

I seriously doubt that the rigid dog bone has any material improvement on gear shifting. Just because the stock one allows the engine to slightly rotate the gear shift actions are hardly compromised. An analogy is a cable brake on a bicycle with front dampers that allow the wheel to bounce up and down with the brake caliper WRT the handle bar and the brake lever. The brake is design to function despite the constant movement of the caliper and that end of the cable. The gear shift linkages on the Mini is not those sloppy linkage of older manual cars. There are two cables with outer jackets and the cable travel is relative to the jacket. When the drivetrain rotates (or rocks) the cable assembly rotates with it, and the local motions of the cable relative to the jacket is hardly affected. I have never experienced deterioration of the shift action under the most brutal acceleration or deceleration.

Some often allege that the stock dog bone allows the engine to rock too much, and is the cause of stress failure of the header flex joint. In the scheme of the three items on the engine/drivetrain mounts, the dog bone allows the least of movement, while the right side mount the most, especially the pre-facelift design. The flex joint on the OE header is quite robust, and I suspect the frequent failures are the aftermarket one that are of inferior construction. You cannot see the construction difference until you cut them open and compare them.

The excessive increase in NVH from a rigid dog bone has little benefit except, for some, the feeling of more connected to the drivetrain. I personally like feedback of the suspension and wheel loads on the steering wheel. The drivetrain vibrations on the steering wheel is not the kind of connectedness that is desirable. They are noise that drowns out the steering feedback that I seek.

 

I'm curious : have you run an aftermarket lower mount, or is your opinion just conjecture?

I didn't swap mine for more "feel." I swapped it because my exhaust was impacting my cross brace on even medium acceleration. Stock bushing was still intact when I removed it.

With the new mount, nothing clanks.

 

I didn't get the BSH, but did install the powerflex inserts and I loved the increased connection. Another benefit was a lot better on/off throttle in stop and go traffic at low speeds. There was no longer any yo/yo that knocked passengers heads back and forth as i was lightly touching the throttle at idle.