hey guys and gals,

i just got my 'engine damper' installed in my 06 S. WOW! MUST HAVE MOD'.
what a difference with a small amount of money spent.
my mini is SOLID and its much more enjoyable to ride now, dont get me wrong, i liked it even without but now i am so much happier with my ride.
the throttle response is much efficient thus giving us greater torque. the engine noise has reduced and the feel of it all around is SOLID !
A MUST HAVE MOD. paid only $62 with shipping from 'sales@shoe-in.net'.
contact shoe and get one and trust me, i dont work for this person but i wish i did.

Shoe, thanks bro . i hope every mini riders will get one so that our mini-alliance will be happier with our coopers.

to the riders who have theirs, please share this great mod. dont keep it for yourself, lets share good things together....

 

Sounds awesome! I can't wait until they come up with a fix for the older years! Mines been sitting in my room for probably 2-3months now.

Glad you enjoy it!

-Cody

 

Glad you like it A S K! Thanks for the nice comments.

 

no problem. just wished all could feel what i feel.

 

...dumb question...
What does this do exactly for you?

 

Have you ever seen a MINI run on a dyno?
There is A LOT of engine movement. The damper limits the movement significantly, so that power can get to the wheels instead of squashing the stock engine mounts.

 

tightens up the driveline lash too so that throttle changes are not so violent.

(in any gear above 2nd, try cruising at 4k revs then pull your foot completely off the throttle, then plant it again. the "bucking" you feel b4 your car changes speed is what i am talking about, and the dampener significantly dampens this movement, hence the name).

 

is that an oil filled damper or just a friction type?

too lazy to read all that crap. just give me a link to a site, with
a 'add to cart'

 

it is friction.

Pretty sure Helix is now working with shoe - so there may be a shopping cart soon.

Mine works very well also.

 

Hey Ken,

Pm me your e-mail addy and I will send you a Paypal invoice.

Very easy and quick. I am working on my own website but it is still in dev.

Shoe

 

^^ thanks, PM sent. i just got back from a biz trip and tired...

wasn't trying to sound mean or anything!

 

it is mainly installed to stop the engine from moving from just idleing or when your driving. dampers will make your engine stiff and solid. when starting the engine, the engine vrooms little harder and a little louder, but it sounds like its on. when revving, you can feel the engine moving a little making the throttle response a half second slower but with the damper, you will notice a quicker response which feels good. when cruising, the engine sounds clearer and a sweeter whine. i dont know if this is only in my head, but the torque is greater.

i love it! you all should try it. its cheapest but most effective, in my opinion, mod ever.

i recently had the 16%sc pulley, 2%crank pulley, alta air diverter, k&n typhoon, installed but this engine damper just topped.

hoped this answer your question. contact shoe at sales@shoe-in.net, and tell em ASK sent ya.

THANKS SHOE :-)

 

Thanks for all the info everyone -- good stuff!

dumb ? # 2 = Are there any downsides to having them? I wonder why they (carmakers/Mini/etc) don't just put em on there standard since they're such an improvement?

 

First of all, these are not dumb questions.
Second of all, it's not practical for BMW/MINI to use a damper. It's easier for them to just assemble the engine cradle with the stock mounts.
I haven't had any downsides other than Shoe bugging the crap out of me to finish the brackets for the early cars.

 

An engine damper is an additional path for noise and vibration to be transmitted to the passenger compartment. It is the usual tradeoff between comfort and performance. I do get extra noise and vibration with my engine damper.

 

I always wonder what happens when you stiffen up one part of a system to the other parts. So if the MINI's engine moves when throttled and the damper removes some of this movement, where does the force that caused the movement go? (If I were more inclined in an engineering sense I'd be able to use more accurate terminology...I hope I'm getting my point across). I have visions of broken motor mounts and stuff getting vibrated loose from the engine.

 

Would this be a mod primarily for manual transmissions? I have an automatic.. (for the wife..i swear)

 

I'm guessing the force of the movement is absorb in the dampner. It does have a shock-like looking part attached to it.

 

Vibrations for a MCSa are worse then a MCS stock. Which is why I am still on the fence about this mod. I don't want more vibrations.

 

Wow that's the first I've heard of that! Do you have a lot of miles with your dampener? I mean is it a sign it's wearing out or was it like that from day 1? Did you pre-tension it or play with the adjustment? If so did it make a difference?

This mod was #1 on my long list, but now I'm not so sure.

 

A lot of these questions are answered in the Group Buy thread.

There are ways to minimize the vibrations.

 

guys, ordered mine today.

hey, these work on the 03 MCS's right? should've checked earlier....

 

If you are willing to drill a small hole (11-12mm in diameter) in the frame area about 1" closer to the rear of the car then you can adjust the pre-tension of the damper.

Otherwise the distance between the mounting holes on the block and the frame (stock ones that is) require that the pre-tension be set to its lowest setting (i.e. no pretension) in order for the damper to fit.

In terms of its function, yes it is a friction type damper with two solid rubber bushings. This is what it looks like inside:

 

Is there something detailing the installation? The price seems very reasonable for what it claims to do. I have two quick questions (thanks for taking tjhe time to discuss this).

1. Can it be done DIY with basic tools, or are specialized engine knowlege/tools required?

2. Is the MOD reversable?

Thanks!

PS - What's a MCSa?

 

Ken, what's the build date on your car?