Full disclosure - have no affiliation with this company at all. I am in Oregon, they are in the UK. This is just my personal experience with them and I have been so floored by then I had to share.


I just have to say that I have been dealing directly with this company and they are incredible.


Do not go through the vibra-technics.com - go straight to them http://www.vibra-technics.co.uk/. They use PayPal and you have the option to take PayPals exchange rate or use the actual going exchange rate. Phil B has responded to every email I have sent within minuets (when I email in the morning PDST - their evening GMT). I have not experienced anything like this before when ordering parts over the web. Yes the shipping rate is very high, but it seems to wash out in the end. My upper mount was much cheaper even with the high shipping rate when I bought it directly through the .co.uk web address.


My first purchase, FedEx said that the order was shipped then canceled. Phil set me straight as he was the one that dropped the item off for shipping and assured me that it was shipped. It arrived on time and in perfect condition.


I haven't put them in my car yet as spare time for my car, which there is so little of right now, so I cannot give personal experience with the parts installed, but the ordering and customer care that I have experienced has been the best I have had in years.


To you Phil B, I raise a pint in your honor. You are magnificent!

 

Love mine!!

 

So I have finally got the both motor mounts into the car. The upper mount and lower motor mounts change the car completely in that there is a lot more NVH, mostly just noise. The little lump makes a crap tone of noise... I have only driven a few miles so far but expect them to "soften" slightly - I did get the "competition" versions. More later.

 

Thanks for the unvarnished prelim report. The incremental steps of increased NVH adds up and I am trying to avoid Mini crossing the edge of no return, beyond which it might as well start stripping out the sound insulation, seats, and sound system. A lot of weight to be saved there.

 

My first thought is its the lower mount that delivers the most noise. Strangely not a lot more vibration. You can see in the rear view mirror the different harmonics (not the right word I'm sure) that the motor goes through as it moves up the rev range. It now sounds and feels like a race car, at least from the inside. I am certain that I will be the only one that will ever like driving the car.

 

The lower mount is the only thing that restrains the motor/gearbox from rotating. For me I would not want it to be too rigid with no give. Time to find a damper for the rearview mirror.

You are not quite into badass race car territory yet until you bolt the drivetrain directly onto metal mounts.

 

I suspect that this will make my Midlands/Rover transmission fail (again) sooner than later. But I knew this when I bought the lower mount. It is easy enough to change out if I decide that the noise is too much.

 

I doubt it will put stress on the gearbox. I personally don't want one simply that I reason reducing the motor/gearbox rocking over the factory mount brings little benefit despite what many owners claim, including improving gear shifting and more energy transmitted to the wheels. The law of conservation of energy tells you all the power lost to the soft factory lower mount must be dissipated as heat or sound. I don't see the factory mount rubber melting.

 

I did a BSH lower mount and Vibra-Technics upper mount in my S. The stock mounts are wholly inadequate from my perspective, these were a massive improvement.

 

I am truly want to know. Can you please elaborate how the stock mount is inadequate, and what are the improvements with the two mounts you chosen?

I would seriously consider a Vibra-Technics, but it will take a lot of substantiated benefits for me to consider a BSH like lower mount. I keep an open mind on everything, and am willing to admit wrong and change my position. By just saying something is a massive improvement only amount to empty testimonial. I am not attack you. I do want to know all the specific improvements.

 

The engine/transmission unit no longer feels like it is trying to escape from the car. That is pretty much it. I replaced the stock mounts when I bought the car and I could feel the the engine/trans moving around. The mounts I put in reduced that movement.

If I'm honest, while it is a vast improvement I'm still not completely happy with it.

 

Reviving an old thread as I’m looking into getting this. I know about the NVH and the tighter feel, but can you share why your are still not happy? Thanks