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911
Engine Mounting the Compromise
by Steve
Grosekemper
In the
past several months I have seen a number of "HOT
ROD" 911s all complaining of various abnormal
noises. These noises have been described as anything
from cam chain noise, to 5th gear noise, to ring
and pinion noise. Are all these cars just getting
noisier? Are gear surfaces failing? Or are these
owners just becoming less tolerant of an inherently
noisy car? Well no, most likely not. All of these
cars have shared one common factor. They all had
solid engine and/or transmission mounts recently
installed. In many of the cases, one pair was
installed a month or so prior to the second pair,
causing the gear noise to "become progressively
worse". In reality, the gear noise did not change
at all. It was the insulation between driver and
drive train that changed.
You
might ask yourself why someone would intentionally
install a device into his or her car that would
make it so unbearable to drive? The answer is
quite simple. Solid drive train mounting has many
advantages; increased chassis rigidity, increased
throttle linkage feel, more positive shift feel,
indefinite mount life (no rubber to deteriorate),
and low price (about $25.00 per mount).
The one sizable disadvantage, however, is the incredible increase in drive train noise and vibration. Such an increase for a dedicated racecar is not a real problem. For a car that serves a dual role as both street and track car, it can be a large one.
Fortunately
there is a compromise between the soft stock mounts
and the completely rigid, solid mounts. The compromise
is a factory mount known as the Carrera "CLUB
SPORT" mount. It was designed for the Carrera
"CLUB SPORT" option (M637). This car was essentially
a lighter, high performance, stripped version
of the standard '87-'88 Carrera. The premise was
to build a car that was set up for club racing
right out of the box. This is the car where our
compromise component comes from. The (M637) engine
mounts are considerably stiffer than the stock
mounts, yet still offer some dampening not available
from solid mounts.
So you're thinking, " A limited production racing part, it's got to cost a fortune." Well, sit down because you're not going to believe this. The stock cushy motor mount part #911.375.043.00 lists for $83.45. The (M637) "CLUB SPORT" mount part 911.375.043.07 lists for $41.70. Yes, that's right, twice the part, half the price! A true Porsche rarity!
So if you have just got to have the ultimate in rigidity, go out and buy yourself a set of solid mounts. If you want more rigidity but don't want to feel as if you've been placed inside the drive train, try some club sport mounts. After all, life is just a series of compromises, isn't it ?
P.S. If you have a convertible you don't need to upgrade to these mounts because the factory did it for you!
Good
Luck!
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