Ricky_Flowers_

Andrew, just a heads up on the puddymount for your ETD: I installed mine and tracked with it, and after two track days the inner fuse box tab had been deformed and was barely hanging on. I would say upgrade to stiffer mounts before installing this, but then that would defeat the purpose of having an ETD.

andrewhake

Hmm yeah I was wondering about that. Good to know. The preload on the ETD would probably have a pretty big effect but it's not like that little tab was meant to hold significant load. I wonder if it is different on AP1s and AP2s? There also seems to be a beefier bracket where the rear bolt of the mount goes, but that is why I was looking into coming up with a slightly sturdier mounting setup.

But maybe in the end stiffer mounts is just the way to go. That area behind the shock tower seems like it has some other areas that could be used for mounting the ETD though. I think I will try out stiffer diff and tranny mounts, with new OEM mounts to see how that goes, and then just upgrade to stiffer mounts if needed. I would imagine the OEM mounts developer quite a bit more play after 100,000 miles.

Ricky_Flowers_

If you insist on running one, use the beefier shock tower bracket. Those two tabs are basically tack welded on there, and won't do a good job of holding the engine firm over time. It would behoove you to get new mounts, really, as your original mounts should be on their way out by now and lateral engine movement is only going to get more pronounced. I went through this exactly until I broke the tabs off on the dragon and ripped a mount as well, all due to some very spirited driving. Just my two cents.

Edit: If you're still driving this car every day, I would look at the Spoon and Mugen (I know you wouldn't consider Megan, lol) motor and tranny mounts, as they're rubber-filled OEM motor mounts that offer a decent compromise between stiffness and compliance. I have a few friends that have them installed and enjoy them very much. I personally went to the Innovative 75A motor and transmission mounts, and the effect on drivability is profound. Although at certain idle speeds they tend to transfer more vibration than I'd like, the tradeoff is more power transferred to the rear wheels, and a much better shifting action.

andrewhake

Yeah good call. I will be getting new mounts anyway but I will see what I can come up with to mount the ETD in a sturdier way. Thanks for the heads up.

I have a friend that uses the Mugen mounts and has been really happy with them in terms of vibration. It seems the Mugen and Spoon are essentially the same thing though and I can likely get a better deal on those, so that is probably the route I will take.

It's amazing how much the throttle response and consistency improved after replacing a partially torn diff mount. Looking forward to fresh and stiffer mounts all around.

adrs2k

I had the puddy mod mount with spoon ETD. It destroyed my fuse mount bracket after spirited driving and a few track events. I also struggled with the bolts staying tight even with lock tight and lock nuts. I had the ETD fall off the mount on track and dangle by the block mount.

ETD is totally not worth it. Yes it makes a difference in feel, but it does not actually help. I only experimented because I got a spoon etd for free.

andrewhake

I have driven cars with Spoon ETD mounted with the strut tower mount and it definitely helps, but yes if the mounting point is no good it isn't going to do much. Thanks for letting me know. This should be more reported as this mounting solution clearly doesn't work.

Ricky_Flowers_

LOL, this pretty much sums it up.

adrs2k

I agree it makes a difference and works as advertised, but it does not really help or make the car noticeably better. It makes shifting a touch crisper and smoother at high rpm's but was not worth the headache. The puddymod mount is a royal PITA to install.

andrewhake

Making shifting a touch crisper and smoother is the only thing is supposed to do though really.

Definitely thanks for the heads up. Should have checked around more on this thing, I picked it up for cheap through a local so no biggie. It looks like it will spend most of it's future in the trash. I will see if I can come up with any other mounting solutions for the ETD. I actually have it with the Spoon strut tower mount but that requires removing that tab anyway and isn't something I would use since I have the ASM bar.

I am curious enough to try it out on my own car to find a better mounting solution so we'll see how it goes.

adrs2k

My puddymod mount and spoon ETD are bottom of my tool box decorations I only paid for the puddymod mount so not the end of the world.

Ideally, the best setup IMO would be a tower bar that incorporates a brake master cylinder brace on the drivers side and on the passenger side has a new fuse box mount and ETD mount. An all in one tower bar. This would require removal of the factory fuse box mount though. I have wanted to do the tower bar master cylinder brace for a long time, just never got to it.