Group Buy FF tmount inserts feedback

With the transmission mount inserts now arriving, and installation fairly straightforward, I'm starting this post to host feedback from the 29 (to date) group buy participants so that others can benefit before the 20% group buy discount expires on Sep 15. Please let us know your hardness selection as part of your experience. Thanks,

I purchased the Yellow inserts. Installed them yesterday. I had no complaints with miene Schatz . But, after the inserts, crisp shifts and less back and forth movement while accelerating or decelerating. If I hadn't done this Mod, I would never have Known what I was missing. Thanks All Dan.

I'm about to do engine mounts, should I do this too?

I'm not part of the group buy but I did install the Black inserts in my car last winter. It was a bit of a pain due to the fact that my transmission mount had partially collapsed. The difference in NVH was fairly alarming at first, but I've gotten used to it over time (and I imaging the inserts have "broken in" a bit). Definitely crisper shifts - especially when cold. Overall I'm happy I did them.

Relatively new to the 996. Can someone post a link to a source that will tell me what we are talking about here

Bam! http://www.function-first.com/produc...s-mount-insert

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Thank you Sir.

Still anxiously awaiting mine!

Received mine over the weekend. I'm running a new Moton suspension for the first time in 2 weeks @ Barber so may wait to install after I feel out the new suspension. How long do these inserts take to install in your driveway when DIY?

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if your tranny mount is in good shape it's probably 45min. To 1 hr. Job tops. If not, it'll definitely take longer... Totally depends on how bad the mount is. If it turns out to be in really bad shape, you may have to re-evaluate and perhaps replace the mount. My mount was in shaky shape - not torn, but partially collapsed on the bottom side. It took awhile and a lot of manipulating (Jack under tranny) to get me enough room in the mount to get the inserts in. I think the whole job took me two hrs. Or so, from the time I jacked up the car up, til I dropped it back down again.

I just installed my black (track) inserts this evening. I'm still getting familiar with my targa, so it probably took me two hours. There's also no way it's going in without some sort of lubricant, I used dish soap like FF mentions in the install guide and that made quite a difference. My original transmission mount was in much better shape than I was expecting it to be, even though it still feels squishy as bubblegum. Definitely changed the attitude of the car. NVH increase is pretty significant, and I'm usually not sensitive about such things. I'll be curious to see if it "breaks in" over time like some other users have reported, but it's definitely more of a racecar noise now. Responsiveness of the drivetrain to inputs is significantly better, and shifting feel changed significantly as well. I've paired this with some rennline semi-solid motor mounts with the stiff inserts, and am very happy with the performance increase. I feel more confident in pushing the car now, even with a suspension that could use a refresh. Thanks for putting together the group buy!

Thanks for posting the review! You should notice the NVH subside in the next week or 2 as the inserts fully seat themselves and break-in a bit. The performance benefits will remain!

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Ha^^^ While I'm sure they do "break in/seat themselves a little bit, I don't think it subsides so much as you get used to the NVH and it doesn't seem as bad.

Agreed - it's certainly a combination of both!

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I didn't realize that old men had such good hearing until I started hanging out on rennlist It seems a little quieter already on day 2. Car has been a blast to flog around with the insert installed. Suspecting that some of the play I had been feeling in the driveline before could actually be the DMF going bad, instead of the transmission mount like I expected.

Dunno, buying some black "track" inserts, then complaining about nvh is a lot like the girl that wears a short skirt and complaining on all the boys looking at her IMO.

"I didn't realize that old men had such good hearing until I started hanging out on rennlist " Hahahaha! Touche'! My hearing is pretty good (down a little bit above 10k, but that's fairly normal for someone who's been playing rock&roll for 35 yrs...) BTW, NVH isn't just sound - you can clearly feel what you couldn't before installing the inserts. "Dunno, buying some black "track" inserts, then complaining about nvh is a lot like the girl that wears a short skirt and complaining on all the boys looking at her IMO." If it's my post you're talking about, it's not a complaint - just trying to keep it real. I actually kind of like the "connectedness" you get with the (black) inserts (through the NVH). I've put close to 2000mi. on it since doing the inserts, so I don't think it's going to mellow out much more...

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No it was to the other fella. There's a certain flavor of "enthusiasts" these days that are really changing the way manufacturers engineer/tune/equip their cars these days. That's all I'll say.

[QUOTE=dporto;I've put close to 2000mi. on it since doing the inserts, so I don't think it's going to mellow out much more... [/QUOTE] dporto: If you had to do it again, would you buy a softer version on account of the NVH you are experiencing at steady-state, which I assume you have reached acc. to your statement above?

Not complaining, just pointing it out I'm used to upgraded drivetrain mounts, and this is by far the biggest increase in NVH I've experienced from a single upgrade. I'm very happy with it, but in hind-sight, the "sport" stiffness would probably have been the more appropriate choice in conjunction with the upgraded motor mounts. I'd be curious to see if it has the same effect with oem motor mounts, but those didn't survive the removal process. There will be plenty of time for cushy quiet cars when I'm old. In the meantime, this added some of the 'raw' back into the experience, and makes it feel more like a sports car than a GT.

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Yeah I was wondering why you went with the black "track" inserts in the first place. Seemed a bit overkill IMO unless you are Slakker and have a dedicated track car. Luckily if you still have your Porsche when you get old, you can always throw the stock mounts back on, along with the touring suspension, supple leather powered/heated seats, 17" wheels with Uniroyal ultimate comfort tires, radio with the big buttons, 85w LED headlight upgrades, bigger shift **** for your arthritis, etc.

That's the way I see it! It's easy to swap out should I feel the need to go to anything more reasonable, and I have no plans to get rid of this car anytime soon.

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You know, I've thought about it quite a bit, and No, I'd definitely get the "blacks" again. That being said, when I first put them in, it was almost shocking when I pulled the car out of the garage and drove away... I actually thought for a second that I might have messed something up and went through a mental checklist of all my steps while putting it back together. **I actually started a thread back in the spring when I did the install pretty much stating what I said above^^^

I finally got around to putting in my orange inserts. 2004 C4S, 96K and change on the odo. I've recently put new stock motor mounts in as well. While in there, I cleaned up and painted some parts of the lower transmission carrier that were starting to rust. I replaced most of the plastic nuts with some cheap self threading metal ones from Ace. Several of the plastic ones were broken or the threads were stripped. My car must have spent some time on the east coast as the studs are rusty. The instructions included were very straightforward and well written. Even with the orange I noticed immediately a tad more mechanical feel to the shifting and a bit more NVH, especially above 3k on the tach. Feels great! For my car and how I use it, very happy with the bushings I chose. Looking forward to the shift right solution coming and getting that installed.

You cheated by using a lift.

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I was gonna say, that'd have taken my two hour job to a half-hour, haha.

Thanks dporto for your reply and jhynes... for your excellent pictorial. Looks like orange might be more my inclination, especially if paired with semi-solid motor mounts. Much appreciated! Martin

If it makes you feel better, it was still a two hour job for me!

Damn, now I want them, too...oh, and a lift...definitely a lift. Does anyone know if there's a major difference in NVH between the orange (soft) and yellow (sport) inserts? I'm leaning towards orange since I'm thinking that, with the yelllow, I'd get the downside of the additional NVH without any noticeable improvement in performance over the orange since 90% of my time behind the wheel is spent commuting back and forth to work or out for routine weekend stuff. The other 10% is spent on weekend drives on backroads and maybe, if I can find the time, an autocross or something similar (not very competitive, obviously). So, in other words, no track time. -Eric

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FF can certainly chime in here but I believe the orange ones were made after the initial batch of the yellow based on feedback from the pansies out there for a more comfortable solution.

This pansy would recommend orange to Eric based on your description of how you use your car. I tend to put the more hard core suspension and mount hardware in my race car.

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Haha, yes. The Orange 60A were developed and tested following feedback from customer's that were looking for something a little less harsh. They still offer performance benefits, especially for worn mounts, and also some added peace of mind in helping to prevent the OEM mount from wearing and tearing. That said, and what I say over and over, is that perceived and added NVH will vary from car to car and driver to driver, so base your decision on the posted customer feedback and experiences, as well as your personal appetite for such an upgrade.

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I think this is key regardless of your taste or sensitivity. And it's great for FF to step up to meet customer demands based on their input. It says a lot about a company willing to listen to their customers as well as offering a solution.

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I think you just called me a pansy...and, sadly, I think I'm okay with it. lol Sure, if this was my race car, I'd have no question about using the track oriented insert. My other daily is a CLA45 AMG. Its ride isn't what I'd call plush but I have no complaints about harshness. I tend to prefer cars that are sport oriented and have never complained about the suspension in the 996 but I'm also trying to be realistic based on how I use the car. I actually find myself leaning towards the yellow inserts...but think they might just not be necessary. Got it. I think I might be a pansy. I have a day to decide, right? lol -Eric

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Eric, here's my take so take it for whatever it's worth. If you want just a little sports feel and have it still be somewhat refined, you will want the orange mounts. This becomes even more noticeable between the yellow and orange IMO if you are also running poly engine mounts which will have even a bigger effect between the two. You maybe ok with yellow mounts if you're running factory engine mounts, but I think the combo of poly engine mounts and poly tranny mount really exacerbates the NVH characteristics so one may want to error on the side of caution and go the orange route in this case. I'm running yellows on mine running poly engine mounts too but my car is already past the refinement point since I'm also running GT3 CO's with solid strut mounts and spherical bushings in many places.

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Thanks, I appreciate the feedback and insight. I've been thinking about engine mounts, too, and I hadn't really thought about the overall impact of adding the poly mounts to both. Ironically, I've been eyeing coilovers for the AMG but when it comes to the 996, I find myself holding back a bit. Not sure why...but the idea of an orange insert with poly engine mounts might be the right combo. -Eric P.S. Btw, I think I owe you pics of my headers! I took them with my phone while I was underneath the car a little while back and then had issues with my phone. They're not great shots but I've got them in a cloud backup somewhere. I'll find them and send them over.