Driving impressions of the DIY urethane passenger mount

Jason Wolfe jason_a_wolfe@hotmail.com
Sat, 16 Feb 2002 12:31:07 -0600


I want to let you guys know the results of my escapades in urethane, as
posted to the list earlier this week.
Below, I have pasted part of a post from the B15sentra.net forums, where I
have did a complete write-up of the procedure.

<QUOTE>
...I am fairly certain it is not completely cured in the middle, which means
it is softer than it will be a few weeks from now. Also, I am pretty sure I
have some air trapped in the middle of the primary load-bearing portion of
the mount, which obviously makes the mount more compliant and "looser" than
it would be otherwise. I may redo the mount soon, depending on how it holds
up during the next couple of weeks.
All that being said, the urethane-filled mount makes a world of difference
in the car, overall. There is a good bit more vibration at idle, but not a
huge amount more. The groaning noises heard during deceleration and reverse
are completely gone. During normal driving the engine does not seem to shift
its position at all. Even when accelerating hard and shifting fast in the
lower gears, only the slightest amount of movement can be felt, and I am not
really sure about that, due to the amount of slop in my 160,000 mile old
clutch, axles, and bearings. So far, I have been completely unable to make
the engine bang around as it did before.
What I find interesting and most pleasing is how much tighter and more
"connected" the front of the car feels now. The car feels much more solid
going over speedbumps and uneven pavement, and the steering seems a little
sharper as well. Even shifting gears feels tighter and more precise, and I
already have the ES torque mounts, a short shifter and the ES shifter
bushing.
I am very happy with the results so far. I have only driven the car about 40
miles since I reinstalled the mount, but I believe I accomplished the goals
I set for this project. I spent a total of only $15 and the performance of
the mount far exceeds that of an OEM replacement and likely approaches that
of the aftermarket SR20 mounts made my JWT and Place Racing, for a small
fraction of the cost. Only time will tell about the longevity of this
rebuilt mount, and I do have some ideas for improving the mount even
further, but so far I am very satisfied.
</QUOTE>

As said above, only time will tell for sure, but so far this appears to be a
good ultra-low-budget option.

Jason Wolfe