Why a $60 piece of polyurethane is so important

Untie your shoes and loosen them up a bit. Ahhh, that’s a bit more comfortable now, isn’t it? Ok, good. Now try sprinting to the other side of the room.  How’d that go? I’m guessing you eventually got going, but maybe we should snug up those laces and try this little exercise again. I’ll bet you got going much more quickly this time.

Engine mounts, transmission mounts and the snub mount are much like your sneakers. Untied they are comfy, but when it comes to getting up and going, it’s best to have them on nice and snug.  OEM mounts are designed for comfort, soft and spongy. Yes, they keep the motor in the engine bay, but still allow plenty of power train movement so you and your passengers don’t feel the vibrations of the motor. The trade off of course is that it detracts from throttle response. This is why Drive Train Stabilizer (DTS) bars and engine mounts are often upgraded.  However, the snub mount is often overlooked.

What is a Snub Mount?

The snub mount is hockey puck shaped piece of rubber. It fits over a protrusion at the front of the motor and fits into a cage mounted behind your radiator support. It assists in keeping the front of the motor from moving around too much under throttle load. By simply upgrading this mount to a firmer one, you can expect to experience much better throttle response. My personal favorite mount is the one from 034Motorsport. It is called a “zero movement” mount and after installing it, you’ll agree the name is very fitting.  You will feel the idle a bit more, but when cruising, you’ll be very comfortable. Most importantly, when you mash the throttle, you’ll get going, in a hurry.

The transformation was very noticeable on my 2.7T allroad with a Tiptronic.  The “tip lag”, “throttle lag” , “turbo lag”, etc. is 90% eliminated, yet comfortable enough for me to haul around my wife and young kids. The power delivery is much more linear and the power comes on much more predictably.

If you are doing the timing belt, it is a no-brainer time to do this mod, as you will have the front of the car apart anyway. If you are not due for a timing belt, but have some free time, it’s not hard to pull your bumper off, loosen the rad support and pop this sucker in place.