Vibra-technics engine mounts - any good / worth the money???

[Benedict.]

As per the title really, I just wondered what the received wisdom was as to whether they're worth going for.
Same question about their gearbox mount, too.

Any experiences / opinions gratefully digested.

Cheers,
Ben

[Jonathan Kay]

Which engine? What improvements over the common or garden variety would you like?

There's quite a lot in the archives. This might be the most informative single thread.

Jonathan

[Mankee]

I still think they are worth the money, but more so the main engine mounts, as the gearbox mount doesn't do a huge amount. I busted the standard Sierra rubber box mount during an engine transplant, so it made sense for me to get the matching box mount.

However, I tracked the arse off of mine over 2 years and a few thousand hard track miles, so I decided to send them back to VT for a check before I strapped them to the new engine, as one of them developed a click when I snapped the throttle hard open and the engine rotated. It turns out that I've pulled out the rubber of one of them and it reverted into its fail-safe condition. At least the engine didn't fall out I suppose!

Seeing as you aren't a million miles from Corby, drop them a line and pay them a visit. You might even get a workshop tour thrown in, especially if you take some biscuits.

[Benedict.]

Thanks for the links - I wasn't aware that the archives were now visible to google.

It's a K-series engine. I've not personally had an problems with the normal ones yet, though I do recall a few people having failures, so if I can increase my confidence in reliability (and hopefully actual reliability as well) then it may be worth it.
The engine's out at the moment, hence my query.

Mankee - did you find any reduction / increase in vibration reaching the chassis compared to the standard ones? - Oh and thanks for the suggestion, if I decide to go for them, I'll probably do as you suggest and pop down. Save any postage costs at least, and could be interesting.

Cheers,
Ben

[Mankee]

I can't give a fair back-to-back comparison as I was running with battered standard engine mounts and then changed engines as well as a whole heap of stuff that affected the NVH characteristics of the install, including the VT mounts.

Suffice to say, I'm much happier using them than the standard rubbers that are derived from a Jaguar bumper mount or something archaic like that. Plus I've used their suspension bushes in the past and currently run one of their engine mounts on the daily bus, which I'm totally happy with; better control of engine movement without shaking the glasses off my face and upsetting passengers or the 2-year-old bloke.

I don't think anyone else makes uprated Caterham engine mounts either? There may be a gearbox mount available with a higher Shore rating I seem to remember.

Phil and his team will be able to explain the technical jargon a million times better than I can on a forum.

[LesG]

I've used VT engine and gearbox mounts on my VW Golfs (which are notoriously soft) and had no issues with them, and as far as I know, are still being used by the people who bought those cars off me. I can remember how much more 'solid' the car felt, being able to floor the throttle, change gear (enthusiasticly), and not feel the engine lurching around under the bonnet. The standard CC mounts are very cheap, and as yet, totally reliable, so would need convincing to swap to VT versions.

[Benedict.]

Cheers Mankee, thanks for the feedback.

ETA: and LesG who replied while I typed the above 

Ben