GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Has anyone seen one of these for our cars?I made one out of a air cylinder and some bearings from my work. I can actually feel a little more axceleration, and not so booged out. I don't like it because of where I had to mount it, I could not put the engine cover back on and the car will shake when I come to a stop at a light or sign.

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this looks like the same principal of putting a chain around the engine and the frame. it holds the engine in place so theres no play when accelerating/shifting. if you've ever seen a engine when the hoods open and you press the gas the engine will move back and forth, supposidly ive heard is slows the car. I would just wonder if this would wear the engine down faster? anywho, sweet mod, are there any retail options available for the rest of us?

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »this looks like the same principal of putting a chain around the engine and the frame. it holds the engine in place so theres no play when accelerating/shifting. if you've ever seen a engine when the hoods open and you press the gas the engine will move back and forth, supposidly ive heard is slows the car. I would just wonder if this would wear the engine down faster? anywho, sweet mod, are there any retail options available for the rest of us?The end-product is similar to what you get with Energy Suspension's polyuerethane motor mount inserts. Cool mod

I'm a skeptic on this one. I mean, it may keep the engine from lurching a little bit when you accelerate, but it's a one time thing, and given the RPMs of the engine, I don't see how preventing the engine from moving a fraction of one revolution per take off is really gonna help. I could be wrong though. Maybe it will make the intial response a little sharper, but it's not like it's going to add HP.I would also be concerned about the mount point, not sure how strong that part of the body is, and connecting to the cylinder head instead of the block seems like it might cause some engine problems later.

I think my 1980 Pontiac Phoenix with the transverse mounted 2.8L V6 had a similar device incorporated into the engine mount. It was a shorter fatter cylinder though. Now that I think about it, it was a similar car to the Vibe but longer. Great in the snow.

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »I'm a skeptic on this one. I mean, it may keep the engine from lurching a little bit when you accelerate, but it's a one time thing, and given the RPMs of the engine, I don't see how preventing the engine from moving a fraction of one revolution per take off is really gonna help. I could be wrong though. Maybe it will make the intial response a little sharper, but it's not like it's going to add HP.I would also be concerned about the mount point, not sure how strong that part of the body is, and connecting to the cylinder head instead of the block seems like it might cause some engine problems later. It really helps wheel hop and shifting. The linkage at the motor isn't moving all over the place and when you lose traction on acceleration the engine rocks back and forth (with the transaxle) making it hard to put down power as it's jerking around.

A guy on the Matrix forum used to make something like this. Except he mounted his to the passenger side strut tower/wheel well and to the back corner of the engine.Many said there was a improvement with more torque on launches. Only bad (well, depending on how you are.)thing was that it made the whole car vibrate.

it is a torque strut or engine damper. It saves wear on "motor mounts". Even RWD toyotas had these in the 80's. But I would not mount it to the valve cover stud.....SNAP! Your better off mounting it to an actual motor mount or bracket at the engine that is stronger than the valve cover stud.