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AWR 88a RMM first install review

TDavis

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#1
I received my AWR engine mount with the 88a bushing last night, installed it last night, and wanted to give my first impressions after installation.

Installation was easy. Theres not much to do here so I'm not really going to go into installation. I torqued the actual bolts that go through the bushings to 50 ft lbs and just snugged the other nuts.

Only tools needed was a 13mm deep socket, ratchet, and torque wrench.

Startup and idle:

-Upon first startup you can definitely feel 'vibrations' now. Not intrusive but its there.
-At IDLE if you're holding the steering wheel you can feel a LITTLE LITTLE bit of vibration.

Taking off and driving/cruising:

-Taking off you feel alot of vibrations. It doesn't rattle anything but it definitely vibrates, You feel it in the seat more then anything else. Granted my car is still newish(4500 miles) but nothing rattles.
-I'd say 90% you feel the vibrations in the seat and 10% is in the wheel.
-Cruising is pretty much normal. I'd say maybe VERY VERY LITTLE vibrations you can feel but you have to look for it.

Performance:

-This is where you'll forget about the vibrations. You feel much more connected to the car, not more slop from the factory motor mount. Shifts are MUCH smoother and rev match downshifts are even more smoother. As one member said, "The engine is using more of its energy propelling the car forward then twisting inside the engine bay." It feels faster which may be placebo and may not be. I haven't experienced it yet but also the additional benefits is better traction and less wheel hop.


Summary:

Do I regret getting the 88a bushing? Hell no. Why? Because in the end, the mount is still brand new. I only put about 30 miles on it that night. I know that it'll break in and 500-1000 miles down the road I'm sure it'll feel a little smoother but is it by any means unbearable? Not at all. My opinion is the same as others which I feel that if I got the 70a bushing it wouldn't be doing much for performance once broken in as the 88a would do. Granted, its all relative, it depends on who you are because I've seen reviews of people with the Cobb mount or the AWR with the 70a bushing and claim it was going to "shake the car apart." Which IMHO is ridiculous, especially for the Cobb. My friend have the Cobb RMM and the vibrations are BARELY noticeable. In a way its kinda cool with the vibrations you get from the seat because it feels like a even more 'rowdier' car now since a little spunk.

I'll give updates once 500 miles sets in and then 1000 miles. I'm about 90% happy and only 10% unnerved. The only reason I'm unnerved is just because I'm not used to taking off from stops and feeling alot of vibrations through the seat. When you're used to feeling nothing and then feeling it all it gets a little weird at first. I'll give it time. IMHO its a win win because if I end up not liking it after break in I can just get the softer bushing!



 


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MetroDetroit
#2
Put mine on also like two weeks back, same setup! LOVE IT! Car is way more planted than before and like you said acceleration is much better. Direct and forward instead of back n forth from the sluggish factory mount. Im over 500 miles on mine already and nothing has changed except under load at a lower idle, my mirror drops down from vibration lol. So other than that little issue I would not change a thing. Cant wait to get my summer setup on and go for some back road rips! Enjoy!
 


OP
TDavis

TDavis

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Thread Starter #3
Put mine on also like two weeks back, same setup! LOVE IT! Car is way more planted than before and like you said acceleration is much better. Direct and forward instead of back n forth from the sluggish factory mount. Im over 500 miles on mine already and nothing has changed except under load at a lower idle, my mirror drops down from vibration lol. So other than that little issue I would not change a thing. Cant wait to get my summer setup on and go for some back road rips! Enjoy!
I find that interesting that you mirror drops down, mine doesn't vibrate or budge. I guess some cars are just different from one another. Many people having different experiences.
 


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New Castle
#4
I think I have about 500 miles or so on my 88a. I think I've just gotten used to it. But it was quite jarring in the beginning. At this point, I only really notice it at around the 1.5k RPM mark. So on takeoffs, or if I bog second gear. Overall NVH has subsided a bit, mainly the vibrations. But the car is noisier, no way around it. But for all of the reasons you state, I don't regret it at all. Love the "feel" of the mount.
 


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MetroDetroit
#5
I find that interesting that you mirror drops down, mine doesn't vibrate or budge. I guess some cars are just different from one another. Many people having different experiences.
Well i also didnt mention that i have one of those broadway mirrors over my stock one so it has added some weight to it
 


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TDavis

TDavis

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Thread Starter #6
I think I have about 500 miles or so on my 88a. I think I've just gotten used to it. But it was quite jarring in the beginning. At this point, I only really notice it at around the 1.5k RPM mark. So on takeoffs, or if I bog second gear. Overall NVH has subsided a bit, mainly the vibrations. But the car is noisier, no way around it. But for all of the reasons you state, I don't regret it at all. Love the "feel" of the mount.
Yeah. TBH I rarely feel any NVH. Its mainly the vibrations that happen in my seat that overwhelm anything else. Which is not a turn off at all. Anxious to see how it feels after 1,000 miles. I'm sure it'll break in atleast a little bit. But again, if I end up not getting used to it, I'll just go wit the 70a.
 


TyphoonFiST

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#7
I still dont understand all this hullabaloo about any of these mounts making too much vibration...mine even when it's -30 below and it's hard as a rock it's still not bad. Some people just are vibration intolerant I guess. Now riding in a car with all pretty much all solid mounts is interesting! Anything is Better than the Stock OEM RMM.




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Last edited:
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Location
Gatineau
#8
I'm with you on this mount and let me tell you, idle/low RPM vibration will go away and you won't realize it. I've got about 2000KM on mine and the only time I feel more vibration than intended is when I shift too fast and end up at 1000RPM in 6th. My girlfriend is shifting too early for example, and it vibrates quite a bit more than on the stock in those scenario, but otherwise there is now not a lot of difference between cruising with this RMM and the stock one. She rode with her friends once and they were supposedly "complaining" it had too much vibration, I understood when I rode with my girlfriend because of the above...

I was afraid that it would be too much to handle as a lot of people were saying that it almost felt like the car would be falling apart, but even just after the installation it wasn't that bad. I'm happy that I went with this one and not the 70a.
 


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TDavis

TDavis

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Thread Starter #9
I'm with you on this mount and let me tell you, idle/low RPM vibration will go away and you won't realize it. I've got about 2000KM on mine and the only time I feel more vibration than intended is when I shift too fast and end up at 1000RPM in 6th. My girlfriend is shifting too early for example, and it vibrates quite a bit more than on the stock in those scenario, but otherwise there is now not a lot of difference between cruising with this RMM and the stock one. She rode with her friends once and they were supposedly "complaining" it had too much vibration, I understood when I rode with my girlfriend because of the above...

I was afraid that it would be too much to handle as a lot of people were saying that it almost felt like the car would be falling apart, but even just after the installation it wasn't that bad. I'm happy that I went with this one and not the 70a.
Yeah. The way I see it is its a no brainer to get this mount because even if you think your mount is too soft/hard you can always buy another bushing separately and even then the price point is still lower then Cobbs.
 


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albuquerque
#10
im one of the people who found the vibrations to be too much. I gave it a break in period but ended up going back to stock and have no complaints. I do have a 2016 and I heard Ford stiffened the stock mount up so that might be why Iā€™m happy with it. Iā€™ve also tried three different RMMs at Autocross events and my best times were with the stock mount installed, not that I think that has anything to do with it. I just didnā€™t see it as a worthwhile trade. My car did okay with the Cobb but the AWR seemed like it was going to loosen every piece of plastic inside the car.

Iā€™d like to see a good comparison of the RMMs. I personally canā€™t decide whether itā€™s actually a performance upgrade or a ā€œfeelā€ upgrade. I assume there is a bit of traction gained with a stiffer mount, but how much?
 


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#11
I still dont understand all this hullabaloo about any of these mounts making too much vibration...mine even when it's -30 below and it's hard as a rock it's still not bad. Some people just are vibration intolerant I guess. Now riding in a car with all pretty much all solid mounts is interesting! Anything is Better than the Stock OEM RMM.


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In no way was my two cents a complaint, Im all for this 88a vibration. My car feels 10x more solid than before! Ill take vibration over slop anyday.
 


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TDavis

TDavis

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Thread Starter #12
im one of the people who found the vibrations to be too much. I gave it a break in period but ended up going back to stock and have no complaints. I do have a 2016 and I heard Ford stiffened the stock mount up so that might be why Iā€™m happy with it. Iā€™ve also tried three different RMMs at Autocross events and my best times were with the stock mount installed, not that I think that has anything to do with it. I just didnā€™t see it as a worthwhile trade. My car did okay with the Cobb but the AWR seemed like it was going to loosen every piece of plastic inside the car.

Iā€™d like to see a good comparison of the RMMs. I personally canā€™t decide whether itā€™s actually a performance upgrade or a ā€œfeelā€ upgrade. I assume there is a bit of traction gained with a stiffer mount, but how much?
I see your point of view on if its performance or feel upgrade. But it still is definitely not a good thing to have the engine move as much as it does with the stock mount. Even if they stiffened the mount from 2016+ I have a 2017 and it still felt like the engine was bouncing if you got on it real quick then let off.

Thats the only thing I'm weary of with this 88a mount is if it vibrates enough it'll eventually "loosen" up things and make the car actually begin to rattle. Other than that I don't mind it.

In no way was my two cents a complaint, Im all for this 88a vibration. My car feels 10x more solid than before! Ill take vibration over slop anyday.
100% agree on the solid feeling, no more slop.
 


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2
Location
Del Rio, TX, USA
#14
I received my AWR engine mount with the 88a bushing last night, installed it last night, and wanted to give my first impressions after installation.

Installation was easy. Theres not much to do here so I'm not really going to go into installation. I torqued the actual bolts that go through the bushings to 50 ft lbs and just snugged the other nuts.

Only tools needed was a 13mm deep socket, ratchet, and torque wrench.

Startup and idle:

-Upon first startup you can definitely feel 'vibrations' now. Not intrusive but its there.
-At IDLE if you're holding the steering wheel you can feel a LITTLE LITTLE bit of vibration.

Taking off and driving/cruising:

-Taking off you feel alot of vibrations. It doesn't rattle anything but it definitely vibrates, You feel it in the seat more then anything else. Granted my car is still newish(4500 miles) but nothing rattles.
-I'd say 90% you feel the vibrations in the seat and 10% is in the wheel.
-Cruising is pretty much normal. I'd say maybe VERY VERY LITTLE vibrations you can feel but you have to look for it.

Performance:

-This is where you'll forget about the vibrations. You feel much more connected to the car, not more slop from the factory motor mount. Shifts are MUCH smoother and rev match downshifts are even more smoother. As one member said, "The engine is using more of its energy propelling the car forward then twisting inside the engine bay." It feels faster which may be placebo and may not be. I haven't experienced it yet but also the additional benefits is better traction and less wheel hop.


Summary:

Do I regret getting the 88a bushing? Hell no. Why? Because in the end, the mount is still brand new. I only put about 30 miles on it that night. I know that it'll break in and 500-1000 miles down the road I'm sure it'll feel a little smoother but is it by any means unbearable? Not at all. My opinion is the same as others which I feel that if I got the 70a bushing it wouldn't be doing much for performance once broken in as the 88a would do. Granted, its all relative, it depends on who you are because I've seen reviews of people with the Cobb mount or the AWR with the 70a bushing and claim it was going to "shake the car apart." Which IMHO is ridiculous, especially for the Cobb. My friend have the Cobb RMM and the vibrations are BARELY noticeable. In a way its kinda cool with the vibrations you get from the seat because it feels like a even more 'rowdier' car now since a little spunk.

I'll give updates once 500 miles sets in and then 1000 miles. I'm about 90% happy and only 10% unnerved. The only reason I'm unnerved is just because I'm not used to taking off from stops and feeling alot of vibrations through the seat. When you're used to feeling nothing and then feeling it all it gets a little weird at first. I'll give it time. IMHO its a win win because if I end up not liking it after break in I can just get the softer bushing!



Just bought the AWR as well and am installing it next week, but I have a question; I'm new to modding cars so I like to watch step by step videos when installing parts, but I can't find any for the AWR mount. Which other RMM is a comparable install video you think I could use? Thanks!

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
 


TyphoonFiST

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#15
Just bought the AWR as well and am installing it next week, but I have a question; I'm new to modding cars so I like to watch step by step videos when installing parts, but I can't find any for the AWR mount. Which other RMM is a comparable install video you think I could use? Thanks!

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
The mounts are all pretty much identical in design ....just a little variance between them all. There is a boomba install RMM video I do believe by a guy....https://youtu.be/wiIarUJIH2U

Check that out it's a owner but. But it gets you the idea.

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk
 


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Del Rio, TX, USA
#16
The mounts are all pretty much identical in design ....just a little variance between them all. There is a boomba install RMM video I do believe by a guy....https://youtu.be/wiIarUJIH2U

Check that out it's a owner but. But it gets you the idea.

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk
Thank you [emoji16]

My only extent of any car modding has been wing risers, painting my calipers, and putting in a drop in air filter, so I don't want to mess up with the RMM [emoji28]

I just saw that the COBB and the Mountune installs looked slightly different than the AWR solely because of the shape, but what do I know anyways lol.

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TyphoonFiST

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#17
Thank you [emoji16]

My only extent of any car modding has been wing risers, painting my calipers, and putting in a drop in air filter, so I don't want to mess up with the RMM [emoji28]

I just saw that the COBB and the Mountune installs looked slightly different than the AWR solely because of the shape, but what do I know anyways lol.

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk
You will be ok....But I can't stress this the most...If you lift your vehicle off the ground please....please use jackstands to support the vehicle after the desired height has been achieved. NEVER EVER TRUST A HYDRAULIC JACK....I had another forum friend not Fiestaforum do that and his wife found him deceased pinned underneath the weight of his vehicle. Not a good phone call to ever get. So just be safe and always use jackstands!

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Indianapolis
#18
You will be ok....But I can't stress this the most...If you lift your vehicle off the ground please....please use jackstands to support the vehicle after the desired height has been achieved. NEVER EVER TRUST A HYDRAULIC JACK....I had another forum friend not Fiestaforum do that and his wife found him deceased pinned underneath the weight of his vehicle. Not a good phone call to ever get. So just be safe and always use jackstands!

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Jeeeez.... thats horrible man
 


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Indianapolis
#20
That's what happens when you trust hydraulic jacks. I'm sure you will conquer this mod just like any other in the past!

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Yep... I've heard many horror stories pertaining to this. I never knew anyone close to me but had an uncle who knew someone who was using a cinder-block that didn't end well. Its also important to know where to place the jack stands also. Put them in a very strong spot where there is no flex (don't put them on the end of a control arm or on the floor sheet metal) and don't be scared to over-do it with using a couple jack stands PER side and if the wheel is off, slide that under the side of the car too for extra insurance. You can never be too safe.
 


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