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Thread: BMW OE engine mounts vs aftermarket ones

  1. #1
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    BMW OE engine mounts vs aftermarket ones

    Since I bought my ī96 328i Iīve always complained that it feels a bit rough and harsh to me, with a kind of resonance between certain RPMs.
    Three years ago I replaced the engine mounts with Febi Bilsteins ones, making no difference. I let it go.
    Buying a ī01 530i with a super smooth M54 engine a few months ago didnīt improve things with my poor 328i...

    Last week a mechanic who seems trustable test drove the car, and he said he was almost sure the problem was the engine mounts. I told him these were replaced by the Febis, and he said there was a huge difference between original BMW engine mounts and aftermarket ones. I wish the reason was that, but Iīm not so sure.

    What do you think about the OE mounts? is the difference so big? Are Febi Bilsteins mounts solid rubber and OE liquid filled?

  2. #2
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    I know this is the case with the OEM e39 touring rear subframe bushings. Lots if the current OE suppliers just make rubber versions of the OEM fluid filled bushings.

    Not sure about e36 motor mounts, mine are poly anyways...

  3. #3
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    Aftermarket mounts can vary in quality but I doubt a name brand like febi bilstein would be so bad that you would notice no difference after changing from worn stock mounts 3 years ago. They likely are not your problem. But if you want to change mounts, I think Corteco makes the BMW mounts (at least that is true for the M3 and the mounts are the same for E36 and E46 and E90 M3s). Corteco will be cheaper than BMW branded. Again, I’d look for other problems first.
    Last edited by pbonsalb; 02-17-2019 at 04:03 PM.

  4. #4
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    If you replace them it would be good if you cut the Febi's open and reported back here.

    Other places for vibration is the drive shaft, the center support bearing could be shot and the rubber cage that holds it can be broken.
    Attn. NEWBIES: Use the search feature, 98% has already been discussed.
    Click the search button, select "search single content type", select the "e36 sub forum" specifically, try the "search titles" then try the "search entire posts".

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eric93se View Post
    If you replace them it would be good if you cut the Febi's open and reported back here.

    Other places for vibration is the drive shaft, the center support bearing could be shot and the rubber cage that holds it can be broken.
    And tranny mounts. My tranny mounts make more of a difference than my engine mounts in cabin NVH.

    If they've never been changed, I'd do those first.

  6. #6
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    I replaced the ones in my e39 with Corteco which I believe makes them for BMW as OE equipment on the e36 and e39. In fact I used a Corteco axle seals on my diff and the BMW logo and part number were ground off the seals. Below is the original drivers side mount after 79k. You can see where the rubber failed and the metal plate started flexing. New mounts have been working fine for the last ~3k miles and they do seem to have eliminated some drivetrain slop.


    Untitled by Twistytee, on Flickr

  7. #7
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    I agree with checking the trans mounts. Stiffer ones are miserable and broken ones obviously don’t do what they are supposed to and will allow excess engine movement that may break motor mounts. Inspect the mounting area of the motor mounts since occasionally subframes crack in that area.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by pbonsalb View Post
    I agree with checking the trans mounts. Stiffer ones are miserable and broken ones obviously don’t do what they are supposed to and will allow excess engine movement that may break motor mounts. Inspect the mounting area of the motor mounts since occasionally subframes crack in that area.
    Yes, anything less than OEM will create a lot - and I mean a LOT - of NVH. They are very dependent on how tight they are, too, but even when they're barely attached they'll still transmit more than the factory ones. Aftermarket ones do have their benefits, but smoothness and quietness aren't among those benefits.

    For me, tranny mounts are emblematic of the continuum between street and track, and for many that's crossing the line between modified street car and streetable track car.

    -Josh: 1998 S54 E36 M3/4/6 with most of the easy stuff and most of the hard stuff. At least twice. 271k miles. 1994 E32 740il with nothing but some MPars. 93k miles.

  9. #9
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    I crossed it once with UUC bolt through red poly trans mounts. Miserable. Stock, UUC black, enforcer cups, Rogue, E46M3 and E21 320i are all OK. Also tried some other poly in 95A durometer and did not like it. On the track stiffer is fine. The NVH issues are at idle and/or between 2000-3000 rpm, and you are at higher rpm on the track. For a street car, I’d stuck with 60-80a hardness and some 80a may cause issues.

  10. #10
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    Sorry, I opened the thread a week ago and I couldnīt check the answers!

    Yes, Iīll look for something else, because although BMW OEs will be better than Febi, I donīt think thatīs the problem. Before wasting 300€ replacing them, Iīll tell the workshop to check other things.
    When I replaced the engine mounts three years ago I replaced the gearbox mounts, too. I bought BMW OEs.
    However, Iīm fed up with this car, I love E36s but my 530i E39 engine is a million times smoother and nicer.

  11. #11
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    A bit of a 'bump' but, how would fresh OEM engine and trans mounts be with a the Coolerworx pro shifter? It's for a street car.
    https://coolerworx.com/collections/b...carbon-edition

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Percent View Post
    A bit of a 'bump' but, how would fresh OEM engine and trans mounts be with a the Coolerworx pro shifter? It's for a street car.
    https://coolerworx.com/collections/b...carbon-edition
    If you're trying to spend money get the actual CAE shifter. If you're trying to do it on the cheap, get the Garagistic one. I've never heard of this coolerworx place.

    As for mounts, you're entering dangerous territory with a chassis mount shifter. You're running MORE risk with softer OEM mounts. I run Vorshlag red motor / orange trans mounts and I DON'T have a chassis mount. My wife does complain about the drivetrain NVH that gets transmitted into the cabin because of this. I'm not sure why you want a chassis mount for a street car, but I think it would be foolish to run factory mounts with a chassis mount.

    This is one of those things that's track oriented for a reason.

  13. #13
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    That coolerworx looks like a rebranded version of the IRP short shifter. I used the IRP v3 shifter for a while. I didn't like it.

    Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by blckstrm View Post
    If you're trying to spend money get the actual CAE shifter. If you're trying to do it on the cheap, get the Garagistic one. I've never heard of this coolerworx place.

    As for mounts, you're entering dangerous territory with a chassis mount shifter. You're running MORE risk with softer OEM mounts. I run Vorshlag red motor / orange trans mounts and I DON'T have a chassis mount. My wife does complain about the drivetrain NVH that gets transmitted into the cabin because of this. I'm not sure why you want a chassis mount for a street car, but I think it would be foolish to run factory mounts with a chassis mount.

    This is one of those things that's track oriented for a reason.
    I think Vorshlag red poly 75D mounts are fine with a CAE chassis mount shifter and 850-900 rpm idle speed. I used to think chassis mount shifters were solid mount race car only things, but don’t anymore. Certainly not like stock. I have also, perhaps due to age and experience, decided that I over modded my car and should back off a bit. Everyone has different tolerances — a 20 year of kid tends to want loud and stiff and hopes for faster, while the older guy wants decent handling, good comfort, and plenty of power. That is why BMW makes M3 and M5 and also why some of us have 25 year old seriously modded M3 and lighter modded later M3/M4/M5/M6/X5M.

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