Woodhouse Trans Mount Versus Factory Is There Another Alternative

[Stealth78]

I swapped out my trans mount earlier this year. I swapped just the trans mount, not motor mounts. There is definitely pro's and con's. The benefit is a noticeable difference on how crisp the shifts are, especially when spirited driving is in full effect. I also notice less wheel hop which is a huge bonus. It is simply amazing on how that one little mount stiffens up the entire driveline. The unfortunate part is the very noticeable vibration between 2,000-2,500 rpm's. I can deal with it most of the time and you somewhat get used to avoiding that rpm range. When it is really annoying is when you are on a cruise with the club and you are in a line of cars which are realistically setting the tempo in which you are driving. My fiance hates it as it's not as much the feeling of the vibration, it's the deafening vibration inside your ears. It really creates that horrible shutter sound regardless if the windows are up or down. With the overall improvement in how the car feels I hate to reinstall my factory mount. Is there any other options that may split the difference in stiffness between the factory and Woodhouse mount?

[Steve M]

Got any pictures? I think stock and the Woodhouse mounts are the only options...assuming the latter is a polyurethane mount, did it also come with a preload plate? I changed all of the mounts on my old Camaro to poly, and remember the trans mount coming with a preload plate that the company "required" for install, but everyone figured out that it caused vibrations, and the mount worked just fine without it.

That said, NVH is the main reason why our cars came with rubber mounts for both the engine and transmission. They do flex a LOT under load, but I can't stand unnecessary rattles/vibrations.

[Stealth78]

Hey Steve, I do have pictures of the mounts and the install. I typically don't upload pictures very often because every time I do they come out strange.... apparently I'm too much of a neanderthal to figure out this process. Lol! What is NVH?

[Steve M]

Noise, vibration, harshness.

[Stealth78]

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[Stealth78]

The factory mount is hollow, soft and very flexible. The Woodhouse mount is solid.

[Steve M]

No preload plate, so nothing you can really do to help. It may loosen up over time, but it is hard to tell.

[BlknBlu]

It may go away with the engine mount swap too.

Bruce

[Stealth78]

It may go away with the engine mount swap too.

Bruce

Oddly enough I bought the trans mount and engine mounts for my 06 coupe. I sold the car a couple years ago and never installed them. When I had inquired to Mark J and Jon B (couldn't remember who I had bought from at the time) to see if they were the same part for the GenIV I was told yes, but due to the different computer and knock sensors I was told by Jon to NOT install the Woodhouse engine mounts in a GenIV. Anyone with a previous Gen looking for engine mounts please let me know. Brand new still in the box $100 and you pay for shipping.

[Steve M]

You can desensitize the knock sensors with HPT.

[BlknBlu]

I have not had a problem in 7 years with mine. GEN IV ACR

Bruce

[Ludington1]

Stealth - did you get any feedback directly from Mark J at Woodhouse about this? I'm following along, my 08 ACR has 53k on it now, so at some point before too long I may be needing to replace some of these parts.

Darren

[Stealth78]

See this link. I know he is talking about a stage 2 kit in a GenIV but.... https://driveviper.com/forums/threads/13266-New-After-Market-Motor-Mounts-Installed-Lots-of-Vibration-Now/page2?highlight=Woodhouse+engine+mounts

Please see post #29

[Ludington1]

Thanks!

[Jknappster]

Oddly enough I bought the trans mount and engine mounts for my 06 coupe. I sold the car a couple years ago and never installed them. When I had inquired to Mark J and Jon B (couldn't remember who I had bought from at the time) to see if they were the same part for the GenIV I was told yes, but due to the different computer and knock sensors I was told by Jon to NOT install the Woodhouse engine mounts in a GenIV. Anyone with a previous Gen looking for engine mounts please let me know. Brand new still in the box $100 and you pay for shipping.
Pm sent

[Mamba003]

Couple of things - first if i remember correctly you aren't supposed to do just the tranny without the engine mount and vice versa. Second I did both and did get a lot of vibration from the beginning but it did lessen over time. Its reasonable now but still a very visceral driving experience.

[Red venom]

On Gen 4 they say just do tranny mount and not engine mounts.
That's what I did on mine cause the viper wizard told me to.

[Steve M]

If I were only going to do either the engine mounts or the tranny mount, I'd opt for the engine mounts. If the engine is still free to twist in the OEM rubber mounts, but the transmission mount is trying to keep it from doing so, that stress is going to get transferred into the transmission tail housing. There just isn't a whole lot of meat there, and a cracked tail housing is going to be very expensive to replace.

Everything twists quite a bit...watch the shifter move when I go WOT in this video:


https://youtu.be/9-Uv1RFL2hA

[Redx]

On Gen 4 they say just do tranny mount and not engine mounts.
That's what I did on mine cause the viper wizard told me to.

Lol. i didnt have the option, mine sheared in half. The factory mounts combined with some old pilots had wicked violent wheel hop.

10k+ miles, even after jon b saying that it would set of factory knock sensors, no such thing has happened. 10/10, probably one of the best mods for the car, would not hesitate to do it again. First 500 miles had some harshness but all subdued after that. I can launch the car at 5500 rpm now hooks straight and just rolls out, 1.60 60's, no wheel hop, just pure traction.

[Steve M]

Lol. i didnt have the option, mine sheared in half. The factory mounts combined with some old pilots had wicked violent wheel hop.

10k+ miles, even after jon b saying that it would set of factory knock sensors, no such thing has happened. 10/10, probably one of the best mods for the car, would not hesitate to do it again. First 500 miles had some harshness but all subdued after that. I can launch the car at 5500 rpm now hooks straight and just rolls out, 1.60 60's, no wheel hop, just pure traction.

How hard were the engine mounts to install?

[Redx]

Without headers, quite easy. When I installed the headers, i would have had to unbolt the engine mount to jack the motor up, unfortunately mine was completely sheared in half. What better time to upgrade.

I would say a 3 beer job or so, headers in, shouldn’t be too difficult.

[GenIIIDave]

I installed Woodhouse motor mounts and trans mount and had horrible vibration just like yours that did not go away even after months of driving. I left the Woodhouse motor mounts in and removed the Woodhouse trans mount and put a new factory trans mount in. Vibrations all gone and drive line still tight.

[awes3939]

Just did my poly motor mounts and trans mount on my '06 coupe - both were basically cracked in half. Car has 30k miles and it's been with a Paxton for ~4000 miles. The vibrations are pretty crazy. Certain parts in the RPM band under certain throttle trims seems like an orchestra of rattling / shuttering sounds. But at the same time, the car feels much more "tight" and shifting is way better now. My shift knob was literally moving 1" or so sometimes coming on / off throttle. Maybe stockers are the way to go, but will they be shot quickly again?

[Stealth78]

Jknappster, I read your PM but this thread has got my head spinning in regards to which way I want to go.

It kind of amazes me to hear so many different views and opinions on something that would seem so simple, three poly mounts. I am now wondering if I should try installing the motor mounts to see if it lessens the vibration. Steve also makes a valid point in regards to the tail housing, which never crossed my mind. Although it is still a poly mount, it's not like it is completely hard mounted.

[Steve M]

If you end up not wanting them, I'll probably take them off your hands.

[GTS Dean]

I've been running what I believe to be an Engergy Suspension urethane trans mount in my car for 20 years with a lot of track miles. It was ordered by a Houston tuner. It wasn't specifically sold as a Viper part, but it fit perfectly. Last summer, I pulled my OEM motor mounts fully expecting them to be torn to shreds after 36,000 miles. They were fine - no damage at all. Do some measuring and search the usual aftermarket suppliers.