BSH Engine, Transmission, & Pendulum FSI Mount Kit Review
I purchased the entire kit (http://www.bshspeedshop.com/bshstore/products/BSH-%2d-FSI{47}TSI-Engine-Mount-Package-.html) about 8K miles ago. I will go into detail on the pros and cons I’ve encountered with it, but overall I will say I’m very satisfied.
First things first, NVH (Noise, Vibration, and harshness) is unavoidable with poly engine mounts. If you are considering poly mounts you need to realize that NVH will increase, that’s just part of the deal, so if you don’t mind that continue reading, otherwise don’t bother thinking about aftermarket engine mounts.
Let’s start with the installation. Installation is rather simple if you have even just a little mechanical experience. The thing that takes the longest is getting parts out of the way to get to the mounts themselves (mainly the battery and battery holder), other than that, make sure your engine is supported and unbolt them, and then bolt in the new ones. Very simple, and an experienced person should be able to take care of it in under an hour. Below you’ll see some comparison shots of the different mounts and as you can tell there is a big difference between the flimsy rubber stock mounts and the BSH poly mounts (I know, I know hardly anyone calls them poly mounts but I do so get over it).
Pendulum (stock mount on the left, and BSH mount on the right in first picture):
Transmission side mount (stock mount on the left, and BSH mount on the right in first picture):
Engine side mount (stock mount on the left, and BSH mount on the right in first picture):
Now something I did not expect was the great sound you get from these. I’ve had solid and poly mounts in other cars before, but never had a car whose sound became that much more aggressive from them. I’m really happy with that surprise.
Ok, so now some of the pros to these. Shifts have become much more direct, and solid. Downshifting is now easier because there is no what I call slop in the engine from shifting. At a stop you can feel the NVH’s obviously more, however once you get moving I think it’s actually smoother than the stock mounts. The last obvious pro to these is how long they should last. I would expect these to last longer than my engine does most likely, but of course only time will tell.
So I can only really see one con to these mounts (other than NVH if your even going to consider that a con) and that is after they get broken in. The feel of the mounts immediately after they were installed was definitely more solid than after a couple of thousand miles. Not to say it’s a dramatic decrease in stiffness, but you do notice a difference. I sort of wish they wouldn’t have gotten broken in, but hey it’s still 100% better than stock.
Again, overall these mounts were one of the best purchases I’ve made for my vehicle. I’m no mechanic, or any kind of car builder. I’m just a guy who likes to improve his VW in ways that make it more fun to drive. Also I’ve been in vehicles with competitors mount kits and honestly for the price and quality I don’t think you’ll find anything better. Not to mention BSH’s customer service is great and if you run into problems they are always eager to help!
Thank you to the BSH team!!
I purchased the entire kit (http://www.bshspeedshop.com/bshstore/products/BSH-%2d-FSI{47}TSI-Engine-Mount-Package-.html) about 8K miles ago. I will go into detail on the pros and cons I’ve encountered with it, but overall I will say I’m very satisfied.
First things first, NVH (Noise, Vibration, and harshness) is unavoidable with poly engine mounts. If you are considering poly mounts you need to realize that NVH will increase, that’s just part of the deal, so if you don’t mind that continue reading, otherwise don’t bother thinking about aftermarket engine mounts.
Let’s start with the installation. Installation is rather simple if you have even just a little mechanical experience. The thing that takes the longest is getting parts out of the way to get to the mounts themselves (mainly the battery and battery holder), other than that, make sure your engine is supported and unbolt them, and then bolt in the new ones. Very simple, and an experienced person should be able to take care of it in under an hour. Below you’ll see some comparison shots of the different mounts and as you can tell there is a big difference between the flimsy rubber stock mounts and the BSH poly mounts (I know, I know hardly anyone calls them poly mounts but I do so get over it).
Pendulum (stock mount on the left, and BSH mount on the right in first picture):
Transmission side mount (stock mount on the left, and BSH mount on the right in first picture):
Engine side mount (stock mount on the left, and BSH mount on the right in first picture):
Now something I did not expect was the great sound you get from these. I’ve had solid and poly mounts in other cars before, but never had a car whose sound became that much more aggressive from them. I’m really happy with that surprise.
Ok, so now some of the pros to these. Shifts have become much more direct, and solid. Downshifting is now easier because there is no what I call slop in the engine from shifting. At a stop you can feel the NVH’s obviously more, however once you get moving I think it’s actually smoother than the stock mounts. The last obvious pro to these is how long they should last. I would expect these to last longer than my engine does most likely, but of course only time will tell.
So I can only really see one con to these mounts (other than NVH if your even going to consider that a con) and that is after they get broken in. The feel of the mounts immediately after they were installed was definitely more solid than after a couple of thousand miles. Not to say it’s a dramatic decrease in stiffness, but you do notice a difference. I sort of wish they wouldn’t have gotten broken in, but hey it’s still 100% better than stock.
Again, overall these mounts were one of the best purchases I’ve made for my vehicle. I’m no mechanic, or any kind of car builder. I’m just a guy who likes to improve his VW in ways that make it more fun to drive. Also I’ve been in vehicles with competitors mount kits and honestly for the price and quality I don’t think you’ll find anything better. Not to mention BSH’s customer service is great and if you run into problems they are always eager to help!
Thank you to the BSH team!!