i had been wanting to get one of these for a while and finally got around to it and decided to review it along with the installation..
Ingalls Stiffy Adjustable Engine Torque Damper for 1996 - 2000 Honda Civic Review And Installation Overview.
Product Description: The Stiffy is a “shock” that creates an additional reinforced mounting point between the motor and a strong point of the vehicle (in my application the strut tower). This additional mounting point results in a much more secure motor, thus limiting movement of the motor (specifically front to back) compensating for the relatively weak factory mount. This is obviously valuable for several reasons such as better off-the-line acceleration, reduced wheel hop, Improved vehicle stability, smoother shifting, etc.
Initial Thoughts: I received the product directly from Ingalls the staff was extremely helpful in answering all my questions. The package arrived quickly with complete detailed installation instructions including good detailed pictures. The instructions were very clear and easy to follow. My initial impression of the product was very high. The brackets were very thick and appeared to be very sturdy. The damper itself held a lot of small detail showing that the product was created with a lot of thought; addressing design issues before being released to the consumer, down to the including of o-rings to dampen some of the vibration being translated to the car itself.
Installation: This is where the quality of the product really started to shine through. The instructions call for an installation time of one hour, this is way more time than you will need in my opinion. With the excellent fitting parts, hardware, and direct clear instructions I found myself done in well under an hour. I have included several pictures to illustrate a few key points of the installation. I didn’t do it exactly as directed but these pictures will give you the general idea of how easy it is.
· I started by removing the two motor mount nuts on the driver side
· Next I just attached the provided motor mount plate and reinstalled the nuts
· The plate that mounts on the chassis side was next, to do this I first needed to remove the bolt through the front of the tower holding in the upper control arm
· This bolt was replaced with a larger one provided with the kit to hold the plate in place, again everything fit perfectly
· Finally I mounted the ETD onto the mounting plates. Careful attention needs to be given here, as the ETD should have its length and stiffness adjusted prior to mounting. All adjustments should be made with the unit off the car as adjustments on the car can lead the unit to be over stressed. This was probably the trickiest, but still simple by any standard. It is also important that the ETD is mounted with the o-ring in-between the ETD and the mounting plate as it helps absorb some of the road vibration. Rob at Ingalls told me that you could also additionally reduce the small amount of vibration present with a little Dynamat Extreme.
· Finished Product
Conclusion: The product is built very well. The fitment is excellent along with the quality of materials. This was a very simple modification to do, and unlike most modifications that leave us guessing you can tell the difference the first time you turn over the motor and give is a little rev. I find the stock economy car motor mounts to be soft and geared towards passenger car comfort; this creates excessive slop in the motors general response during any aggressive driving. This product just about removes all that slop. I found full hard pulls and aggressive launches to be a night and day difference (compared to before the installation). I feel like I could dial the tension in even a little further but I am already thrilled with the results, and I can see the benefit this would have to anyone looking to remove the problems previously mentioned associated with overly soft motor mounts. I had considered the involved task of adding urethane motor mount inserts, but this has left me totally content for now at least, and saved me a ton of time and hassle (the urethane motor mount inserts can be a pain to install). I would definitely not hesitate to recommend this product strongly. I would also like to thank Rob and Ingalls Engineering for all the help they provided.
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