Suspension and Transmission Mount Review (Damptronics, Elephant Racing, FF)
09-07-2018, 05:49 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Suspension and Transmission Mount Review (Damptronics, Elephant Racing, FF)
I had my 991.1 C2S in for some surgery this past week with the folks @Alekshop here in the San Francisco Bay Area (REALLY Great Shop).
I had them install B16 Damptronics with the PDCC brackets, Elephant Racing Camber plates for OEM size springs NOT their coilover kit and FF Transmission mount for my 7mt.
The TL/DR:
Coming from a SPASM car with TechArt lowering springs, the above combination of modifications are a night and day difference, highly recommended, with the Caveat that NVH does increase noticeably. If I had to quantify it, I would guess about 25% with the above modifications.
-----------
Starting with the Function First Transmission Mount. There is another thread here going pretty deep on this upgrade, with many starting on the Yellow (medium softness) and really hating it. I went ahead and ordered the Orange one, which is the softest and glad I did, as NVH increased at the Maximum level I would deem acceptable. You can hear more gear and engine noise and there are vibrations at idle when sport mode is off, but fine in sport mode as the car idles at a higher RPM. Also noticeable vibration when downshifting into first coming from 30MPH to stop. But for most driving conditions, I feel the increase in performance outweigh the increase in NVH. BUT I can really see why many 911 owners go back to stock, as the Porsche Engineers did an amazing job at eliminating many of the nuanced noises of the motor and drivetrain and it's quite a shock when you install one of these bushings.
The benefits that are very noticeable are, tighter feeling transmission (I also have a numeric racing shifter), and the throttle response is noticeably quicker, almost to the level of going from sport plus off to sport plus on. The car just hunkers down and propels forward with less delay, BUT this could also be amplified by my new coilovers, but unfortunately I did everything at once.
If you are looking for better throttle response and are ok with about 20-25% increase in NVH (I think the stock car is way too GT luxo) then definitely go for this upgrade. I HIGHLY recommend you go with the Orange (softest) version first, unless you know you will be on super smooth roads and/or race tracks the majority of your time. But if you DD your 911 and are sensitive to NVH, you will not like this product and many posts support this.
-------------------
Damptronics + Elephant Race Camber plates.
This combo really livens up the steering feel and handling, I can also dial in 2.5 degrees of camber with ease on a lowered car. With my stock car, I couldn't really notice a difference between PASM on or off. But with the B16 Damptronics there is a very clear difference in damping in the two modes. The car controls motion much better than stock suspension (mine also had 56k miles) with PASM ON. Between my alignment settings and the new suspension components everything feels noticeable more precise and closer to feel of my previous X73 981 Cayman S. The suspension has similar firmness to my previous X73 981 as well. Turn in is very precise and I can take my local on ramp at speed +10MPH than I usually do with confidence. BUT with PASM on and the crappy bumpy San Francisco city streets you do get some of that bucking bronco feel, but turning it off really smooths things out, but it is still noticeably more stiff than the OEM struts and TechArt Springs. NOTE: my car also has PDCC and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S'.
I have yet to see many reviews of the Damptronics on the 991 platform, but I can say I very pleased with overall increase in chassis control combined with monoball camber plates to remove some of the play. I feel these two upgrade pieces will give 911 owners that steering feel they lost coming from 997's and highly recommend this combo. I also heard Tarret camber plates are good as well. Elephant Racing is local to me and the fit and finish looked a littler nicer so I went with them.
Now I am waiting for my DSC to arrive and will update folks once I add that piece, but overall I am VERY happy with my DD 911. I finally feel I have just the right amount of "because race car" feel and daily live-ability.
I had them install B16 Damptronics with the PDCC brackets, Elephant Racing Camber plates for OEM size springs NOT their coilover kit and FF Transmission mount for my 7mt.
The TL/DR:
Coming from a SPASM car with TechArt lowering springs, the above combination of modifications are a night and day difference, highly recommended, with the Caveat that NVH does increase noticeably. If I had to quantify it, I would guess about 25% with the above modifications.
-----------
Starting with the Function First Transmission Mount. There is another thread here going pretty deep on this upgrade, with many starting on the Yellow (medium softness) and really hating it. I went ahead and ordered the Orange one, which is the softest and glad I did, as NVH increased at the Maximum level I would deem acceptable. You can hear more gear and engine noise and there are vibrations at idle when sport mode is off, but fine in sport mode as the car idles at a higher RPM. Also noticeable vibration when downshifting into first coming from 30MPH to stop. But for most driving conditions, I feel the increase in performance outweigh the increase in NVH. BUT I can really see why many 911 owners go back to stock, as the Porsche Engineers did an amazing job at eliminating many of the nuanced noises of the motor and drivetrain and it's quite a shock when you install one of these bushings.
The benefits that are very noticeable are, tighter feeling transmission (I also have a numeric racing shifter), and the throttle response is noticeably quicker, almost to the level of going from sport plus off to sport plus on. The car just hunkers down and propels forward with less delay, BUT this could also be amplified by my new coilovers, but unfortunately I did everything at once.
If you are looking for better throttle response and are ok with about 20-25% increase in NVH (I think the stock car is way too GT luxo) then definitely go for this upgrade. I HIGHLY recommend you go with the Orange (softest) version first, unless you know you will be on super smooth roads and/or race tracks the majority of your time. But if you DD your 911 and are sensitive to NVH, you will not like this product and many posts support this.
-------------------
Damptronics + Elephant Race Camber plates.
This combo really livens up the steering feel and handling, I can also dial in 2.5 degrees of camber with ease on a lowered car. With my stock car, I couldn't really notice a difference between PASM on or off. But with the B16 Damptronics there is a very clear difference in damping in the two modes. The car controls motion much better than stock suspension (mine also had 56k miles) with PASM ON. Between my alignment settings and the new suspension components everything feels noticeable more precise and closer to feel of my previous X73 981 Cayman S. The suspension has similar firmness to my previous X73 981 as well. Turn in is very precise and I can take my local on ramp at speed +10MPH than I usually do with confidence. BUT with PASM on and the crappy bumpy San Francisco city streets you do get some of that bucking bronco feel, but turning it off really smooths things out, but it is still noticeably more stiff than the OEM struts and TechArt Springs. NOTE: my car also has PDCC and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S'.
I have yet to see many reviews of the Damptronics on the 991 platform, but I can say I very pleased with overall increase in chassis control combined with monoball camber plates to remove some of the play. I feel these two upgrade pieces will give 911 owners that steering feel they lost coming from 997's and highly recommend this combo. I also heard Tarret camber plates are good as well. Elephant Racing is local to me and the fit and finish looked a littler nicer so I went with them.
Now I am waiting for my DSC to arrive and will update folks once I add that piece, but overall I am VERY happy with my DD 911. I finally feel I have just the right amount of "because race car" feel and daily live-ability.
Last edited by Joec500; 09-09-2018 at 04:00 PM.
09-08-2018, 04:09 PM
#2
Three Wheelin'
Great review Joe, super helpful! It's funny I have the DSC box with SPASM but with none of the other suspension mods and love it. Think you'll be quite happy with your setup + DSC - it's only going to get better. Where in SF are you? If you're up for it I was hoping you might be willing to give me a quick ride in your car to see and hear the increased NVH with the mounts as well as the ride quality with the damptronics. I almost bought a set of Tractive DDA coilovers but didn't end up being compatible with my PDCC. Feel free to PM if you're up for a demo.
09-09-2018, 03:51 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Great review Joe, super helpful! It's funny I have the DSC box with SPASM but with none of the other suspension mods and love it. Think you'll be quite happy with your setup + DSC - it's only going to get better. Where in SF are you? If you're up for it I was hoping you might be willing to give me a quick ride in your car to see and hear the increased NVH with the mounts as well as the ride quality with the damptronics. I almost bought a set of Tractive DDA coilovers but didn't end up being compatible with my PDCC. Feel free to PM if you're up for a demo.
I live in SOMA near Caltrain, and happy to demo it for you, but I also have the transmission mount which adds quite a bit of NVH, but I really don't mind it. But it will still give a good sense especially in the city with our Craptastic Roads. I leave to Asia tomorrow for 2 weeks, but Happy to schedule something when I get back, also my DSC should be here.
PM sent with contact info.