Anyone fitted e46 M3 transmission mounts?

wolfe · 12-15-2011, 06:27 AM

I'm not 100% sure these will fit, but it looks like they might.

Supposedly they're a little stiffer than the stock mounts but no harsher.

Urethane mounts are overkill for what I need, so I'm wondering if anyone's tried it on the e82?

hbiscuit · 12-15-2011, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfe

I'm not 100% sure these will fit, but it looks like they might.

Supposedly they're a little stiffer than the stock mounts but no harsher.

Urethane mounts are overkill for what I need, so I'm wondering if anyone's tried it on the e82?

iirc, any MT BMW transmission mount fill fit another BMW MT.

Dackelone · 12-15-2011, 02:46 PM

Wolfe - I have thought about that too. Looks like the 135i and 1M use the same motor mounts. But one of them is different from what the 128i uses. I think the e46 ones might be the way to go. Or even if you could get some e46 CSL mounts.

wolfe · 12-15-2011, 04:10 PM

Thanks guys, I'm trying the UUC black mounts first I think. They were just $30 shipped from UUC. If they turn out to be too hard I'll try the M3 mounts instead, but great to know they'll all fit.

Dackel, too funny - I checked on the CSL mounts earlier

turns out they're the same part number as the regular M3. I like the way you think, haha.

Dackelone · 12-15-2011, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfe

Thanks guys, I'm trying the UUC black mounts first I think. They were just $30 shipped from UUC. If they turn out to be too hard I'll try the M3 mounts instead, but great to know they'll all fit.

Dackel, too funny - I checked on the CSL mounts earlier

turns out they're the same part number as the regular M3. I like the way you think, haha.

Don't forget to change the trans cradle mounts too. I have not looked on the 1er but on the e36 & e46's... a common mod is to use 320i (from the 70's) larger trans mounts. You just need to enlarge the 6mm mounting hole to 8mm's.

icabod7 · 12-15-2011, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpnwhite96

iirc, any MT BMW transmission mount fill fit another BMW MT.

Yes, that's right.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=221200

Is there any appreciable difference between the UCC mounts and the Rogue Engineering ones?

OP, were you going for the e46 M3 mounts rather than third-party ones for noise/vibration issues the latter might have?

wolfe · 12-15-2011, 06:53 PM

I think I'm talking about the trans cradle mounts, wasn't aware there were others (aside from the engine mounts)? I need to look into this now and see what else I might need.

icabod7 - that's exactly my reasoning. If I get a significant increase in vibration or noise, it's not worth it to me. I'm hoping the UUC ones will be at the sweet spot but if they're too much I'll probably try the m3 mounts as I suspect them to be somewhere inbetween the uuc ones and the stock ones on my car.

From the marketing stuff on the stores I've looked at, the rogue ones sound like they're stiffer. I've seen some stores advertise them as being for people who auto-x/track.

wolfe · 01-09-2012, 07:07 AM

Got the UUC black mounts installed yesterday, only went for a short drive so far but I think overall I like them. I have a little vibration at idle, once the car is warm you can feel occasionally when the revs drop ever so slightly, felt as a deep vibration through the seat.

I got no install instructions so followed the TIS, I've since found a scan from someone else which says 16 ft-lbs instead of the TIS' 19 ft lbs. I'm going to retorque them at some point.

Shift feel definitely seems improved though. The stock bushings are soft, I could deflect them a bit by hand. I'll write up a more detailed review after spending some more time with them but so far I'd say the shifting is more consistent as presumably it holds everything in place much better.

Dackelone · 01-09-2012, 07:17 AM

Wolfe - sometimes with engine/trans mounts, when you have a vibration like you describe... it can be the the engine is "cock" slightly. IF after a few hundred miles you still have a vibration - I would loosen the top bolts to the engine mounts and low trans/cradle mounts. Just loosen the nuts a bit. Then start and stop the engine a few times to rock the motor. Then tighten everything back up and go for a road test. This often times fixes mystery vibrations like you described above.

PS: Do you have any photos of the new mounts?

wolfe · 01-17-2012, 07:33 AM

I may see if I can give that a try. Not sure how torque wrench access is to the engine mount tops.

It's been a week or two and I'm still mixed on these UUC transmission mounts. I didn't get photos but I will when I try to re-seat them.

They've definitely firmed up the shift pattern, it's more consistent. However the vibration at certain times is much more than I'd like. I now get a very deep rumble through the car as I slow down to a stop, and a whine from the transmission when I let off the gas at freeway speeds.

I'm going to try and slacken off all the bolts and re-torque them, and see if that makes a difference. If not I'll give the M3 mounts a shot.

Dackelone · 01-17-2012, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfe

I'm going to try and slacken off all the bolts and re-torque them, and see if that makes a difference. If not I'll give the M3 mounts a shot.

Once the mounts are loosened - you will need to shake the engine a few times. Best way is to start and stop the engine a few times. Then tighten the motor mount bolts.

Best way to loosen the mount bolts is from the top. Get a LONG 3/8's ratchet extension. Something like three feet long! Or use several 12" extensions.

G.L.
Dack

icabod7 · 01-20-2012, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfe

I may see if I can give that a try. Not sure how torque wrench access is to the engine mount tops.

It's been a week or two and I'm still mixed on these UUC transmission mounts. I didn't get photos but I will when I try to re-seat them.

They've definitely firmed up the shift pattern, it's more consistent. However the vibration at certain times is much more than I'd like. I now get a very deep rumble through the car as I slow down to a stop, and a whine from the transmission when I let off the gas at freeway speeds.

I'm going to try and slacken off all the bolts and re-torque them, and see if that makes a difference. If not I'll give the M3 mounts a shot.

So, what's the consensus, Wolfe? Will you stick with the UCCs or go to the e90/93 or e46 M3 mounts?

wolfe · 01-23-2012, 07:46 AM

Didn't manage to get to it this weekend unfortunately. I hope to get them re-torqued next weekend or maybe one night this week if I can.

I believe the e90 M3 mounts won't fit, as they're a different design. If I switch these out it'll be for e46M3 mounts.

I'll definitely report back (and get some pics) as soon as I get a chance to get them re-set.

wolfe · 01-29-2012, 07:51 AM

I spent some time trying to get the UUC mounts re-seated, but for some reason I had trouble getting the cross brace back on the car - the bolt holes didn't want to line up this time around. I think it may be because the UUC mounts don't locate as snugly as the oe mounts, so they may move a little as you torque them down.

In the end I decided to re-fit the original mounts (which as you can see are way skinnier, and a lot lighter/softer) for now. I'll be replacing them with e46 M3 mounts sometime soon. After only one day with the original mounts, I noticed I once again got a little 'kickback' from the shifter as I shifted to 3rd and 5th. This had become either non-existent or unnoticeable with the UUC mounts. I definitely see potential here, for my personal tastes it's just a case of finding a balance between solid shifter feel and acceptable NVH.

Side-by-side of the UUC mounts vs the oem mounts. I've painted the ends of the UUC mounts black. They were raw metal.

UUC mounts bolted to transmission brace.

Elsabor67 · 01-29-2012, 09:13 AM

Hmmm, this is interesting as I have a set of identical tranny mounts sitting here. Are the UUC ones polyurethane?

wolfe · 01-29-2012, 10:15 AM

It says Urethane, they feel kind of like a hard silicone rubber. Definitely not like a solid plastic.

icabod7 · 01-30-2012, 11:52 AM

Wolfe, where are you getting your e46 mounts from?

wolfe · 01-30-2012, 12:48 PM

I think I'll probably order them from tischer or one of the online parts places. There's a bunch of different part numbers for the nuts and washers which is odd though. Since they're only about 40c to 80c each I'll probably order a few of each and see which works best. I may actually just use the nuts from the stock mounts, as they obviously 'play nice' with the alloy transmission brace.

The e46 M3 mounts are the most expensive part and look to be about 17 dollars each, so overall they should work out about $15-20 more than the UUC ones.

I still may put the UUC ones back in if the M3 ones don't work out for any reason.

Elsabor67 · 01-30-2012, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfe

It says Urethane, they feel kind of like a hard silicone rubber. Definitely not like a solid plastic.

Then they probably are the same. Mine are red and have like a aluminum casing around half of it. When I do the suspension I will se if they fit.

wolfe · 01-31-2012, 07:06 AM

I believe the red ones are the track version, and are considerably harder. The metal cups around half of it are an optional extra called the 'enforcer cups' which reduce bushing flex even more.

From what I read on several forums, it seemed people thought the red ones were too stiff (transmit too much vibration) for street driving, but great on the track.

It's not that big of a job to install them though so might be worth trying anyway.

Dackelone · 01-31-2012, 07:14 AM

Good stuff Wolfe - keep us updated! Have you seen this? I remember reading years ago when I had an e36... that you could use 320i trans mounts. I think the only problem is that the "stud" or threads of the mount is 8mm instead of 6mm's. You just use a round file to make the cross brace holder fit the winder threads.

The 320i mounts were an upgrade for the e36 M3 mounts.

The UUC Motorwerks Tranny Mount Enforcer
http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/html_pr...escription.htm

and...

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/html_te...anny_mount.htm

wolfe · 01-31-2012, 02:42 PM

That's pretty interesting, I think the e46 mounts probably look like the e36 ones (they may even be the same part). The 320i ones in that picture look more like the UUC aftermarket ones - solid cylinder not concave.

I'll post up some photos when my M3 mounts get here so we can see them all together. Might be next week before they get in though.

The more I'm driving with the stock mounts again the less I'm liking it. The shifter just doesn't go into gear cleanly as often.

12-15-2011, 06:27 AM	#1
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	Anyone fitted e46 M3 transmission mounts? I'm not 100% sure these will fit, but it looks like they might. Supposedly they're a little stiffer than the stock mounts but no harsher. Urethane mounts are overkill for what I need, so I'm wondering if anyone's tried it on the e82?
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

12-15-2011, 02:46 PM	#3
Dackelone European Editor 10528 Rep 22,992 Posts Drives: N54 e82 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bayern, Germany iTrader: (1)	Wolfe - I have thought about that too. Looks like the 135i and 1M use the same motor mounts. But one of them is different from what the 128i uses. I think the e46 ones might be the way to go. Or even if you could get some e46 CSL mounts.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-15-2011, 04:10 PM	#4
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	Thanks guys, I'm trying the UUC black mounts first I think. They were just $30 shipped from UUC. If they turn out to be too hard I'll try the M3 mounts instead, but great to know they'll all fit. Dackel, too funny - I checked on the CSL mounts earlier turns out they're the same part number as the regular M3. I like the way you think, haha.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-15-2011, 06:53 PM	#7
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	I think I'm talking about the trans cradle mounts, wasn't aware there were others (aside from the engine mounts)? I need to look into this now and see what else I might need. icabod7 - that's exactly my reasoning. If I get a significant increase in vibration or noise, it's not worth it to me. I'm hoping the UUC ones will be at the sweet spot but if they're too much I'll probably try the m3 mounts as I suspect them to be somewhere inbetween the uuc ones and the stock ones on my car. From the marketing stuff on the stores I've looked at, the rogue ones sound like they're stiffer. I've seen some stores advertise them as being for people who auto-x/track.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-09-2012, 07:07 AM	#8
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	Got the UUC black mounts installed yesterday, only went for a short drive so far but I think overall I like them. I have a little vibration at idle, once the car is warm you can feel occasionally when the revs drop ever so slightly, felt as a deep vibration through the seat. I got no install instructions so followed the TIS, I've since found a scan from someone else which says 16 ft-lbs instead of the TIS' 19 ft lbs. I'm going to retorque them at some point. Shift feel definitely seems improved though. The stock bushings are soft, I could deflect them a bit by hand. I'll write up a more detailed review after spending some more time with them but so far I'd say the shifting is more consistent as presumably it holds everything in place much better.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-09-2012, 07:17 AM	#9
Dackelone European Editor 10528 Rep 22,992 Posts Drives: N54 e82 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bayern, Germany iTrader: (1)	Wolfe - sometimes with engine/trans mounts, when you have a vibration like you describe... it can be the the engine is "cock" slightly. IF after a few hundred miles you still have a vibration - I would loosen the top bolts to the engine mounts and low trans/cradle mounts. Just loosen the nuts a bit. Then start and stop the engine a few times to rock the motor. Then tighten everything back up and go for a road test. This often times fixes mystery vibrations like you described above. PS: Do you have any photos of the new mounts?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-17-2012, 07:33 AM	#10
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	I may see if I can give that a try. Not sure how torque wrench access is to the engine mount tops. It's been a week or two and I'm still mixed on these UUC transmission mounts. I didn't get photos but I will when I try to re-seat them. They've definitely firmed up the shift pattern, it's more consistent. However the vibration at certain times is much more than I'd like. I now get a very deep rumble through the car as I slow down to a stop, and a whine from the transmission when I let off the gas at freeway speeds. I'm going to try and slacken off all the bolts and re-torque them, and see if that makes a difference. If not I'll give the M3 mounts a shot.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-23-2012, 07:46 AM	#13
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	Didn't manage to get to it this weekend unfortunately. I hope to get them re-torqued next weekend or maybe one night this week if I can. I believe the e90 M3 mounts won't fit, as they're a different design. If I switch these out it'll be for e46M3 mounts. I'll definitely report back (and get some pics) as soon as I get a chance to get them re-set.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-29-2012, 07:51 AM	#14
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	I spent some time trying to get the UUC mounts re-seated, but for some reason I had trouble getting the cross brace back on the car - the bolt holes didn't want to line up this time around. I think it may be because the UUC mounts don't locate as snugly as the oe mounts, so they may move a little as you torque them down. In the end I decided to re-fit the original mounts (which as you can see are way skinnier, and a lot lighter/softer) for now. I'll be replacing them with e46 M3 mounts sometime soon. After only one day with the original mounts, I noticed I once again got a little 'kickback' from the shifter as I shifted to 3rd and 5th. This had become either non-existent or unnoticeable with the UUC mounts. I definitely see potential here, for my personal tastes it's just a case of finding a balance between solid shifter feel and acceptable NVH. Side-by-side of the UUC mounts vs the oem mounts. I've painted the ends of the UUC mounts black. They were raw metal. UUC mounts bolted to transmission brace.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-29-2012, 09:13 AM	#15
Elsabor67 aiming for 450..... 303 Rep 2,910 Posts Drives: Totaled :-( Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Louisiana iTrader: (28) Garage List 2009 135i [10.00]	Hmmm, this is interesting as I have a set of identical tranny mounts sitting here. Are the UUC ones polyurethane? __________________ Quote from Ezeedee regarding car mods: "you're only done when you sell the car "
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-29-2012, 10:15 AM	#16
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	It says Urethane, they feel kind of like a hard silicone rubber. Definitely not like a solid plastic.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-30-2012, 11:52 AM	#17
icabod7 Second Lieutenant 18 Rep 254 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Coupe Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Dallas iTrader: (0)	Wolfe, where are you getting your e46 mounts from? __________________ cdv delete \| clutch stop \| bmw performance ssk \| meisterschaft gt \| berk mids \| dinan cai \| helix fmic \| m3 subframe bushings, swaybar, front and back suspension bits \| dinan stage 1 suspension \| dinan cf strut brace \|gc camber plates \| dinan oil cooler \| apex ec-7s w/PSSs \| cobb stage 1 + fmic
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-30-2012, 12:48 PM	#18
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	I think I'll probably order them from tischer or one of the online parts places. There's a bunch of different part numbers for the nuts and washers which is odd though. Since they're only about 40c to 80c each I'll probably order a few of each and see which works best. I may actually just use the nuts from the stock mounts, as they obviously 'play nice' with the alloy transmission brace. The e46 M3 mounts are the most expensive part and look to be about 17 dollars each, so overall they should work out about $15-20 more than the UUC ones. I still may put the UUC ones back in if the M3 ones don't work out for any reason.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-31-2012, 07:06 AM	#20
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	I believe the red ones are the track version, and are considerably harder. The metal cups around half of it are an optional extra called the 'enforcer cups' which reduce bushing flex even more. From what I read on several forums, it seemed people thought the red ones were too stiff (transmit too much vibration) for street driving, but great on the track. It's not that big of a job to install them though so might be worth trying anyway.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-31-2012, 07:14 AM	#21
Dackelone European Editor 10528 Rep 22,992 Posts Drives: N54 e82 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bayern, Germany iTrader: (1)	Good stuff Wolfe - keep us updated! Have you seen this? I remember reading years ago when I had an e36... that you could use 320i trans mounts. I think the only problem is that the "stud" or threads of the mount is 8mm instead of 6mm's. You just use a round file to make the cross brace holder fit the winder threads. The 320i mounts were an upgrade for the e36 M3 mounts. The UUC Motorwerks Tranny Mount Enforcer http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/html_pr...escription.htm and... http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/html_te...anny_mount.htm
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-31-2012, 02:42 PM	#22
wolfe Captain 134 Rep 613 Posts Drives: e82 / e70 / r56 / r60 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: USA iTrader: (1)	That's pretty interesting, I think the e46 mounts probably look like the e36 ones (they may even be the same part). The 320i ones in that picture look more like the UUC aftermarket ones - solid cylinder not concave. I'll post up some photos when my M3 mounts get here so we can see them all together. Might be next week before they get in though. The more I'm driving with the stock mounts again the less I'm liking it. The shifter just doesn't go into gear cleanly as often.
	Appreciate 0 Quote