DM TMM testing and reviews diary

[Matt@DamondMotorsports]

So here's a thread where our testers can express their thoughts on the DM TMM they've been testing for us. Feel free to ask us/them any questions about the mount, install, whatever. This mount has been put through it's paces. Also, the beta test mounts are 95% identical to the production mounts being made right now. We just changed a couple clearances to make installing it easier.



Here's the basics...

The Damond Motorsports TMM design:
-The bushings are orientated properly to support the motor and absorb vibrations across the whole bushing.
-This allows us to use stiff bushings without increasing NVH to unbearable levels. Orientating the bushing carrier in a transverse manner further reduces NVH, as less stress is put on bushing flanges.
-Full length Tig welded steel.
-CAD designed, and FEA, and street/track tested. You can't make enough power to break this thing.

The Damond Motorsports TMM specs:
-Machined aluminum bushing carrier, anodized gold or black
-Lower mount base and top base are high strength steel, tig welded, and powder coated black
-All high grade fasteners, and nylon lock nuts
-OTS Energy poly bushings
-Minimal added vibes, hardly any added trans noise/whine/clutch chatter, along with lots of tire spinning instead of wheel hop.





@WetzMS3;
@monkey.bones.007;
@Enki;
@King Scumbag;
@neganox;
@maisonvi;
@ms3blackmica;
@2.0t03speed;

[WetzMS3]

Ah, it's that time finally?

Well, this mount is the shit. I am not sure what else to say about it really.

To start, I had both the DM RMM and PMM on the car prior to installation. I have a built motor with the balance shaft deleted. It's loud as fuck, catless, tubular exhaust manifold, and EWG.

When I replaced another vendors PMM with the DM mount I was amazed by the reduction in vibrations over the previous mount. My mirrors were useful again, and teeth did not rattle.

We installed the TMM and I was instantly amazed by the seemingly non-existent increase in vibrations and noise from the RMM/PMM combo. I seriously could not tell a difference at all. I've had a few other people sit in the car at idle and asked if they could notice a difference, in case my point of reference was off, and no one said they noticed a difference.

Then I got to drive it. It blew my mind. At the moment, I have no modifications done to my shifter assembly. No short shift plate, no short shifter, no solid bushings. It was incredible. I was amazed at how much the motor shifted during shifts prior to the mount, without it bothering me. It feels like all movement has been taken away from the motor. Changing gears is so much smoother and direct than it was prior to the TMM.

Lastly, I beat this thing up on the drag strip before other beta test parts went out. It has seen a bunch of passes, with a ton of wheelspin on street tires, and there was absolutely no wheel hop.

TL/DR- This mount is sexy. Everyone needs to have a threesome in their life.

[HawkeyeGeoff]

Looks like I need to get a deal on a pmm/tmm combo

[WetzMS3]

I should mention, since it was asked about in the other thread, I did not notice any increased transmission noise. However, as I mentioned above, my car is loud as fuck.

I run an ACT 6 puck, for reference.

[Enki]

I have no balance shafts, and my rear view mirror is completely functional while cruising. If you don't have balance shafts, you already know how big a deal this is.

Anyway, here's a little something I had prepared already just for this occasion:

Gotta say, the DM 3-way mount package is for the uncompromising enthusiast that wants to daily their racecar without the annoyance of severe racecar NVH due to stiff bushings. Speaking of which, vibrations from the engine are significantly down over my prior mount setup, and while cruising, the majority of vibration based unusability of the rear view mirror is due to bass from the radio. The side view mirrors are now fully functional, even though I've only driven the car a scant handful of times, and I'm sure the minor vibes that currently remain will lessen as the mount further breaks in. Shifting is just as solid, annoying vibes are down, and it was even easier to install than the first version TMM I had originally (from a competitor). Unfortunately, I've not had a chance to really test it at the dragstrip, but something tells me it will do just fine.

All in all, I give it the Mad Science seal of approval.

Smoochie Boochies

[knocturnal]

What is the ball park figure of this thing? Less vibrations is what I am looking for so I am sold on that part

[neganox]

Alrighty. Soooo the mount is a quality piece. If you have the DM PMM then you'll already recognize the bushing carrier assembly as I'm fairly sure its the same (if not please correct me). This is a good thing since the design worked so well for the PMM in regards to bushing orientation and vibe reduction.

Normally it takes me 5x longer to install things than most people, but the install was pretty straight forward and I spent more time picking up bolts I dropped than installing the actual mount.

I've only put about 100 miles on the mount, but so far the vibes have been reduced so that my rear view mirror is perfectly clear even with the AC on while at a stop. Transmission noise has been drastically reduced. Shifting seems much smoother. My buddy that rides with me quiet often questioned me as to what changed on the car while we were driving today, so the differences are noticeable and delightful.

I currently run all 3 DM mounts. I have my balance shaft intact.

[Farhan@DM]

Originally Posted by knocturnal What is the ball park figure of this thing? Less vibrations is what I am looking for so I am sold on that part

Originally Posted by neganox Alrighty. Soooo the mount is a quality piece. If you have the DM PMM then you'll already recognize the bushing carrier assembly as I'm fairly sure its the same (if not please correct me). This is a good thing since the design worked so well for the PMM in regards to bushing orientation and vibe reduction. Normally it takes me 5x longer to install things than most people, but the install was pretty straight forward and I spent more time picking up bolts I dropped than installing the actual mount. I've only put about 100 miles on the mount, but so far the vibes have been reduced so that my rear view mirror is perfectly clear even with the AC on while at a stop. Transmission noise has been drastically reduced. Shifting seems much smoother. My buddy that rides with me quiet often questioned me as to what changed on the car while we were driving today, so the differences are noticeable and delightful. I currently run all 3 DM mounts. I have my balance shaft intact.

Pricing will be close to PMM. Maybe a buy ahead for MSF, or those that come to ENMMW. Maybe. Bug Matt about that. He'll enjoy all the pms.

Bushing housing is identical. So are the bushings, and sleeve. Commonality is best for everbody.

[King Scumbag]

Alright guys i did a pretty long and drawn out breakdown of my experience. Read through it or don't this mount is a must...But anyways...

DM Transmission Motor Mount (TMM) Review
2007 Mazdaspeed 3



Let me just start off by saying thank you to Matt and Damond Motorsports for trusting me and allowing me to BETA test one of their products. As a customer they have always been very helpful and supportive of the community. As a partner in product development I couldn’t have been happier to be assisting in reviewing one of their new parts in his collection of many stellar products. Matt chose me to be apart in BETA testing this mount because I have a quality assurance background and as an inspector of some high class high explosive munitions when I was in the Marine Corps I have a good eye for things on what may be right and what may be wrong that needs to be fixed for future reliability. I promised him I would give him just that. Is this Tl;Dr? Maybe, but its needed. On with the review, enough about me. ☺

Vehicle Setup
2007 Mazdaspeed 3
- Built motor
- Custom FJ Turbo Kit with Precision 5858
- Lots of other things


Some parts I have that would directly come into play for reviewing the mount are the balance-shaft delete, JBR 70duro Passenger Mount, Rear Motor mount and short throw shifter assembly. I also run OEM clutch and flywheel. I am currently in the tuning process so Id say my car isn't making much over 330-340HP where it stands and that’s just a guess.

Product visual review
I received the mount on July 12th 2015. Upon opening the box and unwrapping the parts and pieces and inspecting them the build quality is without a doubt spot on. The bushing is definitely of a higher quality then the bushings used in my previous aftermarket motor mount. The welds are great the finish/paint is thick and the overall construction of the mounts design is awesome. It is like no other.

Included in the kit:
- 1 base/trans support
- 1 Mid/bushing section,
- 1 Top/frame support plate
- 1 Replacement bolt and washer for base/trans support (shorter bolt)
- 2 Bolts and nuts for mid/bushing mount to base plate
- 1 Longer bolt, nut and 2 washers for frame support plate to bushing mount
- 8 washers if needed for (Shim/spacing) if needed on the frame plate.


Installation
Installation of the mount and its pieces were relatively easy. However I am not a beginner to the platform so I am sure an install time will vary on your mechanical experience and experience with the mazdaspeed platforms. It took me about 45 minutes to an hour for installation. It may have been quicker but I did not have any installation instructions and had to contact Matt on some questions as far as washers being used, locations for them and the orientation of the center bushing piece as it does have to be installed with the thicker lip side facing the driver side of the car. Comes with being a BETA tester! I will go into it further with my install write-up I wont bore you any further with the review.

Driving Impressions
WOW! Yes, wow! From the start of the car with the DM TMM installed I no longer get the infamous clutch chatter that usually comes with installing an aftermarket TMM on the Mazdaspeed Platform. I Immediate noticed this, as it’s always been an annoyance that every one eventually gets used to. NVH was minimal, FAR less than my previous mount when it was first installed until it was broken in. Even then the DM TMM still had less NVH. A lot of people I know and around the community that are running all three aftermarket mounts coupled with the Balance Shaft delete end up getting rid of the TMM and replacing it with OEM to tone down the vibes. I can say without a doubt this mount if anything takes it down quite a few notches and has made vibes much more bearable. Driving the car is when the “wow” factor came out on this mount! Not only is the NVH at a low. But the SHIFTS, OH THE SHIFTS were like butter during part throttle driving and going through the gears. The transmission is so planted yet the shifts are so smooth. I could only get a few hard pulls in on the mount as I am currently diagnosing some mechanical problems but on the 5 or 6 WOT pulls I have done with the mount installed have been nothing short of amazing. With my preivious TMM I always had to really get it into gear from 2nd to 3rd and from 3rd sometimes even getting her into 4th at WOT and shifting through the gears. Not any more, I am very pleased and its almost too smooth in a way but in a way that I could most definitely get used too!

Conclusion
In my final conclusion on this mount there is no way you can go wrong with the DM TMM. From its design that says “yea, im re-inventing the wheel”, the build quality and to the performance enhancement it 110% provides, it has definitely made a huge impression on me. I hope that you can take my experience and use it for your own and when you do decide to pull the trigger on this fine setup and you go out for that first drive you will know EXACTLY what I am talking about! Thanks for you’re time to read this and bearing with me.

After Sending in my review I was contacted by Farhan asking me about the "negatives" but there really wasn't any. This was my Reply.

"Farhan,
I really don't have anything bad to say about it! For me it was not very difficult to install as I have a lot of experience. I'd say the hardest part of the install was getting the mid bushing section to line up and get the right way to the plate and get the bolt in place. I was using a scissor Jack to support the trans so I didn't really have much back and forth movement to play with or I'm sure it would have been a lot smoother. For install instructions I would recommend. Base mount>mid mount>top plate mount in that order. If you don't the mid mount bolts would be in the way. I didn't learn that from doing it it was just an observation. I'd have to say I am in love with the mount. All the clearances were perfect. Nothing had to be forced, the bushing is snug but not too tight."

KingScumbag, Out!

[King Scumbag]

Because My shits a novel LOL

[maisonvi]

I will be installing mine today/tomorrow. Once I fix my coolant leak (egr gasket on its way) I will be doing a full driving break down of my street unit TMM vs the DM TMM. I didnt get to do as much pre-testing as I wanted before the swap, but I think I can still give a good opinion based account of the differences.

maybe if I get ambitious I will swap back to my SU TMM and do some real measurements. As an engineer I would really prefer actual tangible data, but as a person who only has so much time put parts on the car, the install took priority.

[macdiesel]

Will these be available at ENMM for purchase/pick up. Or online purchase only. I need to supplement the Damond mount posse in my car, and soon. The trans side is the side that shakes on start up, hate to see what that sides doing on the track.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Farhan@DM]

Originally Posted by macdiesel Will these be available at ENMM for purchase/pick up. Or online purchase only. I need to supplement the Damond mount posse in my car, and soon. The trans side is the side that shakes on start up, hate to see what that sides doing on the track. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Send Matt a message, if you haven't. He'll take care of you.

[ms3blackmica]

I am installing mine today so I'll have feedback in a day or so.

[Easter Bunny]

Originally Posted by ms3blackmica I am installing mine today so I'll have feedback in a day or so.

Cool story bro.

[WetzMS3]

Originally Posted by Easter Bunny Cool story bro.

Just for you, I should mention, as a tester, I am not a licensed engineer. Just an enthusiast of the platform.

Nor am I any way employed by DM.

[maisonvi]

So I got mine in. Wasnt too bad. Didnt have a deep well 17mm socket, which would have helped for sure. Other than that, only issue is some tight tolerance that Ive talked with Matt about and he has said was already on the "to fix list".

I will say I like the design much better than the Street Unit one. The single bolt design they use (as well as oem) is a bit scary in the aluminum. I know its strong enough, but the possibility of cross threading or other issues is eliminated with the DM design.

Now I just need to get my egr gasket in so that I can get the car up and running to test it all out on the road.

Edit: I am an engineer, but I don't have a PE so you all have to take my opinion with a grain of salt.

[monkey.bones.007]

My cars engine mods:
BNRs3
Test pipe
CPE tmic
HTP 3.5 in intake
HPFP
Synapse SB bov

I had another manufactures 88 duro trilogy on my car initially. My mirrors were useless, hot/cold starts were rough, 3k rpms was terrible, ac was vibe was bad, there were vibes but they were solid mounts and they did the job they were supposed to do. I'm not knocking my previous mounts, but those are my observations from having them on my car for 12k miles.

The DM mounts, I swapped my rear mount initially for the DM rear mount and there was a small decrease in the vibrations. I drove with that for about 5k with my other manufacturers 88duro mounts. I was given the opportunity to jump on the testing for the DM mounts and I immediately said yes. Once we got them in my initial impression was I can use my mirrors again, hot/cold starts are great, ac vibes are still there but much less, the 3k vibe is now 2500 and I'm never there so that's great, you still get vibes but they are much less. Above 4k the car will still sing, but that is awesome. I told Matt that the only downside was I had to sell my other mounts at a discount. Not because they don't work, but because there is a better product on the market.

I've got 3k on my mounts, part of which was a 1k trip to Colorado, and I love getting in my car. The race car was getting old, but these mounts have made me fall in love again. Every manufacturer that is of any worth makes great parts for our platform, it is just that these mounts in my opinion do it much better. The only way it would be better is if they included a hot chick of your choice with each order. Whadda ya say @MATT DAMOND;


tapatalk, it sucks



tapatalk, it sucks

[Nel Mazdaspeed]

Very nice guys.. I'm in so much need for this

[UnknownReagent]

So, on a car that still has balance shafts, factory TMM and PMM, and a Damond RMM, how big of an NVH increase would I see by going to Damond mounts all the way around?

[monkey.bones.007]

Originally Posted by UnknownReagent So, on a car that still has balance shafts, factory TMM and PMM, and a Damond RMM, how big of an NVH increase would I see by going to Damond mounts all the way around?

You will see an increase in nvh. It is just the nature of changing from the rubber wobbly stock mounts to aftermarket. When I went from stock to my trilogy setup there was a substantial increase in vibration. When I went from the trilogy to the DM setup I lost a good amount of vibration, but there are still vibrations. What is your reasoning to swap?

tapatalk, it sucks

[UnknownReagent]

I hate drivetrain slop, my car has enough of it that it bothers me now and it's only going to get worse as I increase power. I'm never going to go BSD but I will go at least BNR S3 and I like crisp, clean shifts and the feel of a solid front end. I don't mind some NVH and I've owned cars with tons of it, but I was a lot younger and more tolerant then. I just don't want to make my car unbearable.

[Yatta]

So I have a CP/e s2 rmm, a ‘modified’ stock PMM and a stock TMM, I had a CS PMM and was happy with its performance aspects, but annoyed by its interior drone... I don’t really want to get rid of the CP/e mount as it works and NVH addition was really negligible, has anyone tried the TMM and PMM with the CPe rMM ?

[monkey.bones.007]

Originally Posted by UnknownReagent I hate drivetrain slop, my car has enough of it that it bothers me now and it's only going to get worse as I increase power. I'm never going to go BSD but I will go at least BNR S3 and I like crisp, clean shifts and the feel of a solid front end. I don't mind some NVH and I've owned cars with tons of it, but I was a lot younger and more tolerant then. I just don't want to make my car unbearable.

I am getting older and I am in the same boat when it comes to having a refined driving experience. In my opinion this mount has the right amount of vibration. If you want any specific information let me know what you want and I'll see if I can get video or audio for you.

tapatalk, it sucks

[neganox]

Maybe record a cup of water at idle with and without the AC on with stock mounts and the DM mounts for comparison purposes.

[monkey.bones.007]

Originally Posted by neganox Maybe record a cup of water at idle with and without the AC on with stock mounts and the DM mounts for comparison purposes.

I'll gladly record a cup of water with the DM mounts.

tapatalk, it sucks

[Matt@DamondMotorsports]

Originally Posted by UnknownReagent I hate drivetrain slop, my car has enough of it that it bothers me now and it's only going to get worse as I increase power. I'm never going to go BSD but I will go at least BNR S3 and I like crisp, clean shifts and the feel of a solid front end. I don't mind some NVH and I've owned cars with tons of it, but I was a lot younger and more tolerant then. I just don't want to make my car unbearable.

There's a set-up I'm wanting to test for NVH. It's our RMM, TMM, and stock PMM.

I think this might be ideal for people looking to optimize the performance that the mounts add, but at the same time don't want high levels of NVH.

Even still, I am very surprised how manageable, and more importantly not annoying, the NVH is on tester's cars that have our 3 mounts and a balance shaft still in place.

[UnknownReagent]

Originally Posted by Matt@DamondMotorsports There's a set-up I'm wanting to test for NVH. It's our RMM, TMM, and stock PMM. I think this might be ideal for people looking to optimize the performance that the mounts add, but at the same time don't want high levels of NVH. Even still, I am very surprised how manageable, and more importantly not annoying, the NVH is on tester's cars that have our 3 mounts and a balance shaft still in place.

I'll beta test that for you. My car has only JBR intake, HPFP and an OTS tune, so it's not far off factory. PM me if you'd like to arrange that.

[Enki]

Originally Posted by Matt@DamondMotorsports Even still, I am very surprised how manageable, and more importantly not annoying, the NVH is on tester's cars that have our 3 mounts and a balance shaft still in place.

You should be more surprised how minimal and NOT annoying nvh is *without* balance shafts.

[neganox]

Originally Posted by Enki Hey neganox you should delete your balance shafts.

Knock it off man.

[maisonvi]

Originally Posted by Matt@DamondMotorsports There's a set-up I'm wanting to test for NVH. It's our RMM, TMM, and stock PMM. I think this might be ideal for people looking to optimize the performance that the mounts add, but at the same time don't want high levels of NVH. Even still, I am very surprised how manageable, and more importantly not annoying, the NVH is on tester's cars that have our 3 mounts and a balance shaft still in place.

Mine is close, BSD, oem PMM, your TMM and a CP-E stg 2 RMM

[MD1032]

This is definitely tempting, especially considering how happy I've been with Damond's other mounts so far. Although honestly I'm not sure how much of a difference this could possibly make coming from my current mount.

I am not a mechanical engineer, but I have a question about the design of this mount, when used in conjunction with the DM PMM, which I have (it kicks ass...if any of you reviewers don't have it, just get it already). Basically, I'm wondering whether the designers of this mount expect sideways forces on the engine-transaxle assembly against the chassis to prematurely wear out the slivers of bushing, on the ends where they contact the brackets, that are responsible for bearing this force. I have provided an extremely shitty MS Paint drawing to illustrate.



The forces being applied (say when I go to make a left or right turn) are the green arrows. I would think that this would wear out the bushing slivers between the bushing and the brackets (in red) being pointed at by the black arrows.

In my current setup, the bushing on my JBR TMM is oriented in the correct plane to absorb this force.

[Enki]

Are you saying that the forces of the turn are being transmitted through the floating half shafts and putting pressure on the engine or are you just asking about the engine weight in general against the mounts?

[MD1032]

Sorry. Say I turn left. In order for the engine/trans assy to also turn, both mounts must transmit that sideways force into the assy and this is accomplished through those sections of the bushing that are between the bracket that the bushing carrier attaches to and the bushing carrier itself. I wonder whether this part of the bushing will wear out prematurely as a result.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

[Enki]

Well, these have been on test cars for a while, maybe someone can chime in with pics (and mileage) of the alpha test mounts as they currently are on the cars.

[monkey.bones.007]

Tmm


Pmm

I've got 3k on the mounts.
tapatalk, it sucks

[WetzMS3]

Around 2.5k on the TMM. Probably near 12k on the PMM. A bunch of passes on the drag strip on street tires on both.uploadfromtaptalk1438734640907.jpguploadfromtaptalk1438734686511.jpg

uploadfromtaptalk1438734333494.jpguploadfromtaptalk1438734384382.jpg

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[WetzMS3]

Fucking Tapatalk

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[Farhan@DM]

Originally Posted by MD1032 This is definitely tempting, especially considering how happy I've been with Damond's other mounts so far. Although honestly I'm not sure how much of a difference this could possibly make coming from my current mount. I am not a mechanical engineer, but I have a question about the design of this mount, when used in conjunction with the DM PMM, which I have (it kicks ass...if any of you reviewers don't have it, just get it already). Basically, I'm wondering whether the designers of this mount expect sideways forces on the engine-transaxle assembly against the chassis to prematurely wear out the slivers of bushing, on the ends where they contact the brackets, that are responsible for bearing this force. I have provided an extremely shitty MS Paint drawing to illustrate. The forces being applied (say when I go to make a left or right turn) are the green arrows. I would think that this would wear out the bushing slivers between the bushing and the brackets (in red) being pointed at by the black arrows. In my current setup, the bushing on my JBR TMM is oriented in the correct plane to absorb this force.

You're (mostly) right. Side loads can certainly go through the bushing flange, but there is also some amount of pressfit/adhesion/friction between the barrel of the bushing, and the parts it mates to.

Let's see if my mobile browser can post this link correctly
Damond Motorsports PMM Review

[volcomcinematic]

i want mine..right meow.