For me, the words “DIY” and “engine mounts” in the same sentence cause a lot of stress. Before coming into the Porsche world, I spent years immersed in modified VWs. Seeing those two phrases together recalls unhappy memories of VR6 owners yanking all the rubber out of their engine mounts and stacking hockey pucks in their place, raising the engine and preserving their oil pan. It wasn’t pretty, and years later it still affects my blood pressure. Fortunately Car Fanatic is bringing us a much more legitimate upgrade with components from Rennline.
Ease of Installation
Especially for those of us used to classic Porsche models, working on a late-model car like Car Fanatic’s 997 can fall somewhere between intimidating and frustrating, depending on your skill level. While plastic engine covers and large plastic airboxes can be good for NVH reasons, they almost universally cause frustration for DIY’ers. Fortunately the two rear engine mounts on a 997 are among the easiest engine mounts I’ve ever seen to access, and according to the video replacing them requires just a jack and a few basic hand tools most enthusiasts already own.
The video does a good job breaking down how to replace these components step-by-step. The owner notes that his car has a T55 Torx bolt on the bottom of his engine mounts rather than the conventional nut specified by Rennline, but other than that the installation appears extremely straightforward.
Results
But what is the net result of the change? The video shows a visible change in the amount of engine movement with the worn stock mounts compared to the new semi-solid mounts. The owner also notes significantly less driveline shunt when coming on and off the clutch. With a relatively smooth-running powerplant like a 911’s flat-six this change shouldn’t send the owner running to the dentist to replace a never-ending stream of dropped fillings. For owners of four cylinder Porsches the change is likely to be more dramatic. If my experience with semi-solid mounts in my old Golf is any indication, 924 owners should be especially careful when using poly mounts. A lower durometer reading will save a lot of literal headaches.
For 997 owners, the ease of replacement coupled with the apparent improvements in responsiveness make upgraded engine mounts a worthwhile upgrade.