oc_civic

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.

kaoss_11

I may have to get one of these on top of my race mounts

postman

make one for half price, not saying there no good, cuz i agree there nice. but i have noticed i could easily pickup the stuff to make it one from lowes or home depot, etc. never justified buying one. good post though

prada_G

nice review, always wondered if these made a difference .

oc_civic

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kaoss_11 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I may have to get one of these on top of my race mounts</TD></TR></TABLE>

its funny i really didnt expect much... but i was def happy with how it made the car feel..

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by postman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">make one for half price, not saying there no good, cuz i agree there nice. but i have noticed i could easily pickup the stuff to make it one from lowes or home depot, etc. never justified buying one. good post though </TD></TR></TABLE>

i dont know how.. the mounting plates are extremely thick.. and i lack the tools to work with something like that.. besides all the R&D time to get it that precise just isnt worth it to me.. but i guess if you have the knowledgte time and all the equipment to replicate the product it would be worth it? but ive seen them as cheap as $150, id personally rather just pay the $150.. lol but thanks for the reply

. WAAS_SAPPENING

Nice for the write up. Always wondered if these things made a difference so now that I see it does I'm gonna be ordering one pretty soon.

FalkenSiR

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by . WAAS_SAPPENING &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Nice for the write up. Always wondered if these things made a difference </TD></TR></TABLE>

BlueIntegraBoy

iTrader: (5)

I had a J's Racing one for my DC5. Made some of a difference. Nice install and pics.

strictly.business

cost/ i sure as hell hope that its not $150 like people have mentioned, thats ridiculous.

black_EM1

Sounds like I might have to pick these up

GarageAlchemist

can get the same thing on ebay for 46$

cambopheonix56

Subsribed because I migh be buying one. Wheel hop &gt; me. Do you have any full shots of the engine bay with it?

CRG Motorsports

pdiggitydogg

Ive heard from plenty of those who bought the cheap ones, that they didnt last long at all...so Id be interested in the longevity of the ingalls unit.
Is it adjustable?

How would you compare it to the harsh stiffness of urethane mounts?
1-10
1 being stock
10 rattles your teeth out

oc_civic

thanks on the write up compliment... yeah i mean as i stated i was skeptical.. but as soon as i turned the car over and reved a bit i could feel that the motor was definately shaking less.. the car is a 98 still has the factory mounts that ive been beating on so there was a decent amount of motor shake (front to back) present prior to the installation of the product.. when i launched the car with the damper it really felt different.. will this shave a half a second off of 1/4 mile time.. no of course not.. (it will shave a bit if you are having issues hooking) what it will do is create a more solid connection between the motor and car, this will in turn improve the way the car responds to your driving or at least it did for me.. im glad i got it and will definately be keeping it

thanks

it not IMO when you factor in the R&D and time it would take the average consumer to properly replicate this INCLUDING the nice solid plates.. could something similar be made? probably.. but i would never waste that much effort when i KNOW that i could just buy it for $150.. when you consider the cost of car parts $150 for an additional mounting point for the motor to make it more secure is really not that much IMO..

im happy with mine

i assume you mean a copy.. and again the question IMO is quality..

i will be reshooting some pics of my car so i will def take some for you it has really pretty much removed hop..



long time no see man how you doing!?!?

im really happy with the quality of the parts man.. it looks really solid.. im happy with it

yes it absolutely is... i have it about as stiff as it will go.. i rode my wife ( lol ) around in the car and she noticed a slight vibration.. YOU will notice as you are used to the car beign a certain way.. but i would say that if you have a nice suspension setup and the car has already been stiffened up in other areas (thus creating a somewhat more harsh ride than stock... the difference will be minimal at best.. i got used to it very fast.. if on your range 4 is a car with a fairly rigid suspension then i would put this at maybe a 5 and a half.. maybe and i STRESS maybe.. MAYBE a 6 the first day or two while getting used to it.. you can also reduce the vibration by dynamatting the back of the chasis side mount i left mine the way it came.. its really not that bad..

robstamina

it is adjustable in terms of length and dampening force..

I have had one on my boosted 04 for over 2 years and love it!!!

Lmgrcivic

nice write up glad to see they do make a difference, changes my opinion on them some what now

djlutchi

I picked one up for my D17, and it makes a world of difference. Buddy of mine has one on his tC and raves about it.

prwil3030

I bought the one on ebay for about $75 for 00 Si, and is not well design. The instructions was in japanese and came with missing parts. Is so close to the brake boost, that messed up one of the the brake fluid line. If you have an ek, dont buy the one on ebay if you dont want to have headaches.

withemptyeyes

good review. do you know if these are legal for autocross? i might have to pick one up..

oc_civic

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by withemptyeyes &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">good review. do you know if these are legal for autocross? i might have to pick one up..</TD></TR></TABLE>

im sure they are legal but i imagine the more important question is as to if they constitute any penalty or class change

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by prwil3030 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I bought the one on ebay for about $75 for 00 Si, and is not well design. The instructions was in japanese and came with missing parts. Is so close to the brake boost, that messed up one of the the brake fluid line. If you have an ek, dont buy the one on ebay if you dont want to have headaches.</TD></TR></TABLE>

sorry to hear that man.. kind of makes me even happier i went with the Ingalls one.. i mean i assume you are saying you didnt get the one i posted about.. as you can see the Ingalls one doesnt carry any of those kinds of issues you are describing.. fits like its meant to be there..

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by djlutchi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I picked one up for my D17, and it makes a world of difference. Buddy of mine has one on his tC and raves about it. </TD></TR></TABLE>



<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Lmgrcivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">nice write up glad to see they do make a difference, changes my opinion on them some what now </TD></TR></TABLE>

i think you and i may have had similar opinions.. i really wasnt sure how much it could actually do.. but im really happy with how its doing in the car..

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by robstamina &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it is adjustable in terms of length and dampening force..

I have had one on my boosted 04 for over 2 years and love it!!!</TD></TR></TABLE>

good stuff

wrEcKed_LX

iTrader: (1)

I wonder how the NRG Innovation's damper is That one is only $80.

prwil3030

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by oc_civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

sorry to hear that man.. kind of makes me even happier i went with the Ingalls one.. i mean i assume you are saying you didnt get the one i posted about.. as you can see the Ingalls one doesnt carry any of those kinds of issues you are describing.. fits like its meant to be there.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I heard Ingalls is the best one out there so far. For $75 is not bad, the torque damper work good, but the bracket design really sucks. My opinion, if you are going to have it for a ek with a b16, dont buy unless you have skills to modify the bracket.

prwil3030

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by spoon_ferio &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I wonder how the NRG Innovation's damper is That one is only $80.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's the one I bought, damper works buy the bracket desing suckssss. Up to you!!!!

turnsignalandy

do engine torwue dampers worsen the ride? Caue more vibration?