Here's some pics I finally took.

 

Another shot w/ the engine cover on.

 

Thats cool, how much was that?

 

$129

 

Pardon my ignorance, but WTF does that thing do?

 

The maker/seller claims it reduces engine rock during acceleration and therefore delivers more tourque. The concept is used in almost every front engine/FWD car because the torsional roation of the front axles is parallel to the engine crank and thus the engine tends to rock more. A front engine/RWD car with the engine mounted in line/perpindicular to the drive axle is a whole different story. The torsional rotation occurs at the rear axle. Some high HP race cars use it, but I haven't seen it in a front engine/RWD car before. To measure the effectiveness you would have to measure the tension/engine rock applied to the "shock" while the car is in gear during heavy acceleration and again without the shock. If only one "shock" is being installed it needs to be on the side that the engine "rocks toward". IMHO it probably doesn't do anything in our cars. If it did I definitely would not be mounting it to a bracket attached to sheetmetal. Put a NISMO sticker on it and you could probably sell it for $50.00 more.

 

RX-7's owners love these. As do S13/S14/S15 owners.

 

http://www.ingallseng.com/parts/stiffy.htm

Here's a page listing some more information. I'm too lazy to type it all out.

 

From Inseeleng (they are one manufacturer),

"A self-contained elastomeric shock that mounts on brackets between the engine and the chassis. It reduces extreme engine movement and dampens the motion, providing many benefits.

Many of these applications pull up on the drivers side motor mount. Chains and torque straps are used to limit motion. The chain is not a good solution, the engine moves freely and then stops suddenly when the chain is extended. This can cause high shock loads and broken motor blocks. Because there are so many different motor/chassis combinations and high amounts of horsepower, it is important to correctly apply this product to prevent premature failure. The ETD should be used as a “helper”, not the primary means of limiting motor movement. Mounting brackets should be heavy gauge to limit flex and prevent harmonic resonance. Before the ETD is installed, cable or string should be placed between the mounting points to measure the maximum deflection. If the total travel exceeds ¾ inch, alternative mounting solutions may be needed to avoid damage (use multiple torque dampers, move the bracket mounts closer to the motor pivot axis, use stiffer motor mounts, etc.). "

Thanks, great reference!! Our cars don't have "extreme engine movement" under full throttle acceleration. As you can read it is really for drag racing applications where getting the torque down is critical. It is a nice looking piece.

 

Drag racing applications only you say? Don't most, if not all people on this forum "race" their cars quite a bit, being enthusiasts and all who mod their cars.

 

Not "only", but I agree with your basic concept on mods. Our cars don't have extreme engine movement. As the article suggest tie a piece of light string on the Drivers Side of the engine near the top and tight secure it to point that is body mounted. Go do a few full throttle starts and see if the string breaks. If it does loosen it about 1/4" and try again. Repeat as needed until you reach 3/4". As pointed out you should be using solid motor mounts prior to using the torque shock. Try it, I would be interested what the results are.

Just trying to help out and give an explanation. Some may want to spend the $129.00 on a product that will yield a gain. Peace brother.