I disagree with Rodrigo.
Originally Posted by
mikeb23ft My B13 SE-R needs engine mounts like a mofo. I've never been in a car with so much vibration. I'm a full time student with a part time job and I don't really have the time or tools or experience to take the old mounts out and press the poly inserts in. Is it going to be that big of a difference if I install replacement OE rubber mounts? It would save me the trouble of pressing the inserts in, which seems like a HUGE pain in the a$$.
The OEM replacement mounts will be
at least twice as expensive as Prothanes. The "big squishy liquid filled" OEM mount costs much more (double?) than all four (4) Prothanes combined. IIRC, my Prothanes were $70'ish shipped.
The vibration penalty is a given. You will have more vibrations in the cabin. How much that bothers you is up to the individual, however, it doesn't bother me in the least. Nor did it much bother me before I "stiffened-to-the-extreme" my chassis (IE...before my Restoration, chassis fully-foamed, and every conceivable brace). I rather liked the "connected-ness" to the drivetrain that I felt.
The Prothanes will faaaaaar outlast the OEM rubber mounts. And your tranny/motor will be held in place much firmer, less/no wheel hop, and the tranny/motor does not shift around under extreme g-forces, which gives you better handling (ask Porsche). Less tranny movement also leads to a longer-lasting tranny, no shifting or flexing of the tranny case.
A mechanic shop should not be charging you any more to press-in/install the Prothanes than to press in the OEM rubber mounts. The labor is a wash.
IF you can find them, the JWT mounts split the difference between the Prothanes and the Nissan mounts. However, once again, the price of the JWT mounts is waaaaay more than Prothanes.