So I just installed the Ingalls "Stiffy" Engine Torque Damper and so far I am very impressed with it. Installation took me about an hours since it was all done by hand with no power tools, but all in all it's a pretty straight-forward install. There's a DIY on 8thcivic that I followed in conjunction with the directions supplied with the unit.

Didn't really feel a need to take pics for you guys as I'm sure you are all well aware of what the product looks like installed, but I can take a pic or two if you want.

First thing I noticed immediately was how solid this piece is in holding the engine in place. As soon as you crank the engine to start it you can immediately feel the slightly enhanced vibrations resonating through the cabin. This is normal though since the ETD basically captures the motion from the engine and transfers it through the frame of the vehicle....so you will feel some higher cabin vibration....more so if your A/C is on. But it's not anything that will spill your drink or make you dizzy so chill out.

When I revved the engine it was planted. No motion back or forward whatsoever. There are various stiffness levels ranging from 15mm being the softest/factory setting.....to 10mm being the absolute stiffest. I have it at 12mm right now.

Taking off normally is just as easy as it is without it and again there is a slightly increased level of engine noise transmitted into the cabin which becomes noticeable at higher RPMs throughout the gears.

The BIGGEST thing I noticed with this install (and this will probably be a big + for most of you all) is that SHIFTING IS SMOOTHER....much smoother. That is something you will definitely notice.

The last big thing I noticed is that my car doesn't raise up or dive during hard acceleration or deceleration. This could be due to the fact that I also have my coilovers which are stiff as it is.....but I know that even with the coilovers my car was still diving and raising up during hard acceleration, deceleration, and during shifting. This mod virtually eliminated that.

I haven't had a chance to test the amount of wheel hop reduction because I never encounter any unless I'm at the track...which I haven't been to yet since the install. But I do know that traction off the line has been significantly improved since my wheels are basically remaining planted on the ground alot better. Even 1st gear has become a little more useful for me when before I had almost no traction at all in that gear on city streets.

That's basically what this mod does.....improves off-the-line acceleration and stops the engine movement that robs power transfer to the wheels. For $150 it's a piece that will definitely be worth your while and a wise pickup. I definitely recommend it!

P.S. - +1 for Corsport for shipping and delivering this product very quickly. I ordered it on Friday of last week and had it by Wednesday.

So that's it....I hope I covered everything in terms of what the mod does and helps out on....but if I missed anything of if you all have any other questions let me know and I'll answer them for you. Great mod.....go get it!

 

Smoother shifting? Damn! I thought it's already one of the smoothest gearboxes I've ever laid my hands on (other than BMW's). Good ****

 

Yes smoother shifting. Some people have the notchiness going into 3rd gear and sometimes even second gear. I know I have. And sometimes when you speed shift through gears at high RPMs the sudden jerk from the engine causes the car to stutter for a split second....this mod TOTALLY eliminated that as well for me.

 

Well I'll have to wait and see. I just received mine in the mail

 

great write up rico!! thnx for the info. i have been looking into getting this for a little while now, just never knew how much it would actually do. now i will definately get it.

 

i noticed that too. my gears were real smooth when i shifted.
and i tihnk its definitely one of the best bang for your buck mod.

 

I'll have to look into this product.

Thanks

 

You saying that along with the smoother shifting are really going to make me look into this product. I hate the sputter that sometimes shows up. It's annoying and unpredictable, and if the TBS I just ordered doesn't fully eliminate this problem, the ETD might be a purchase for me. Thanks for a great write-up RICO!

 

Nice write up Rico sounds like an interesting mod

 

Group buy, perhaps?

I'm down.

 

yeah i've been using the stiffy since they released it (on my old 6th gen). it's really a fantastic product for our FF.

i highly recommend these things. the price is a little prohibitive, but do not get these confused with some of the other ETDs out there- these are superior in many ways to the units available elsewhere...to the materials, to the laser cut bracketry....the stiffy is the best available IMO.

 

No problem fellas!

One more thing....the DIY on 8thcivic differs from the instructions with the unit in terms of the order of how the bolts, nuts, washers, etc. are to be installed when hooking up the actual damper piece.

My recommendation is to follow the instructions given with the unit in terms of specifics because I called Ingalls directly and they gave me the same order that the bolts, washers, O-rings, nuts, etc. need to be installed.....the DIY is mainly just for a visual reference so you can see which parts are being discussed in the instructions. It's a very good DIY.

Here's the link.............

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/engin...oads-pics.html


The instructions that came with the unit were descriptive...but came with very few pictures for the installation procedure.....so this DIY helped ALOT.

And for those of you thinking about rolling into this thread on your menstrual cycle and shooting discouraging remarks...who think a simple little piece and a couple brackets couldn't possibly make that much of a difference....wake the f**k up! Sometimes the smallest, most unthinkable things make pretty good differences when it comes to modding. And believe me....this is one of those "things".

Enjoy!

 

Definitely a good upgrade. In my opinion the biggest difference is during shifting. Less engine movement + improved shifting is significantly noticeable.

 

I was concidering this mod, but when I heard about the added cabin vibration I was concerned. With so much plastic, I was afraid the cabin rattles would increase. Let us know if you start noticing things rattling loose.

Thanks

 

good review!

 

it's my opinion that you could probably adjust it to a setting that would be just enough to dampen the setup, but not enough to really induce that much cabin vibes. remember, the thing is very adjustable and even the lighter settings can help immensely.

 

It's really not a heavy increase in cabin noise or vibration...unless you get on the 10mm setting which is the very stiffest you can go. It is adjustable down to a much softer 15mm......which is much more comforting for daily driving. I currently have mine at 12mm and the only time I feel any real vibrations is during initial startup and a slight increase in vibration through the steering wheel. But it's nothing anywhere near harsh enough that's gonna knock anything loose. I can't even feel any noticeable increased vibrations when I put my hand on the front dash.

Trust me....you'll get alot more cabin drone from the average aftermarket exhaust system than you will from this mod.

And I've been sitting on this stiff-*** Pro-C coilover setup for several months now.....bumping and bouncing my way to and from work on city streets and highway travel as well......if something were gonna get knocked loose in this car....i'm pretty sure it would have happened by now. But so far so good. There are no unusual or new noises as a result of this mod....but I'll continue to keep listening closely and see if anything pops up.

 

doesn't the stiffy put more stress on the rest of the engine mounts, causing them to wear out faster?

 

if anything, it's the opposite.

 

how do you figure? the stiffy moves the engine a tiny bit, doesn't it? if the engine's sitting at an angle that the rest of the mounts aren't designed for, wouldn't that put more stress on them? maybe i'm missing something here.

 

it doesn't come into play until the engine moves. it's not a preload situation or anything if that is what you mean. when the engine starts to move, at that point, it limits/damps the movement so the existing mounts will see less movement.

though one thing that comes to mind is if the limiting is so much that it would actually put more stress on an 'opposing' mount, like, opposite of the side where the stiffy is in place, but IMO that wouldn't happen since the stiffy isn't as stiff a damper as we think unless you really crank it up.

 

I was worrying about premature deterioration of the stock mounts. The dampener will in essence act as another mount. However, if Honda found it necessary to add another mount, wouldn't they? And I believe certain moving parts need some play when operating, like in this case the motor. I may be over analyzing this completely so ignore me, I just wanted to throw that in there for consideration.

 

hm... i was under the impression that it DOES preload the rest of the mounts. so with the stiffy in place the engine sits exactly as it did before?

 

yep! the elastomer inside only comes into play when there is any sort of movement.

 

honda might've simply not wanted the extra vibration in the car. the motor doesn't NEED movement, it's there as a result of mounts that allow it. using softer mounts allows the engine to move, but it also minimizes the noise and vibration going into the car from the engine.