Sls Horrifying Product!!! [Archive]

Butlerg

07-25-2007, 12:44 AM

I can't believe how angry I am right now. Less than 200 miles on the front mount. And it has snapped IN HALF, and I had to drive 60 miles home with it. I will get pictures up as soon as I jack the car up. Unbelievable. $80, down the f***ing drain. I better get my money back. And any damage to te car it may have caused. FF*******!!!

clicknext

07-25-2007, 01:02 AM

I can't believe how angry I am right now. Less than 200 miles on the front mount. And it has snapped IN HALF, and I had to drive 60 miles home with it. I will get pictures up as soon as I jack the car up. Unbelievable. $80, down the f***ing drain. I better get my money back. And any damage to te car it may have caused. FF*******!!!

That is alarming... =/ I wonder if SLS has seen any cases of this before?

Butlerg

07-25-2007, 01:21 AM

CitizenPro

07-25-2007, 01:26 AM

Damn dood, sorry to hear. Ive never liked the design of there mounts because i was afraid of this. Hope u get it worked out.

Cellerator

07-25-2007, 01:26 AM

Holy crap, I guess no SLS mount for me... AWR or Inserts it is, sorry for the crap luck though and hopefully nothing is damaged.

Butlerg

07-25-2007, 01:29 AM

Not a good day. First I fail my safety, then this. Back to Mazda crap mounts for me. My first and only online transaction results in this...baffled. Has anyone had experience in SLS service? Would they refund me at the very least?

danielschweer

07-25-2007, 03:05 AM

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123675815&highlight=sls+issue

this was not that long ago, i think it got taken care of. . . not sure

JoshP5

07-25-2007, 06:44 AM

I would fire that welder.

Guess I'll have to start carrying my stock mount and a 17mm socket wrench around with me. :(

i12drivemyMP5

07-25-2007, 06:45 AM

Anyone up for a nice package deal on the front & side mounts? Just got the replacement bracket for the side mount & probably not going back on the car. After seeing this makes me want to put my stock one with rr inserts back on the front. May see them soon in the FS section. Anyone interested in the pair can PM to get pics & pics will be posted in FS when they get there. Just not up for this kinda iffiness. My stock ones with just the inserts up front have served me well for years now problem free. Neither were even torn or anything when switching to these. I have a daily driver sport auto so I should be having no worries with mounts....& I won't, soon.

i12drivemyMP5

07-25-2007, 06:47 AM

I can't believe how angry I am right now. Less than 200 miles on the front mount. And it has snapped IN HALF, and I had to drive 60 miles home with it. I will get pictures up as soon as I jack the car up. Unbelievable. $80, down the f***ing drain. I better get my money back. And any damage to te car it may have caused. FF*******!!!They'll probably give you another one but will you be able to trust it? And they'll probably tell you some crap about how the bolts were overtightened or some other nonsense about how you installed it wrong. I bet it won't have anything to do with weld strength either. Interested in this explanation. Keep us posted.

SIBalla23

07-25-2007, 06:58 AM

That looks like bad welding. This is the first front motor mount that I have seen on the forums that broke. I'm sure they will make good and either ship a new one to you or give a refund. This is probably just one of those freak accidents. Welder probably messed up on the one mount.

i12drivemyMP5

07-25-2007, 07:04 AM

The weld in the pic looks pretty uniform & welded about as much as it could've been. Unless he picked up some stray soft metal rod or what, a bad section of wire in the spool? IDK

thejetman

07-25-2007, 07:18 AM

That, my friend. Is totally f;d up

Brian MP5T

07-25-2007, 07:26 AM

Looks like a bad design.

BlkWidow

07-25-2007, 07:26 AM

that sucks, i have the awr ones in mine.

Action Jackson

07-25-2007, 07:28 AM

That's messed up.

I guess inserts would be better.

StealthWyvern

07-25-2007, 07:56 AM

I've now seen both the SLS and AWR mount's break at the welds like that!

Nutari

07-25-2007, 08:05 AM

I've now seen both the SLS and AWR mount's break at the welds like that!

AWR? I have never heard about an AWR mount breaking.

StealthWyvern

07-25-2007, 08:07 AM

AWR? I have never heard about an AWR mount breaking.
I'll see if i can find the thread that has pictures give me a day or two.

Edit: Found it.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123638751&highlight=AWR+broke

Brian MP5T

07-25-2007, 08:25 AM

Still an odd design..

Nutari

07-25-2007, 08:25 AM

I've now seen both the SLS and AWR mount's break at the welds like that!

No pictures in that thread btw.

I broke my AWR front MM under severe service during 40, 3 mile road course laps. After sending two quick pics to Tony, he sent me a brand new, stronger one free of charge (provided I return old one). Great SERVICE, thanks TONY!!!!

JoshP5

07-25-2007, 10:42 AM

Looks like a bad design.

True, they could have easily engineered a lot more weld contact for that junction.

crashkelly

07-25-2007, 10:55 AM

from the looks of that thing it was just waiting to snap...the way it is designed all the stress is going to the welds and not the bushing. AWR is much nicer and I am surprised to hear that one broke. But still that is only one breaking in how long a period? I bet we see plenty more of these SLS ones breaking. The AWRs look thicker and have that triangular shape to them that makes them stronger.

5PADZAM

07-25-2007, 11:11 AM

That really sucks Butlerg, sorry for recommending them to you in the other thread. But I wonder if you have issues with your other mounts. Judging by the condition of the stock mount you took out, I would bet that you have other mounts that need replacing. Maybe that put more stress than normal on the SLS. Still, it should have been designed to hold up to that kind of stress, even if the other mounts are shot.

I'm going to take mine off and take it to work to use some magnifying equipment and look for cracks. I really like the SLS, but not if there is a chance that it will fail like that. At least if the stock mount fails, it's designed well enough that it will still hold together.

crashkelly

07-25-2007, 11:24 AM

That really sucks Butlerg, sorry for recommending them to you in the other thread. But I wonder if you have issues with your other mounts. Judging by the condition of the stock mount you took out, I would bet that you have other mounts that need replacing. Maybe that put more stress than normal on the SLS. Still, it should have been designed to hold up to that kind of stress, even if the other mounts are shot.

I'm going to take mine off and take it to work to use some magnifying equipment and look for cracks. I really like the SLS, but not if there is a chance that it will fail like that. At least if the stock mount fails, it's designed well enough that it will still hold together.

Good point, we all forgot to ask him if he replaced the front and back...I would highly recommend not just doing one side...

Yaggie1

07-25-2007, 11:44 AM

Wow, that sux. I don't remember how long mine has been on but I haven't had any problems with it so far.......... Suppose I better have a look and double check mine.

pasadena_commut

07-25-2007, 12:03 PM

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<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c336/surf96712/DSC_0060-1.jpg" target="_blank">
<img src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c336/surf96712/th_DSC_0060-1.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c336/surf96712/DSC_0059.jpg" target="_blank">
</center>

Is that red stuff rust?

Hard to see how a part could rust that badly in 200 miles. Also the part on the left looks like it's rustier than the part on the right. So maybe that piece of metal was rusty, they welded it on, and it didn't hold because the rust weakened the weld? Seems crazy to built a motor mount with rusty metal though, maybe it's just primer? Even then, why prime a piece where there will be a metal to metal contact?

Lord_Zath

07-25-2007, 12:12 PM

wowsers!

gottacatchup

07-25-2007, 12:17 PM

I'm quickly regretting this mod...

evilmonkeyMSP

07-25-2007, 12:19 PM

im sorry but looking at their mounts, the design is crap when compared to AWR and SU mounts.

I installed a SU mount and its solid cast aluminum i believe.

I attached a pic of what i installed, and thats what a MM should look like...

JoshP5

07-25-2007, 12:27 PM

I Agree, except they're not cast, they're CNC'd from a solid aluminum billet.

!

silverpro5

07-25-2007, 12:29 PM

yikes. have any NA guys been able to break SLS mounts?

Brian MP5T

07-25-2007, 12:39 PM

The SU mount is SEXY.

evilmonkeyMSP

07-25-2007, 12:40 PM

(werd) i dont normally whore products but i got it for free and installed it and it made a 100% difference in driving and road feel.
The SU mount is SEXY.

ho bag

07-25-2007, 01:33 PM

That weld looks like crap to me. It did not penetrate the metal very much at all. Looks more like it was glued together then welded.

i12drivemyMP5

07-25-2007, 01:44 PM

yikes. have any NA guys been able to break SLS mounts?
NA AND sport auto. Broken side mount bracket. Front OK so far but will be coming off to put untorn oem with rr inserts back on front & call it good. I like the SU ones but not enough feedback to go for those at this point. Who here has more than just the front one & for how long? In some thread there was some negative comment about one of those too IIRC.

evilmonkeyMSP

07-25-2007, 01:50 PM

lol well i drove on mine for a full day after installing the SU front MM and i had a completely torn stock mount. The improvent was incredible and only a slight vibration at idle. all my other mounts are stock.

Tom03es

07-25-2007, 02:43 PM

I don't see how the front AWR mount could fail.
http://mazda3online.web.aplus.net/images/promount1lg.jpg
(top mount in picture)
There is alot more weld contact area here. I've been happy with my AWR mounts.

evilmonkeyMSP

07-25-2007, 02:44 PM

true. the SU & AWR mounts look 100 times better than that goofy SLS mount
I don't see how the front AWR mount could fail.
http://mazda3online.web.aplus.net/images/promount1lg.jpg
(top mount in picture)
There is alot more weld contact area here. I've been happy with my AWR mounts.

Butlerg

07-25-2007, 02:58 PM

No, I had not replaced the other mounts at the time. The driver side mount and rear mount look fine at the moment. Look at the thing. It obviously snapped right where it was welded. All I know is that having to drive home with 3 mounts left in my car, sure ripped apart my passenger side mount. It got totally f**ed...Thanks to this catastrophe and the immediate need for my car to get to college, I had to go get (upbum) by the Mazda dealership for new mounts that will likely break in another 20,000 miles...The engine and tranny seem fine. They weren't tilted or anything. I'm assuming the other mounts took the brunt of the engine load after this one snapped.

mikeski

07-25-2007, 03:09 PM

bad weld....sorry to hear about that......that sux.

L8R

07-25-2007, 03:12 PM

Hollow mount? wtf.. Man...

Sorry to see...

Hughes412

07-25-2007, 03:17 PM

I hate to see that, but that's why I went with the SU mounts.

By the way I still have my rear mount for sale(shady)

StealthWyvern

07-25-2007, 03:51 PM

No pictures in that thread btw.

Thier used to be pictures in that thread when it was originally open. The AWR mount broke all the welds that held on the bottom peice where the bolts are.

However its the only AWR mount that I;ve heard of breaking but doesn't mean the others can't break as well. I also could of been a case of a bad weld on that one AWR mount.

katsi

07-25-2007, 04:38 PM

awr > sls any day of the week

i12drivemyMP5

07-25-2007, 04:38 PM

Thier used to be pictures in that thread when it was originally open. The AWR mount broke all the welds that held on the bottom peice where the bolts are.

However its the only AWR mount that I;ve heard of breaking but doesn't mean the others can't break as well. I also could of been a case of a bad weld on that one AWR mount.Then there's where & how did the AWR break, autoX? manual clutch dumping stress? Bet it wasn't from daily driving nothing elseness.

StealthWyvern

07-25-2007, 05:00 PM

Then there's where & how did the AWR break, autoX? manual clutch dumping stress? Bet it wasn't from daily driving nothing elseness.

True but I'm sure that you will agree that any aftermarket mm should be able to stand up to any daily driving and extreme stress.

Nutari

07-25-2007, 05:14 PM

Then there's where & how did the AWR break, autoX? manual clutch dumping stress? Bet it wasn't from daily driving nothing elseness.

I posted the quote from the thread.

I broke my AWR front MM under severe service during 40, 3 mile road course laps. After sending two quick pics to Tony, he sent me a brand new, stronger one free of charge (provided I return old one). Great SERVICE, thanks TONY!!!!

i12drivemyMP5

07-25-2007, 06:29 PM

True but I'm sure that you will agree that any aftermarket mm should be able to stand up to any daily driving and extreme stress.Yes I do agree.

i12drivemyMP5

07-25-2007, 06:39 PM

I posted the quote from the thread.Yes I do remember reading that now that you reposted it. Exactly why I'm less than impressed with mine at this point with a sport auto daily driver no track time car & the other guy's front. Oem is staying on the side & oem with rr inserts going back up front. No problem with the other 2 oems so I'm gonna leave them alone until maaaaybe the SU set if my oems actually do give up & for now just enjoy the complete lack of vibration. Good deal coming in the FS section soon on a front & a side with replacement bracket. Somehow now, I really don't care whether they ever get a rear done cause I'm not wasting time or money on it. I'm sure they don't care whether I buy one or not & of course I don't care that they don't care that I don't care about spending any more of my money on their mounts.

WRCprotege

07-25-2007, 06:43 PM

My AWR front mount has done the same thing.. its still on the car..just in two peices..lol

i12drivemyMP5

07-25-2007, 06:52 PM

My AWR front mount has done the same thing.. its still on the car..just in two peices..lolInterested in a gently used SLS front & passenger side? LOL

WRCprotege

07-25-2007, 07:24 PM

im just going to reweld it..mabey beef it up to..hehe

musiclikscreams

07-25-2007, 07:38 PM

any word from sls?

Butlerg

07-25-2007, 08:10 PM

"Please follow the instructions in our warranty section:

http://www.slsperformance.com/slsp/InfoPage.asp?idPage=14"

Typical automated response from a compay that isn't to personal...

pass the peas

07-27-2007, 02:01 AM

Looks like a bad design.

Agree. Horrifying product is right. It looks like a sawed-off GM dogbone mount tacked onto piece of plate stock.

clicknext

07-27-2007, 02:32 AM

Agree. Horrifying product is right. It looks like a sawed-off GM dogbone mount tacked onto piece of plate stock.
I never thought about it, but now that you point it out, it does look like most of the stress is transferred to the weld when the engine moves, and the entire thing sort of torques about the base. The stock mount had a design that distributed weight across the entire mount. We'll have to watch carefully if anyone else has this happen...

Yaggie1

07-27-2007, 06:49 AM

I've had no problems with mine so far but it does make me look at it a little more and think about maybe adding some gusset plates to the side of the vertical tube for a bit more strength.........

03promaz

07-27-2007, 07:02 AM

Damn that sucks hopefully they take care of you

JoshP5

07-27-2007, 09:26 AM

I've had no problems with mine so far but it does make me look at it a little more and think about maybe adding some gusset plates to the side of the vertical tube for a bit more strength.........
That would definitely help distribute the load and improve strength, but is the base wide enough to give both sufficient contact with the gussets and socket access to the bolts?

Yaggie1

07-27-2007, 09:35 AM

I haven't physically looked at mine to see how much room there is but from the pictures I think there is some room to add something. I might take mine out this weekend and have a look at it.

That would definitely help distribute the load and improve strength, but is the base wide enough to give both sufficient contact with the gussets and socket access to the bolts?

BOOSTR

07-27-2007, 09:46 AM

One guy has a problem and now the whole product sucks? Amazing logic going on here. No problem with both of my SLS mounts so far at all. No regrets about getting them either. Shit happens.

Hughes412

07-27-2007, 10:13 AM

One guy has a problem and now the whole product sucks? Amazing logic going on here. No problem with both of my SLS mounts so far at all. No regrets about getting them either. Shit happens.

I wouldn't say that they are junk. But anyone can look at the front mount and see that there might be problems. These are supposed to be an upgrade. If you put this on and race it will just mess up.

crashkelly

07-27-2007, 10:19 AM

I wouldn't say that they are junk. But anyone can look at the front mount and see that there might be problems. These are supposed to be an upgrade. If you put this on and race it will just mess up.

Ive got to agree with that....Im far from being an engineer and I can tell by looking at that thing that the design couldve been better.

JoshP5

07-27-2007, 10:58 AM

Any design can be made better--it's part of product evolution. Since SLS is backing up their products and honoring their warranty, I don't think there's too much to be worried about.

One or two failures out of however many they sold isn't bad for an aftermarket product. This isn't factory stuff--these aftermarket companies don't have the resources to do full load measurements or structural modeling to optimize their designs. It's a reality you just have to accept when you choose to buy aftermarket products.

i12drivemyMP5

07-27-2007, 11:39 AM

I completely understand the inherent risk you take with aftermarket parts. Yes, they have backed up their products. This is good. I am only reporting my personal experience just to put it out there so others have it to use as they will. Not trying to sway others. IMO, with my daily driver sport auto, I need nothing more than oems with rr inserts up front so that's what I'm going to stay with. Everyone else will have to determine what's best for them based upon their own needs & set of variables.

clicknext

07-27-2007, 11:46 AM

Any design can be made better--it's part of product evolution. Since SLS is backing up their products and honoring their warranty, I don't think there's too much to be worried about.

One or two failures out of however many they sold isn't bad for an aftermarket product. This isn't factory stuff--these aftermarket companies don't have the resources to do full load measurements or structural modeling to optimize their designs. It's a reality you just have to accept when you choose to buy aftermarket products.

So far the product has been great for me, but my concern would be it breaking. The stock mount, when it broke, at least still prevented the engine from going too far in any direction. With this, if it breaks then suddenly you have nothing. I'm just concerned about an MS3 engine mount failure "my engine fell out" type of thread arising.

taylorex

07-27-2007, 12:02 PM

One guy has a problem and now the whole product sucks? Amazing logic going on here. No problem with both of my SLS mounts so far at all. No regrets about getting them either. Shit happens.

I agree fully!!
It also seems that everyone are engineers too.

aMaff

07-27-2007, 05:02 PM

One guy has a problem and now the whole product sucks? Amazing logic going on here. No problem with both of my SLS mounts so far at all. No regrets about getting them either. Shit happens.

I'd usually agree with you, but I've seen a couple of side mounts breaking too. These guys haven't been around long enough for this number of failures to fall in to the 'it's ok, 1 in 1000 is probably a fluke' category.

Gotta say, glad I went w/ the RR racing inserts instead of these. They're breaking way too often for me to consider chancing it.

Hughes412

07-27-2007, 05:28 PM

I agree fully!!
It also seems that everyone are engineers too.

I'm not an engineer! And don't you EVER call me that again!!! lol
But I am a machinist. I've built every thing form car parts to orthopedic implants (hips, knees, shoulders, and heart valves). I do know what I'm talking about.

Kona Bear

07-27-2007, 05:43 PM

Bad welding? Perhaps in this case yes.

Overall they must have a good welder because with this mickey mouse design , I'm surprised that more have not broke. With no other gussets and supporting welds..........ouch! I would stay away from these things.

The CNC'd ones that where shown in a previous post are the way it should be done.

taylorex

07-27-2007, 06:53 PM

SLS has sold over 150 front motor mounts so far. 1 breaks and now they are bad!! You guys are amazing. As for the side motor mounts, Eric said they have sold close to 100 and have had 2 people break the bracket and not the mount. 1 breaks and now it's horrible.
Keep inmind that there are many factors that play into the stress that is put on the front motor mount. If your rear and side are blown out, then the front is going to now support the entire motor and it's movement. As for the side motor mount brackets that have broke, the one guy torqued them down so hard that it's cracked the aluminum. The other was from there original design and since was corrected. If installed correctly their mounts are great. My roomate and myself both run SLS mounts and have not had a single problem. Infact there are many people that have not had a single issue. 150 front mount and 1 breaks, is a very good ratio.
Where are the mod's at? Isn't this vendor bashing?

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123628663&highlight=mazda+forum+rules+guidelines

evilmonkeyMSP

07-27-2007, 09:06 PM

nobody is bashing the vendor, they are complaining about the design.

i12drivemyMP5

07-27-2007, 10:46 PM

As for the side motor mount brackets that have broke, the one guy torqued them down so hard that it's cracked the aluminum. :bs: , I didn't torque shit down that tight & none of my other mounts are damaged one bit.

Butlerg

07-27-2007, 11:05 PM

I admit I was more than a little "ANGRY" at what happened, but I think I had every right to be. I'm not bashing SLS or saying no one else should buy their stuff. I'm just stating what happened to me, and everyone can draw their own assumptions about the product and whether or not it's safe or worthwhile. I personally would never buy any of their products again, and wouldn't recommend their products to anyone. But that's my opinion, and I have every right to say what I think just like everyone is allowed to say how much they love SLS mounts. I do understand that the welding could be at fault, and perhaps it was a freak accident. I'm in the process of sending back the mount, and HOPEFULLY they see what was wrong, and fix it for future customers. And HOPEFULLY I get a full refund instead of another mount or product...

Maxx Mazda

07-27-2007, 11:09 PM

Awr Ftw

clicknext

07-28-2007, 01:41 AM

I agree fully!!
It also seems that everyone are engineers too.
Well some of us are engineers... LOL

But we aren't bashing the vendor, we're just expressing our concerns about this failure that upon first sight, looks like it could possibly happen to anyone.

Sveivo

07-28-2007, 01:58 AM

Hey man, sorry to read this!

pass the peas

07-28-2007, 09:05 AM

Well some of us are engineers... LOL

But we aren't bashing the vendor, we're just expressing our concerns about this failure that upon first sight, looks like it could possibly happen to anyone.

Don't have to be an engineer to recognize that it's not a very good design. Even if the weld never fails, it's going to be an inherently flexible mount by design. Putting a high durometer bushing inside will just make the metal parts flex more. I don't see how this is really an improvement over the stock mount, except that the bushing might be more durable, and the whole thing might be lighter in weight.

5PADZAM

07-28-2007, 11:40 AM

Don't have to be an engineer to recognize that it's not a very good design. Even if the weld never fails, it's going to be an inherently flexible mount by design. Putting a high durometer bushing inside will just make the metal parts flex more. I don't see how this is really an improvement over the stock mount, except that the bushing might be more durable, and the whole thing might be lighter in weight.

Are you kidding? It's a huge improvement over stock. The stock mount is very soft, and allows the engine to move a lot. The difference was night and day for me.

JoshP5

07-28-2007, 03:06 PM

Don't have to be an engineer to recognize that it's not a very good design.Easy to say after a failure. No one raised this issue when the mount was being released. No one raised the issue when its performance was being praised. It's funny how many people are speaking out about the "poor design" after the fact.

clicknext

07-28-2007, 03:22 PM

Are you kidding? It's a huge improvement over stock. The stock mount is very soft, and allows the engine to move a lot. The difference was night and day for me.

Yeah, that's why we replaced it. But the failure of the rubber in the stock mount didn't cause any real damage because the engine would still have the metal part of the mount to support it (which, by the way, has a design where the force is distributed properly). If the SLS mount breaks at the weld, it means it suddenly goes from lots of support to no support at all, and could cause some real damage as the engine suddenly has to rely only on the other mounts.

ForceFed

07-28-2007, 03:31 PM

Looks like a bad design.
100% agree....Just the flat joint design alone wouldnt be very strong when you consider the loads being applied to it.

terbow

07-28-2007, 04:22 PM

Easy to say after a failure. No one raised this issue when the mount was being released. No one raised the issue when its performance was being praised. It's funny how many people are speaking out about the "poor design" after the fact.

actually your wrong about that. there was a few of us who did tell him it was a bad design. its not sls's design, so this was even before they got them. im not saying people arent jumping on the poor design bandwagon but it was brought up in its prototype stages.

JoshP5

07-28-2007, 11:32 PM

actually your wrong about that. there was a few of us who did tell him it was a bad design.

That's nice, but it would have been more helpful to the community had you indicated something to that effect in one of your posts in the SLS thread (http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/search.php?searchid=3626335).

terbow

07-28-2007, 11:55 PM

That's nice, but it would have been more helpful to the community had you indicated something to that effect in one of your posts in the SLS thread (http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/search.php?searchid=3626335).

i dont understand what your getting at? i told beau it was a bad design, did that stop him from making it? did that stop eric from buying them? others said it was a bad design, ive seen it posted..did it stop anyone from gettting them ? no not really, so i dont see what exactly your trying to say here. i do my part for the community. untill you catch up to me u can refrain from telling me whats good or not for the community.

Butlerg

07-29-2007, 05:07 AM

I did not see any bad design posts, and even if I did, I guess I admittedly got caught up on the "omg!!SLSmotormount!!!" hype. I'm hoping with my adventure with product faults, people will make a wiser and more knowledgeable decision than I did...hah

TheMAN

07-29-2007, 10:28 AM

Any design can be made better--it's part of product evolution. Since SLS is backing up their products and honoring their warranty, I don't think there's too much to be worried about.

One or two failures out of however many they sold isn't bad for an aftermarket product. This isn't factory stuff--these aftermarket companies don't have the resources to do full load measurements or structural modeling to optimize their designs. It's a reality you just have to accept when you choose to buy aftermarket products.
no they don't, but at least they could've attempted to copy the bracket design that mazda made (AWR did that, and only 1 failure due to bad welds which was a fluke... the percentage of sales volume AWR has over SLS further shows that AWR's quality is just fine... could be improved amongst other things of course) which anyone can tell is a lot stronger due to the amount of metal used and how the force is distributed... anyone who's taken a basic physics class could tell that and need not be an engineer! but it does appear SLS took the minimalist approach and designed everything from scratch on their own, and obviously being a small company, lacked the R&D resources to fully engineer it.... hell I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have an in-house engineer

pass the peas

07-29-2007, 11:31 AM

Easy to say after a failure. No one raised this issue when the mount was being released. No one raised the issue when its performance was being praised. It's funny how many people are speaking out about the "poor design" after the fact.
I never raised the issue because I never knew any other mounts besides factory and AWR existed until this thread. I suppose I missed all those threads because I'm not really interested in motor mounts as a mod for my vehicle at this point in time. And yes, it is easy to say anything after the fact.

DeadGeneration

07-29-2007, 12:45 PM

lol this kinda stuff is why I am done modding after this car just hilarious

terbow

07-29-2007, 01:14 PM

hardly anything they have is their design. its beaus (MAM). i have the cell phone pics of when he made the stuff before sls was even selling protege stuff.

problem is, beau was making dogbone mounts for other cars and while yea those work fine (cause the load is totally different), its not an effective design for our mount cause of the load, as stated many times.

so instead of redesigning it like he shoiuld have he made a bunch and sold them to sls (and the jig).

business is business i guess

no they don't, but at least they could've attempted to copy the bracket design that mazda made (AWR did that, and only 1 failure due to bad welds which was a fluke... the percentage of sales volume AWR has over SLS further shows that AWR's quality is just fine... could be improved amongst other things of course) which anyone can tell is a lot stronger due to the amount of metal used and how the force is distributed... anyone who's taken a basic physics class could tell that and need not be an engineer! but it does appear SLS took the minimalist approach and designed everything from scratch on their own, and obviously being a small company, lacked the R&D resources to fully engineer it.... hell I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have an in-house engineer

i12drivemyMP5

08-06-2007, 09:19 AM

SLS has sold over 150 front motor mounts so far. 1 breaks and now they are bad!! You guys are amazing. As for the side motor mounts, Eric said they have sold close to 100 and have had 2 people break the bracket and not the mount. 1 breaks and now it's horrible.
Keep inmind that there are many factors that play into the stress that is put on the front motor mount. If your rear and side are blown out, then the front is going to now support the entire motor and it's movement. As for the side motor mount brackets that have broke, the one guy torqued them down so hard that it's cracked the aluminum. The other was from there original design and since was corrected. If installed correctly their mounts are great. My roomate and myself both run SLS mounts and have not had a single problem. Infact there are many people that have not had a single issue. 150 front mount and 1 breaks, is a very good ratio.
Where are the mod's at? Isn't this vendor bashing?

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123628663&highlight=mazda+forum+rules+guidelinesTry keeping all that shit in mind when one or more of yours breaks for no good reason & NO it's design, mount & manufacturing defect bashing. The sales & support part worked just fine.

clicknext

08-06-2007, 11:58 AM

Butlerg, how much HP is your car making?

whitejerzy

08-06-2007, 01:08 PM

I'm a noob so bare with me, wats purpouse of changing motor mounts? Wat benifits do u get?

evilmonkeyMSP

08-06-2007, 01:12 PM

eliminates wheel hop, engine lash.
I'm a noob so bare with me, wats purpouse of changing motor mounts? Wat benifits do u get?

aMaff

08-06-2007, 01:15 PM

and you can turn your car into a vibrator! Girls love it! :p

Kooldino

08-06-2007, 01:26 PM

I would fire that welder.

Guess I'll have to start carrying my stock mount and a 17mm socket wrench around with me. :(

I wouldn't blame the welder, i'd blame the design. It never looked right to me. It puts too much tension on a small area.

The AWR mount is wedge shaped which spreads out the load.

SLSPERFORMANCE

08-06-2007, 05:39 PM

The problems have been fixed. We have sold over 150 side and front motor mounts and have never had a mount break until we brought on a new welder. The issue was due to lack of welding penetration and has now been rectified. Our mounts are guaranteed against defects and we will replace those with them. Since less than a handful where sent out(welded by our new welder) we are more than confident there wil be no further issues.

DeadGeneration

08-06-2007, 06:18 PM

I'm a noob so bare with me, wats purpouse of changing motor mounts? Wat benifits do u get?

If I didn't have an aftermarket engine mount on my car then I would probably hop over into another lane when I shift into 2nd on full throttle. That wouldn't be cool.

BOOSTR

08-06-2007, 06:57 PM

Ok some people don't like the design and prefer the other two mounts which are on the market. Fair enough.

I can tell you that I am more than satisfied with the two SLS mounts that I have. Both mounts are performing as advertised and I have ZERO regrets about using them.

My right foot and forced induction have yet to break them!

terbow

08-06-2007, 08:21 PM

ive heard lots of good. just cause i dont agree with the design doesnt mean its crap. plus eric takes care of his customers.

i12drivemyMP5

08-06-2007, 09:18 PM

I elected based upon my personal experience & preference to stay with what has worked well & earned my trust over the years with problem free performance. Not needing any followers, not trying to sway opinions. Simply stated the facts of my experience. What others do with the information is for them to decide. One of the main beneficial points of this forum is exchange of information, no matter what it is. The customer service & product backing wasn't a problem at SLS, never said or implied otherwise.

Butlerg

08-07-2007, 01:44 PM

Butlerg, how much HP is your car making?

Absolutely stock...Except for a Mazdaspeed exhaust if that counts. ha...Still waiting to hear back from SLS

Magus

08-08-2007, 08:05 AM

Well I have had the SLS Side and Front mounts since May 20th without any problems (almost 3 months).

SLS I would make one suggestion to help make installation easier: Weld the nuts to the front mount. This will make it infinitely easier to put the bolts on. I had to wedge a cresent wrench on the bolts to get the nuts on! I have a friend that I suggested to get SLS, and his side mount unfornuately had a weld problem. SLS is replacing the mount from my understanding. I told him to weld the nuts on the front mount to save them the hassle I went though. SLS, do you guys feel welding the nuts is not a good idea or would you guys send matching nuts for the bolts for future customers?

Magus

terbow

08-08-2007, 11:29 AM

y not weld the bolts to the mount like awr and stock. its really easy that way. that must be a pain to line up.

JoshP5

08-08-2007, 11:52 AM

Nah, it's not that bad. Install took me half an hour, and I'm a total newb wrench. Didn't need to hold the bolts fixed, after finger tightening I used a socket wrench on the nuts and they cinched up nicely. Maybe I just got lucky.

terbow

08-08-2007, 11:58 AM

oh thats not bad. the mounts kinda fixed and the engine doesnt move well so i didnt know if that would make it hard. i doubt it was luck. u have the gift.

SLSPERFORMANCE

08-08-2007, 12:04 PM

Welding the nuts has been a concideration for a while.

As you all know yes we did buy the jigs and designs from Beau/MAM not realizing we would have problems. All the mounts we tested before sending them to the public have all been fine (No breaks, cracks, or vibrations) so we are a little supprised to have one fail now. Please understand that we are working on some stronger designs and getting replacement parts out.

__________________________________________________ ________

If you have a broken mount or any other defective part please email us with the following information: (PLEASE DO NOT PM US THIS INFORMATION AS THIS WILL DELAY GETTING THE REPLACEMENT PARTS TO YOU)

Name:
Phone #:
Address:
City, State, Zip Code:
Order / Invoice#:
Date Of Purchase:
Part that is defective:
Reason for replacement request:

Once received we will issue a Return Authorization #
When you get this RA# return the product to us with the number on the outside of the box and we will get a replacement part out to you.

Thank you for your understanding.
Eric

i12drivemyMP5

08-08-2007, 01:14 PM

Your diligence in the customer service side of the house & response with design change thoughts & ideas to "real world testing" issues is comendable regardless of anyone's personal experiences including my own. It's refreshing to see input from customer base being acknowledged vs. just being blown off.

5PADZAM

08-08-2007, 02:31 PM

The problems have been fixed. We have sold over 150 side and front motor mounts and have never had a mount break until we brought on a new welder. The issue was due to lack of welding penetration and has now been rectified. Our mounts are guaranteed against defects and we will replace those with them. Since less than a handful where sent out(welded by our new welder) we are more than confident there wil be no further issues.

First of all, I appreciate your honesty, and willingness to back your products. I would like to know if there is any way to know if I have one of the handful of potentially bad mounts that was sent out? I bought mine about a month before Butlerg started this thread, and am concerned that I may have a ticking time bomb holding the front of my engine up. I still have the e-mails that you sent me, so I know when it was shipped. I really like the performance of the mount, and would love to be able to trust it. But I am concerned that I need to drive like a granny so I don't break my SLS mount, or go with a different or stock mount. I'm sure that there are others here that are wondering the same thing. Thanks in advance for your response.

SLSPERFORMANCE

08-08-2007, 03:45 PM

First of all, I appreciate your honesty, and willingness to back your products. I would like to know if there is any way to know if I have one of the handful of potentially bad mounts that was sent out? I bought mine about a month before Butlerg started this thread, and am concerned that I may have a ticking time bomb holding the front of my engine up. I still have the e-mails that you sent me, so I know when it was shipped. I really like the performance of the mount, and would love to be able to trust it. But I am concerned that I need to drive like a granny so I don't break my SLS mount, or go with a different or stock mount. I'm sure that there are others here that are wondering the same thing. Thanks in advance for your response.

Your mount is not going to have any issues. The truth of the matter is only 5 set's where welded up by the new guy and only a few made it out the door. Those that did make it into customers hands have been contacted and asked to return them. So, if you did not get an email or phone call you have no worries. Give the mount all you got.

DeadGeneration

08-08-2007, 04:25 PM

Glad to see it's an isolated problem and taken care of. As far as the installation goes, some people were talking about it, I personally had to jack my engine up with a 2x4 between the jack and bottom of engine.

DeadGeneration

08-08-2007, 04:26 PM

oh yea and I have a torn right stock mount but all the others are ok... wierd? lol I haven't considered replacing it.

5PADZAM

08-08-2007, 04:26 PM

Your mount is not going to have any issues. The truth of the matter is only 5 set's where welded up by the new guy and only a few made it out the door. Those that did make it into customers hands have been contacted and asked to return them. So, if you did not get an email or phone call you have no worries. Give the mount all you got.

Thanks Eric, that makes me feel a lot better about the mount.(thumb)

5PADZAM

08-08-2007, 04:30 PM

Glad to see it's an isolated problem and taken care of. As far as the installation goes, some people were talking about it, I personally had to jack my engine up with a 2x4 between the jack and bottom of engine.

I didn't even have to support my engine when I changed my mount out. I guess that means my other mounts are still good.(cool)

I didn't have to hold the bolts with a wrench either. Like JoshP5, once the nuts were finger tight, it cinched right up with the socket wrench and the bolts didn't turn at all.

Butlerg

08-11-2007, 01:06 AM

I got a replacement today instead of a refund...A (in my opinion) now sketchy mount...Just came in the mail today. Anyone in Hawaii want to buy it?

5PADZAM

08-11-2007, 01:31 AM

I think you should give Eric the benefit of the doubt here. He explained the problem, and you got a replacement. No need to keep trash talking an authorized vendor who made good on his promise. You might want to read the rulse Butlerg:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showt...les+guidelines

Every company out there is capable of sending out defective product. Yours is the only front mount I have seen that broke like that. And they have learned from the failure. That's the way it is supposed to work.

I took my SLS mount off today to inspect it, and there is absolutely no sign of any problems developing. I put it right back on the car. And I plan to keep driving exactly the same way I always do, like I stole it.(drive2)

L8R

08-11-2007, 01:58 AM

Yes, be glad he didn't run like some past vendors here...
I think he is embarrassed enough that it broke. To show face on here again and help is great. Weapon R did the same thing with me when I bitched about their engine damper... lol

clicknext

08-11-2007, 02:35 AM

Yeah I think the way this was handled was pretty good, and in a timely fashion. As long no more mounts end up breaking and we know this really is an isolated issue, SLS is staying in my good books, methinks.

I totally understand you not wanting to put another one in your car again, but I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt by not bashing the vendor more since he's done all he can to correct it.

I took mine out to check it out too and couldn't see any problems from a visual inspection.

Butlerg

08-11-2007, 06:04 AM

Yeah. I see what you're all saying. I didn't mean to come across like I was bashing him. Just a little disappointed. But it's alright. I'll just accept.

Magus

08-11-2007, 10:01 PM

I think it's just a bad batch man. I have both the front and side and they are just fine. I would mention my friends side broke the same way, but the side mount. I hope eases your worry.

Magus

MakeMeGoFast

08-11-2007, 10:11 PM

Is that red stuff rust?

Hard to see how a part could rust that badly in 200 miles. Also the part on the left looks like it's rustier than the part on the right. So maybe that piece of metal was rusty, they welded it on, and it didn't hold because the rust weakened the weld? Seems crazy to built a motor mount with rusty metal though, maybe it's just primer? Even then, why prime a piece where there will be a metal to metal contact?

When you heat metal it will oxidize much quicker, like when you weld. only thing that i could think is that it wasnt cleaned before painting. eiter way the weld was crap, its bad news if the filler material broke off cleanly.

personally i think its a bad design, wthout some sort of triangulation for strength. like the AWR. FS's are notorius for there vibration and that would tear a bad quality mount to shreads. Look what it does to the stock mounts

Tasty

08-11-2007, 10:29 PM

I would fire that welder.

Guess I'll have to start carrying my stock mount and a 17mm socket wrench around with me. :(

Yep, that's a horrible weld. Must have been the guy's first day with the stick.

Butlerg

08-11-2007, 11:31 PM

hmm...I was looking at the replacement mount and wondering...Do they reuse them or just reweld what I sent back? There's an engine bracket imprint already in the rubber...

5PADZAM

08-11-2007, 11:43 PM

hmm...I was looking at the replacement mount and wondering...Do they reuse them or just reweld what I sent back? There's an engine bracket imprint already in the rubber...

Hmmm... that's a good question. However, do you think that they would send you a replacement mount that had a possibility of breaking again? I would think that the mount you now have is probably stonger than any other mount they have made. Even if they re-welded your old one. I'm sure they don't want another mount breaking on you after starting this thread. Just my opioion though.

Butlerg

08-12-2007, 05:15 AM

Yeah. I'm sure it's strong and all. I'm just extra paranoid...haha

Dermen

08-12-2007, 04:52 PM

They probably just gave you the same bushing from your old mount. They are removable.

That would be my guess anyway. I don't think they would have re-welded it and sent it off to be powerdercoated. I would think they only send out batches of stuff to be powdercoated, but you never know I guess.

JoshP5

08-12-2007, 07:49 PM

Yeah, I read one of their posts saying something like there's only one powdercoater in SLC and there's a 2-week delay on their orders.

SLSPERFORMANCE

08-13-2007, 02:37 PM

hmm...I was looking at the replacement mount and wondering...Do they reuse them or just reweld what I sent back? There's an engine bracket imprint already in the rubber...

The imprint you see is from our press where we pressed the bushing in.

Magus

08-13-2007, 02:50 PM

That's what I am talking about, quick responses!

Magus

kamon8404

08-27-2007, 04:12 PM

Subbin to read when I get home from work ...

i12drivemyMP5

08-28-2007, 11:47 PM

Bad batch, isolated incidents, fluke & good customer service. Somebody buy my front & side, 2k miles pair + big sls performance silver letters sticker. Yeah, I got pics...for anyone interested. PM if so.

kamon8404

08-29-2007, 11:22 AM

Why are you trying to sell yours then?

i12drivemyMP5

08-29-2007, 04:41 PM

Why are you trying to sell yours then?
Because I have sport auto daily driver that hasn't torn any of the oems. I have rr inserts in the front only & no vibrations. The SLS ones were just some "modded something that didn't need attention" thing that induced vibration & side bracket broke after less than 2k so I went back to oem on side & oem + inserts in front since they have lasted for years without issue. I got the replacement bracket but am choosing not to go back with them.

jimmybrite

08-29-2007, 04:55 PM

mine broke as well and they dont want to give me my money back I will not accept an exchange im afraid it'll break again!