Dilemma...

[iwannagofast]

Hey guys, I've been lurking on this forum since I've bought my car in late 2007.

I own a 2007 Speed3. No accidents, no problems (smoking/mech), completely stock, never raced (seriously), driven like a grandma, and just about to teeter over 25k. Original clutch still good. Not driven very much as you can see.

I loved the car at first, but after awhile the small gripes I have had with the car is starting to gnaw at me.

-gearbox (1~2 especially....)
-engine mount (constantly worried that "spirited" driving might break the mounts (hence me driving like a granny)
-sensitive clutch. I got this down, but is still annoying if I let the clutch slip ever so little too much, it would grab. I guess this is not a terrible thing...
-the forward lash after the gas pedal has been lifted is a pain also. I'd say I feel this lash much more than other manual cars I've driven.

I'm thinking of 2 solutions...

1. Sell it. Being it in the condition that it is in, I'd say I can get a pretty good resale value.
2. Swap all mounts. (I thought about just replacing the RMM, but I still see people breaking mounts! Really... I remember reading someone's post on this forum where they were saying that RMM swap is just a sort of bypass.) But this seems like a $500+ investment. Yikes.

I really do like the car other wise, but other things also worry me such as the smoking turbo, etc...

I feel like driving this car so moderately has changed my driving behavior. Damn it.
I miss the days of having a beater, lol.

Maybe I'm just paranoid.(boom06)

Any suggestions?

 

[WillD]

I think you might be slightly on the paranoid side. It's never bad to baby a car you like but these cars can take some abuse. My 2008 has 80,000 miles for example and at times it's driven pretty hard (autocross, etc).

My biggest complaint about the car was the shifting... I recently got a TWM STS and it has made things tremendously better. As far as the mounts go, if I were you I'd just swap out the RMM and start from there. If you break a mount you can always get a new one.

 

[jay32m]

I think a bit too paranoid. I agree with the shifting 1-2 but like WillD stated just swap the RMM and go from there if you feel you need to add more. I have had the SU RMM for over 3 years and have had no problems or worries. I also installed some shifter bushings when I installed the RMM and I think the combo made a good difference. Even my wife who drove my car on occasion noticed the difference in the feel once I changed them.

 

[b e z]

I agree with these guys as well, it is an 07 so i would definetly change the RMM and just leave the other mounts alone for now. As far as the shifting try out a shift plate with a counterweight, its like 100 bucks and i hear it makes a world of difference.

 

[rsvinylgraphics]

Just swapping the stock counterweight with a lighter one made a huge difference for me.

 

[chimmike]

Rape the car. Have fun with it. That's what it was built for.

The only mount (not plural) that could be problematic is the rear motor mount. Takes 10 mins to swap out. Also, only a couple of people have actually had the turbo kiss the firewall due to a bad rear motor mount.

It is possible that one of the side mounts will pop (oil filled) but that's pretty darn rare. The 1-2 shift is a common gripe. Upgrade your trans fluid to the ford MTF. It's like $20/quart, but apparently very, very good.

 

[WillD]

Ford MTF is worth every penny.

 

[magicka]

Try a little adjustment first. It's free.

After that, an RMM (I like my JBR, but SURE, CP-E and some other are options). I'd try that first before changing the other two. You're not going to break the stock mounts at stock power. Tranny fluid is also an easy, fairly cheap, upgrade. I've heard nothing but good things about the Ford MotorCraft fluid, but any new fluid will be a change for the better.

 

[iwannagofast]

Thank you guys for the feedback.

Hmm... It's about that time to change the gear oil too. I'll look into the Ford MTF. (The stock fluid was also Ford if I am not mistaken, yes?)

I guess I'll try to swap the RMM sometime. Maybe I'll do both when I do my next oil change.

Thanks again guys. (More advices are welcome!!!)(2thumbs)

Now, to research RMMs!

 

[Kain]

Might be good to encase yourself in bubblewrap.

 

[WillD]

Thank you guys for the feedback.

Hmm... It's about that time to change the gear oil too. I'll look into the Ford MTF. (The stock fluid was also Ford if I am not mistaken, yes?)

I guess I'll try to swap the RMM sometime. Maybe I'll do both when I do my next oil change.

Thanks again guys. (More advices are welcome!!!)(2thumbs)

Now, to research RMMs!

That'd be a good start. Change one thing at a time and see how it feels, if you still don't like it move on to the next mod.