RMM Upgrade Break In Expectations

PapaBone

PapaBone

2 Car seats = +100 hp
Greenie N00B Member
Hi Folks,

Back again with a noob question. I have upgraded my RMM (Damond RMM, but I figured a general thread would be helpful) coming from stock RMM and I just want to get the general consensus of what I should be feeling during the break in period specifically around start up and clutch/gas engagement. Again, this is my first ever RMM upgrade to any car I've owned. Aside from the below items, I love it. I've installed it per the instructions, but will double check again to make sure.

I understand 100% about the vibes when taking off or around 1-1.5k and that those will calm

Ive searched but couldn't really find info on the 3 other things I am feeling
1. Harsh Start up, Loud clunk
2. Sometimes at low speeds, pressing the gas will cause a light clunk
3. Harder accel will cause light clunk gears 1-3

Are the above normal and will go away with time?
 
When i installed my JBR RMM. The vibes where huge, I thought my review mirror was gonna come off. But the good news is that it went away after the mount broke in. Which took about 500 miles. Now its not very noticeable except for when I hit a certain rpm. But that's the only negative. The positives are better feel at the steering wheel, not a loud bang noise of your engine hitting the firewall on hard acceleration, and my shifts felt smoother. So for me it was no brainier the rmm was well worth the money and probably the easiest thing I've installed on the car next to the access port.
 
yeah so on a cold start it defiantly vibs a bit more, but once it settles to the idle rpms of 750ish the vibs are gone. I hear that dimond rmm handles vibes the best compared to others so you will probably notice less. My mount was 88a so its pretty hard.
 
Thanks @Gizmo

I think I am feeling something more than vibes at startup. But I will let her break in more. I'll try to take a video of startup
 
Can confirm the Damond is much smoother than the JBR.
You really get what you pay for in this case.
Both will give you better performance (over stock one) per say, but one will give you more comfort.

Sent from my SP-G246279105748201337:D
 
You seem to mention a lot of clunks. I don't remember a lot of clunks when I ran the DM RMM, but I remember some strong thuds whenever I mistime my upshift/downshifts. The harsh start-up will die down after it breaks in. The vibes when taking off will not go away even after break in. In my car, I had the worst vibration and rattle at around 1200-1400 RPM when accelerating. It is lessened after break-in, but it was very much still there. In fact this one annoyed me the most in stop and go traffic and is one of the reasons I switched to a different RMM. The other reason being the deceleration vibes from 3k-2.7k rpm while driving on the highway. I still think this is a great mount for spirited driving though and loved it the most in city driving. I think is a great RMM for autocross.

Here is my initial review of the DM RMM which I copy pasted from the other forum. Most of the impressions listed in the review stayed the same after break-in, just with lesser vibes.
------------------
So I finally got the DM RMM installed today. I have put a little over 50 miles on it since the install. I tried to write down my impressions as much as I can before I forget the details. It must be noted that this is my first aftermarket RMM and so I can only compare it to the stock RMM.

First impressions are, it vibrates, a lot, but only on a specific RPM range. That RPM range is between 750 to 1600 RPM on my car.
- With the AC on and on idle, there is mild vibration at around 750-800 RPM. The vibration here is fine, it is mild and kind of feels soothing, to me at least.
  • When taking off from a stop, it vibrates from 750 to 1600 RPM, but the worst vibration is at around 1300-1400 RPM. Everything seems to vibrate at that range, loud vibration. If you have stuff on your car, phone mounts, gauges, sunglasses, coins, etc... that usually rattle on the stock mount, they will rattle loudly in this RPM range. That said, I think you can sort of minimize the issue here by simply accelerating faster and shifting at 3k RPM. If you accelerate slowly, like I usually do, you will most likely end up in this RPM range while you are trying to get off first gear. If you accelerate quickly, you will quickly pass this RPM range and get into 2nd gear, which leads to my next impression.
  • Shifting from 1st to 2nd gear has been improved dramatically, even when you shift at high RPM from 1st to 2nd. The shifts are now so smooth. The engine feels really connected to the transmission and to the car. There is no more herky jerky feeling when shifting from 1st to 2nd. In the past I have been avoiding shifting at high RPM from 1st to 2nd for fear of not rev-matching it right and looking like a noob on the street. I don't worry about that anymore.
  • - Torque steer seems to have decreased significantly when going WOT on 2nd gear. I used to have fight the steering wheel as it wiggles a lot when doing so, but with this mount installed, that has lessened a lot. It seems easier to put the power down now with this RMM installed, which is great as this is the primary reason why I got this RMM in the first place. (I still have to try going WOT on 2nd gear on an on-ramp that produces terrible torque steer with the stock mount. Will report my impressions on that in the future.)
  • Shifting into other gears has been improved as well. Downshifting has also been greatly improved. Previously, I would have to be really spot on with rev-matching my shifts to minimize the herky jerky movements when shifting. Now even if I make a mistake, I wouldn't even notice since the shifts up or down are so smooth.
  • - There seems to be no vibration while cruising on the highway (with your foot lightly on the throttle). I've driven it between 60mph - 80mph and it is fine. However it doesn't feel like stock, it feels different even without the vibration, it feels like the car is stiffer, or that the engine and transmission are stiffer or more connected.
  • There is slight vibration on deceleration like when coasting on the highway or coasting to a stop on a light. The vibration on highway deceleration is more noticeable than when coasting to a light and seems to be more noticeable at around 2700 RPM. If you get back on the gas or brakes lightly, the vibrations go away. When coasting to a traffic light, there is slight vibration, but quickly goes away if you lightly get on the brakes. In fact, if you are coming to a stop and are on the brakes, it doesn't vibrate at all even at the 750 - 1600 RPM range.
  • The volume of the exhaust in the cabin has increased, which is great for me as this is one of the reasons I chose this RMM over the others. It makes my Magnaflow CBE (which everyone knows is quieter than the others) more noticeable inside the car. When going WOT and shifting, the volume of the exhaust is significantly louder.
  • One of my new favorite things to do with this RMM installed on the car, is starting up the car. It sounds like starting up a racecar. I can't explain it, but I just love the sound the car makes when starting up.

My conclusions as of right now:
  • I like it very much. I think the improvement in shifting, drivability and the extra exhaust volume outweighs the increased NVH. I mean it vibes a lot, especially at that 1300-1400 RPM range, but I think I can live with it. If the vibrations die down as the mount breaks in, then all the better. (This turned out to be false for me since I eventually got tired of it LOL)
  • I think this will suck in stop and go traffic, but I also think I can drive around it since I know the RPM range where it vibrates the most. I will report back once I get more miles and commuting done with it. (Yes you can drive around it, but it still sucked in stop and go traffic.)
 
Last edited:
Finch204 said:
You seem to mention a lot of clunks. I don't remember a lot of clunks when I ran the DM RMM, but I remember some strong thuds whenever I mistime my upshift/downshifts. The harsh start-up will die down after it breaks in. The vibes when taking off will not go away even after break in. In my car, I had the worst vibration and rattle at around 1200-1400 RPM when accelerating. It is lessened after break-in, but it was very much still there. In fact this one annoyed me the most in stop and go traffic and is one of the reasons I switched to a different RMM. The other reason being the deceleration vibes from 3k-2.7k rpm while driving on the highway. I still think this is a great mount for spirited driving though and loved it the most in city driving. I think is a great RMM for autocross.

Here is my initial review of the DM RMM which I copy pasted from the other forum. Most of the impressions listed in the review stayed the same after break-in, just with lesser vibes.
Click to expand...

Thanks a bunch @Finch204 for that reply. I think THUD may be a better description. All seems to be normal, especially with maybe 50 miles on it since install.

I'm just being paranoid
 
You only have the RMM, right? (I didn't see when glancing above and am being lazy, haha). If so, talk to me about clunk when you're fully mounted. Going into gear and other common shifting scenarios will introduce you to a whole new world of noises that were muted before, LOL.

I'll talk to you about phenomenal shifting and how (for me, anyways) performance >>> NVH, even though I'm pretty mild in my NVH tolerance. Totally worth it even with my noise intolerance, all things considered. And fully Damond mounted >>> fully other mounted, based on what I've heard and my personal experience with other mounts.
 
I think if you do a lot of autocross or street-racing or track racing, the DM RMM is a must and the performance outweighs the NVH.
 
Finch204 said:
I think if you do a lot of autocross or street-racing or track racing, the DM RMM is a must and the performance outweighs the NVH.
Click to expand...
RMM = essential, especially if you get ethanol tuned. I know people who's engines banged their firewalls on stock RMM with so much power twisting the engine.

Any kind of tracking, fully-mounted is highly preferable, especially if you go bigger turbo. The performance boost of being fully mounted over just RMM is more significant that just RMM over stock RMM, IMHO.
 
PapaBone said:
@Redline Correct only RMM. Fully mounted DM sounds full race car for sure lol.
Click to expand...
It's actually quite livable. Fully DAMOND mounted, that is. I've ridden in other cars with full mounts from other manufacturers and I literally thought the car was broken/about to explode, LOL
 
Here's what I've got going on at idle today.
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Sent using smoke signals
 
I don't recall that clucking noise at idle when I had my DM RMM. The washers on either side of the horizontal bolt are different sizes so you might want to make sure they are on the proper sides.

Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk
 
Yeah my RMM dident make that noise either. Hard to hear on my phone but it sounds like something lose in the cabin of the car that is knocking with the vibs
 
It's under the car somewhere. I'm going to try to give it a look this weekend or next. I think my washers are on the wrong sides.

Sent using smoke signals
 
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