Quote:
Originally Posted by Bimma360
It's just the NVH and what I am willing to accept on this particular car. VTT describes the NVH as "little to none," and I think it's more like "little to some." Essentially, their lockdown brace amplifies engine resonance in the cabin. In other words it makes your engine sound louder. At low RPM, its "little." Above 3K RPM its "some." Under deceleration in the 4000 - 3200 RPM range there is a pretty pronounced growl/whine. I drive the car in manual 99.9% of the time, and with the way I drive I tend to decelerate through that range pretty often.
Generally speaking, the NVH is not bad. Hearing and feeling your engine a bit more might be a good thing for some. Especially if you have a louder exhaust. Just depends on what you want out of your car. For me, it turns out, only very little is acceptable on this car. The lockdown brace, to me, makes the car feel a bit more crude. I have plenty of old BMW's, I don't need this one to feel like one too. Haha actually the more I drive this thing the more I can't wait to rip this thing out.
As far as Ryan's solutions go. You just have to reach out to him on Facebook. He doesn't have a website or anything. The 14mm bolt kit I pictured in my earlier post is one of his solutions. It's essentially a stronger than OEM bolt, with a new steel sleeve to further increase strength vs stock. My view on all of this now is that I need to retain the factory bushing. So the only solution left is focus on the bolt itself. And for the sake of argument, let's say this isn't a permanent solution but buys me a few years (not saying that it's not). I would much rather replace or check on the bolt and sleeve every few years, then have to live with NVH.
|
Thank you for taking the time to explain this. That VTT differential lockdown brace looks awesome & super strong. But because of they way it amplifies drivetrain resonance from the rear subframe into the unibody, it's no wonder their hardly noticeable NVH claims is a touch off the mark.
To be honest, all these kist N new companies with different options gives me a little bit of a headache. I sure would liek to know which option is best in the long run & allows us to make our X3 M's stronger without the sacrifice of more noise & harshness in the cabin. If this were a track machine & didn't spend most of its time on the street, then we would be having a different conversation. I respect VVT & all they make. Just wish someone would make a definitive guide to all this & clearly show all the possible options with their pro's & cons.