Banzai-Racing's Transmission Crossmember review
Following up on this some more;
I replaced the original poly mount with the Autozone 2378 rubber mount recommended by <track>7, this noticeably improved NVH.
Compared to how it was before adding the Banzai-Racing trans mount there is still some added vibration, mostly noticed at idle with the AC on and at engine speeds above 6,000RPM but it is minimal. Most importantly, the raw gear whine at WOT that was being transmitted through the poly mount is almost completely gone.
I think this setup of the Banzai-Racing trans mount bracket and replacement rubber mount is probably the best compromise for increased driveline stiffness and NVH. The poly mount is surely better from a stiffness point of view, but the NVH trade-off was too severe for me.
On the Autozone mount: It was not a 100% bolt in, the mounting points for the upper side were too close together to work with the Banzai-Racing bracket and the mount needed to be notched for the bolts to fit through. Normally I would never do this as it likely compromises the rubber mount strength somewhat, but since the Banzai-Racing mount is just an addition to an existing system that does not necessarily require the extra bracket I rationalized it - for me, the alternative was removing the Banzai-Racing trans bracket and even with the notched replacement rubber mount there is still a very noticeable improvement in shifter stability (and, likely, reduced stress on the PPF).
So my vote on the Banzai-Racing trans brace/mount (with replacement rubber mount):
I replaced the original poly mount with the Autozone 2378 rubber mount recommended by <track>7, this noticeably improved NVH.
Compared to how it was before adding the Banzai-Racing trans mount there is still some added vibration, mostly noticed at idle with the AC on and at engine speeds above 6,000RPM but it is minimal. Most importantly, the raw gear whine at WOT that was being transmitted through the poly mount is almost completely gone.
I think this setup of the Banzai-Racing trans mount bracket and replacement rubber mount is probably the best compromise for increased driveline stiffness and NVH. The poly mount is surely better from a stiffness point of view, but the NVH trade-off was too severe for me.
On the Autozone mount: It was not a 100% bolt in, the mounting points for the upper side were too close together to work with the Banzai-Racing bracket and the mount needed to be notched for the bolts to fit through. Normally I would never do this as it likely compromises the rubber mount strength somewhat, but since the Banzai-Racing mount is just an addition to an existing system that does not necessarily require the extra bracket I rationalized it - for me, the alternative was removing the Banzai-Racing trans bracket and even with the notched replacement rubber mount there is still a very noticeable improvement in shifter stability (and, likely, reduced stress on the PPF).
So my vote on the Banzai-Racing trans brace/mount (with replacement rubber mount):
FYI, be careful when posting anything regarding Banzai that doesnt agree with Chris(Banzai). You may not be allowed to purchase anything from them again. Speaking from personal experience related to this thread.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 336
Likes: 14
From: UK
An alternative is the RE-Wing transmission crossmember brace which is a very similar design but uses a rubber bushing. That means no increase in NVH like the Banzai brace. It is imported from Japane though so will be more expensive once it reaches your door.
https://www.rhdjapan.com/re-wing-tra...ount-fd3s.html
https://www.rhdjapan.com/re-wing-tra...ount-fd3s.html
I can post up the email if anyone is interested, but this thread is not about the drama that David has tried to start twice now in this thread. I just let it go last time, however I have a problem with continued BS
Now as far as any increase in NVH, on a car with healthy motor and diff mounts (stock or aftermarket) there is no noticeable increase of any kind. Many people are driving around on broken motor mounts and have no idea, since the metal arm is still sitting on the rubber puck. The oem motor and diff mounts are hydraulic, which means they are oil filled, when they rupture the oil leaks out leaving the empty rubber shell. On the early models the left side motor mount has an aluminum arm with a bonded rubber mount, that rips off.
As I said earlier in this thread, if installation has increased NVH, then check your mounts.
Ruptured diff mount
broken motor mount
The RE wing uses the trans mounts from the FC, which fail even on the N/A model
Last edited by Banzai-Racing; Sep 23, 2017 at 08:33 AM.
I have an idea where this is coming from. You emailed me about the GM part, I said I was aware of it and that it would be inferior. You thought I should be thanking you for teaching me something. You did not like my response and stated that you were never going to buy from us again. Then you posted the rubber part in this thread, there was no communication of any kind after that. You were never banned from our shop, that was a desicion you made.
I can post up the email if anyone is interested, but this thread is not about the drama that David has tried to start twice now in this thread. I just let it go last time, however I have a problem with continued BS
I can post up the email if anyone is interested, but this thread is not about the drama that David has tried to start twice now in this thread. I just let it go last time, however I have a problem with continued BS
Wow. I bought the banzai trans mount which wouldn't even fit, then I noticed my motor mounts were pretty much shot and one of the diff mounts was leaking. Replaced these with their street motor mounts and the differential with poly, then it fit perfectly and it really strikes the best balance between comfort and rigidity on my mostly stock street driven car.
There you have it folks, David's (<track>7) fragile little ego even gets slightly bumped and he lashes out with personal attacks.Exactly how he acted in his emails. Sellers and vendors need to stay clear of this guy. Anyone that wants to see his emails just PM me, I am not going to clutter this thread with his school girl drama, which is why I did not address his statements from 4 years ago.
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 842
Likes: 115
From: South Orange County, CA
Good feedback
...Now as far as any increase in NVH, on a car with healthy motor and diff mounts (stock or aftermarket) there is no noticeable increase of any kind. Many people are driving around on broken motor mounts and have no idea, since the metal arm is still sitting on the rubber puck. The oem motor and diff mounts are hydraulic, which means they are oil filled, when they rupture the oil leaks out leaving the empty rubber shell. On the early models the left side motor mount has an aluminum arm with a bonded rubber mount, that rips off.
As I said earlier in this thread, if installation has increased NVH, then check your mounts...
Thanks for the feedback anyway!
It was the first real piece of wrenching i did on my RX-7, and it is fairly straight foreward, but takes a bit of time. You can do it in a couple of hours if you follow the guides posted in the FAQ sections.
It's awfully dumb when someone tries to attack one of the long standing vendors here that actively develops new parts for our cars and has a shop that actually builds engines. Most of the car world has long forgotten our cars and barely offer maintenance items.
In any case, this transmission brace is on my list if I ever get the rest of my crap I need
Vince
In any case, this transmission brace is on my list if I ever get the rest of my crap I need
Vince
Had a great conversation with Elaine on the Banzai team and the crossmember was mentioned which piqued my interest. Often it's difficult to get my car into reverse (usually when cold) and she mentioned the crossmember would alleviate this. This would be my primary desired outcome among the other benefits. Anyone notice improvement in that regard specifically?
Last edited by 94 R2; Sep 17, 2018 at 03:30 PM.
Elaine said it would assist with shifting not cure a worn or broken trans. If your car does not ever go into reverse that is something mechanically wrong that will not be solved by adding our product.
She did not say it would alleviate that issue either, she knows our products far better than that and would not make empty promises to sell something. Our crossmember holds the tail shaft of the trans, basically it really helps forward motion under load to stop the trans from flopping around. If you can't get your car into gear from a dead stop you have a mechanical problem with your trans.
I installed one of these on my car over a year ago. it's a great product with 0 issues. I have a friend with nearly identical engine work and my trans/sifter feels much more solid.
bolt it on and see, install is very easy. You can always install the rubber GM mount in a few minutes or remove the crossmember completely. It only takes 10-15 minutes.
Its amazing that you used an off-the-shelf mount for this. So easy when i can just go and order either a super stiff or a stock ruber mount on ebay if you want to deviate from the supplied mount.
Jesus! I can't believe I just read through years on this thread! From great reviews to BS drama back to more great reviews. I'm definitely sold on the crossmember. I have to feel this for myself now, after hearing such great reviews.
Chris, kudos for you and Banzai-Racing for creating great products for the rotary platform and maintaining your cool with disgruntled customers
Chris, kudos for you and Banzai-Racing for creating great products for the rotary platform and maintaining your cool with disgruntled customers
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: NY
Just bringing this thread back AGAIN...but wanted to see if anyone else noticed this once they installed their crossmember.
After install, i did notice some increase in NVH (Which was expected) but it also felt that it was putting extra strain on my transmission in terms of how freely it revs. I've thought that maybe i have it torqued down out of spec, and because of the poly bushing being so stiff, it pushed my trans out of alignment with everything else.
Just wondering if anyone else knows torque specs for this, as well as the pep boys part number for the other rubber bushing.
Things to note are my motor mounts as well as diff mounts are brand new, also poly though.
After install, i did notice some increase in NVH (Which was expected) but it also felt that it was putting extra strain on my transmission in terms of how freely it revs. I've thought that maybe i have it torqued down out of spec, and because of the poly bushing being so stiff, it pushed my trans out of alignment with everything else.
Just wondering if anyone else knows torque specs for this, as well as the pep boys part number for the other rubber bushing.
Things to note are my motor mounts as well as diff mounts are brand new, also poly though.
So you installed poly motor/diff mounts and the trans brace all at the same time and noticed an increase in NVH?
Im not surprised.
Poly motor mounts increase NVH, even with the little rubber bushings on either side of the subframe. Can’t speak fo poly diff mounts as I use Mazda comp there. If I installed this crossmember, I would expect a small increase in NVH. But it wouldn’t stop me from buying one. This is still on my wish list.
Matt
Im not surprised.
Poly motor mounts increase NVH, even with the little rubber bushings on either side of the subframe. Can’t speak fo poly diff mounts as I use Mazda comp there. If I installed this crossmember, I would expect a small increase in NVH. But it wouldn’t stop me from buying one. This is still on my wish list.
Matt
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: NY
I didnt install them at the same time, Ive had the motor and diff mounts installed previously and there was little to no noticeable NVH that I cared about. I also have the diff brace installed. But the cross member just seemed to take it over the top.
But im not really concerned with the noises versus the rev'ing of my motor/trans.
Now that the crossmember is on, it feels like the motor is straining to hit redline, where it was more free-reving before.
Seeing if anybody experienced this during install. Already ordered the rubber replacement from Autozone, so seeing if that helps.
But im not really concerned with the noises versus the rev'ing of my motor/trans.
Now that the crossmember is on, it feels like the motor is straining to hit redline, where it was more free-reving before.
Seeing if anybody experienced this during install. Already ordered the rubber replacement from Autozone, so seeing if that helps.
I didnt install them at the same time, Ive had the motor and diff mounts installed previously and there was little to no noticeable NVH that I cared about. I also have the diff brace installed. But the cross member just seemed to take it over the top.
But im not really concerned with the noises versus the rev'ing of my motor/trans.
Now that the crossmember is on, it feels like the motor is straining to hit redline, where it was more free-reving before.
Seeing if anybody experienced this during install. Already ordered the rubber replacement from Autozone, so seeing if that helps.
But im not really concerned with the noises versus the rev'ing of my motor/trans.
Now that the crossmember is on, it feels like the motor is straining to hit redline, where it was more free-reving before.
Seeing if anybody experienced this during install. Already ordered the rubber replacement from Autozone, so seeing if that helps.