Engine Modification (FAQ)

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FAQ

What is the purpose of an engine damper?

In theory an engine damper directs more HP to the wheels by coupling the engine's wasted motion directly to the vehicle's chassis.

Viewed from the front, your engine's crankshaft rotates in a clockwise* direction. Due to the various laws of physics, this causes the engine block itself to rotate in the opposite counterclockwise direction.

As the author Robert Heinlein once said "There's no such thing as a free lunch". Meaning that it takes energy to rotate the engine block (and transmission) on it's mounts. This is considered to be "wasted motion", since you are expending horsepower to rotate the engine instead of rotating your tires.

By coupling the upper engine assembly directly to the chassis (with a dampening device), we are slowing the rate at which this wasted motion can be applied. Thus, directing more power to the wheels.

So is this part a good idea? Sure, on a 500+ HP car where damage to motor mounts may occur without using some form of damper. On the typical NA street car, the effects are negligible.