XLR8 Engine Torque Damper: '04-'08 TL Manual

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Old 04-05-2012, 09:46 AM
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I'm glad someone bumped this because I've been meaning to write a quick review.

I installed the ETD last Saturday. My stock unit was toast just as everyone else here has reported.

Install was easy and straight forward. I lock-tited everything that I thought needed it.

Man oh man what a difference! Like someone on here said I can even feel a difference when starting the car! Driving in stop and go traffic now is night and day. I ended up using the stiffer bushings and so far I can't notice any adverse affects from installing this.

Money very well spent. Dare I say the best $150 I've spent on my car? Maybe.
Old 04-06-2012, 02:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Maharajamd
I'm glad someone bumped this because I've been meaning to write a quick review.

I installed the ETD last Saturday. My stock unit was toast just as everyone else here has reported.

Install was easy and straight forward. I lock-tited everything that I thought needed it.

Man oh man what a difference! Like someone on here said I can even feel a difference when starting the car! Driving in stop and go traffic now is night and day. I ended up using the stiffer bushings and so far I can't notice any adverse affects from installing this.

Money very well spent. Dare I say the best $150 I've spent on my car? Maybe.
Thanks for the feedback.
Old 04-10-2012, 08:46 AM
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You know what man I'm going to give more feedback.

After some time driving with this mod on I think I can say this is the best mod I've ever put on a car. Maybe it's making such a big impact to me because my stock unit was toast and or my mounts are starting to fail, but it is. In almost every facet of driving.

My TL is my DD. I drive it in traffic to and from work everyday. Lately my clutch has been getting worse and I know I'm about ready to have to replace it. Between the clutch and the horrible engine rocking in stop and go traffic my car has not been fun to drive. Well not anymore. I'd say 50% of what I was attributing to the failing clutch this mod resolved. I'm not joking.

Starting the car feels more solid. 1st and 2nd gear changes feel COMPLETELY different. Braking feels more solid and precise. When taking off it even feels like it has reduced torque steer (am I way off on this because that's what it feels like).

If you have a MT, upgrade. If you have an AT, omg, I can't imagine not having anything, BUY THIS PRODUCT.
Old 04-10-2012, 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Maharajamd
You know what man I'm going to give more feedback.

After some time driving with this mod on I think I can say this is the best mod I've ever put on a car. Maybe it's making such a big impact to me because my stock unit was toast and or my mounts are starting to fail, but it is. In almost every facet of driving.

My TL is my DD. I drive it in traffic to and from work everyday. Lately my clutch has been getting worse and I know I'm about ready to have to replace it. Between the clutch and the horrible engine rocking in stop and go traffic my car has not been fun to drive. Well not anymore. I'd say 50% of what I was attributing to the failing clutch this mod resolved. I'm not joking.

Starting the car feels more solid. 1st and 2nd gear changes feel COMPLETELY different. Braking feels more solid and precise. When taking off it even feels like it has reduced torque steer (am I way off on this because that's what it feels like).

If you have a MT, upgrade. If you have an AT, omg, I can't imagine not having anything, BUY THIS PRODUCT.
Would you mind adding this review to the website? There's an option to create a review on there.
Old 04-10-2012, 12:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Maharajamd
If you have a MT, upgrade. If you have an AT, omg, I can't imagine not having anything, BUY THIS PRODUCT.
The AT doesn't really need a damper for daily-driving kind of stuff, unless you really beat the shit out of it. On/off throttle transitions and going from positive to negative torque are a lot smoother with an AT, so no torque damper is necessary. For hard launches where you're getting wheelhop I'm sure it's an improvement, but stop and go traffic in the stock 5at is perfectly smooth in my experience.

The MT, as you noticed, could definitely benefit from less engine movement in pretty much all situations. I'll be buying one of these as soon as I have the money.
Old 04-10-2012, 01:03 PM
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Done.
Old 04-10-2012, 01:13 PM
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Originally Posted by anthracite_ftw
The AT doesn't really need a damper for daily-driving kind of stuff, unless you really beat the shit out of it. On/off throttle transitions and going from positive to negative torque are a lot smoother with an AT, so no torque damper is necessary. For hard launches where you're getting wheelhop I'm sure it's an improvement, but stop and go traffic in the stock 5at is perfectly smooth in my experience.

The MT, as you noticed, could definitely benefit from less engine movement in pretty much all situations. I'll be buying one of these as soon as I have the money.
This is an enthusiast website for modding cars. Considering the target audience I can't really see how everyone wouldn't get performance improvements from this simple mod.

Agreed it will be a lot more pronounced on a MT though.
Old 04-10-2012, 09:23 PM
  #208  
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I may order one soon! feels like my mounts are made out of feathers and chances are my oem damper probably exploded i'm at 122xxx as of now

Am awaiting news from a seller on black market

if that does not fall thru, is there a current discount or promo for xlr8 or heeltoe to buy from ?

thanks I am looking forward to this piece during this week or next!
Old 04-23-2012, 11:30 PM
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The UPS guy should be showing up with mine tomorrow. Can't wait to swap out the stock unit and see for myself how much of a difference this makes.

Next on my list is the annual GM synchromesh drain/fill, and finally getting around to doing the slave cylinder checkvalve delete. Haha maybe then I can stop the modding for a while...
Old 04-25-2012, 01:42 AM
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Just put it on outside in the dark, and went for a nice little test drive. Would have a celebratory beer, but the night is young and there's lots of procrastinated studying ahead of me.

Impressions:
Ever since I bought the car (2 years ago, w/ 50k miles), the drivetrain has felt "bouncy". Even in 6th gear if I step into the throttle quickly, the car lurches unpleasantly.
The XLR8 damper eliminates this lurch in every gear, all the way down to 2nd. It makes the TL 10x easier to drive than before.
On the downside, I did experience substantially more vibration, especially taking off in 1st. Doesn't bother me though, I'll take a solid takeoff with a "buzzy" motor any day.
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Old 04-25-2012, 03:28 AM
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Mine was on a few days ago and I do notice less lurch and lighter on the feetness

I may have bad motor mounts (122k original I fear) I still experience lurch

also a bad shift seems to "bob" a few more times than before except its shorter multi-bob 2-4 vs 2 fat ass lurches from the oem damper
Old 04-25-2012, 09:44 AM
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Originally Posted by DC2many
Mine was on a few days ago and I do notice less lurch and lighter on the feetness

I may have bad motor mounts (122k original I fear) I still experience lurch

also a bad shift seems to "bob" a few more times than before except its shorter multi-bob 2-4 vs 2 fat ass lurches from the oem damper
This is what I feared, that my mounts would be shot and the damper would only be a band-aid to a more serious problem. Thankfully, it seems like they're still in good shape at 80k miles.

Sounds like it's time for new motor mounts for you though, maybe even an upgrade?
Old 04-25-2012, 07:56 PM
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Originally Posted by anthracite_ftw
This is what I feared, that my mounts would be shot and the damper would only be a band-aid to a more serious problem. Thankfully, it seems like they're still in good shape at 80k miles.

Sounds like it's time for new motor mounts for you though, maybe even an upgrade?
If you're considering an upgrade and don't mind a little more drivetrain vibration I'd go with our XLR8 62A mounts.

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-300870.aspx
Old 06-23-2012, 02:39 PM
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Old 07-14-2012, 01:58 PM
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bolt thread

im installing the torque dampner now and i noticed the bolt that is givin to replace the longer stock bolt has a different thread pattern. and i supposed to try to thread it???
Old 07-14-2012, 03:56 PM
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No, all bolts should be the same thread pitch. You are going into aluminum, don't mess around.
Old 07-24-2012, 06:03 PM
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I'm looking to install mine, I can't seem to find it from the top.
I know in one thread the guy installed it from the top.
Is it easier go go at it from under the car?
Old 07-24-2012, 06:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Bruce Banner
I'm looking to install mine, I can't seem to find it from the top.
I know in one thread the guy installed it from the top.
Is it easier go go at it from under the car?

Yes, it's much easier to do from under the car since the bottom dampener bolts is low on the back of the engine. It should be on the drivers side of the engine in the rear right next to the cats and exhaust.
Old 07-30-2012, 04:05 PM
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So any words if there is going to be one for the auto? Can't seem to find one.
Old 07-31-2012, 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by kafe06tl
So any words if there is going to be one for the auto? Can't seem to find one.
http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-300876.aspx

XLR8 Engine Torque Damper - Fits Manual Transmission TL only. You may purchase M/T bracket to allow fitment for A/T TL (50610-SEP-A10)
Old 02-20-2013, 09:47 PM
  #221  
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I see the benefits for 5at guys are more limited. But are there any 5at reviews? I would like to hear from them before I decide to do this when I do my mounts as well.
Old 02-20-2013, 10:37 PM
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many months later, I'm not sure what i'm looking for lol guess it's still good?
Old 02-22-2013, 03:56 PM
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Looking to take advantage of the XLR8 sale... I'm probably pulling the trigger on new mounts, but if I replace them, how much improvement am I missing if I don't do the EDT at the same time? Because both counter the negative effects of engine 'instability', is it an additive benefit to doing both? In other words, if I upgrade the mounts (and replace possibly-broken OEM ones), will the performance improvement be so good that upgrading the damper would just be a just-ok improvement, instead of the Wow! that most reviews suggest?

Thanks for any insight
Old 03-28-2013, 05:28 PM
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Can anyone with 5at please do a write up on there install with pics of exact parts used?
Old 04-06-2013, 02:49 PM
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Had this dampner and 62a mounts sitting in a box since last year. Finally getting around to installing torque dampner today.

Every bolt was less than hand tight. So I will be snugging up internals and installing.
Old 05-30-2013, 11:15 AM
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Jeffrey, I'll be hitting you up, I ended up buying RUJelly's used set. I'm hoping that everything I need for install is included. I'm also hoping this is the newer bracket design that allowed more room for install?

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Old 06-03-2013, 12:14 AM
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Yea, I took pictures of my install kind of. Just make sure everything is tight before installing. The top bracket was kind of hard to get bolts started but it was an overall painless install.

I did mine from the bottom.

The trickiest part was adjusting it after install. I pre-loaded my engine with a jack to lift it up in the rear some then set my TD.

I didn't notice a huge improvement. But I don't drive my car very much and the original motor mounts have less than 40k miles on them.

I am sure I will notice lots of things when I put the xlr8 62a motor mounts in.

You got my number so if you get lonely during install just hit me up.
Old 06-03-2013, 06:39 AM
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Thank you, Peewee.
Old 06-03-2013, 10:10 AM
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The only difference between V1 and V2 of the bracket is the direction the pin gets pressed in from.

With V2 the pin is at the bottom and points towards your fuse box. V1 was basically flipped backwards.
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Old 06-03-2013, 10:14 AM
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Based on the picture I posted, can you tell which one I have? Please?
Old 06-03-2013, 11:44 AM
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Funny this go bumped, I ordered one last night. I have the Ingalls one in my Tsx, but that bolts near the passenger shock tower to the side of the engine, and I was super impressed how much slop it took out of shifting. I dont care for NRG, but figured if/when the bushing goes, Ingalls does sell their damper separately, so I would go that route.
Old 06-03-2013, 02:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Abcdecanc#2
You know what man I'm going to give more feedback.

After some time driving with this mod on I think I can say this is the best mod I've ever put on a car. Maybe it's making such a big impact to me because my stock unit was toast and or my mounts are starting to fail, but it is. In almost every facet of driving.

My TL is my DD. I drive it in traffic to and from work everyday. Lately my clutch has been getting worse and I know I'm about ready to have to replace it. Between the clutch and the horrible engine rocking in stop and go traffic my car has not been fun to drive. Well not anymore. I'd say 50% of what I was attributing to the failing clutch this mod resolved. I'm not joking.

Starting the car feels more solid. 1st and 2nd gear changes feel COMPLETELY different. Braking feels more solid and precise. When taking off it even feels like it has reduced torque steer (am I way off on this because that's what it feels like).

If you have a MT, upgrade. If you have an AT, omg, I can't imagine not having anything, BUY THIS PRODUCT.
This guy. Just made me feel even better about ordering one this weekend. Can't wait. I actually ordered mine from Mr.Heeltoe (no offense XLR8). Can't wait to install. Mine will be going in with new clutch and new motor mounts.

Originally Posted by ncardenas973
im installing the torque dampner now and i noticed the bolt that is givin to replace the longer stock bolt has a different thread pattern. and i supposed to try to thread it???
Was this a mistake? I hope i don't get the wrong bolt.

Originally Posted by r3devi7
Funny this go bumped, I ordered one last night. I have the Ingalls one in my Tsx, but that bolts near the passenger shock tower to the side of the engine, and I was super impressed how much slop it took out of shifting. I dont care for NRG, but figured if/when the bushing goes, Ingalls does sell their damper separately, so I would go that route.
I also ordered mine last night. Will post up my review on my progress thread,and here as well.
Old 06-03-2013, 11:58 PM
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Originally Posted by rockstar143
Based on the picture I posted, can you tell which one I have? Please?
Looks like V1..

If you have a machine shop press the pin the opposite way, it will be V2
Old 06-04-2013, 11:55 AM
  #234  
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Originally Posted by Project_CLean
This guy. Just made me feel even better about ordering one this weekend. Can't wait. I actually ordered mine from Mr.Heeltoe (no offense XLR8). Can't wait to install. Mine will be going in with new clutch and new motor mounts.
No offense. XLR8 parts come from XLR8/Excelerate. So in the end it's coming from us anyways.
Old 06-08-2013, 07:30 PM
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Installed mine the other day. Just like the Ingalls in my Tsx, the XLR8 firmed up the shift feel, much more direct. I did locktite all the threads and used the red bushings on the NRG damper. The stock unit is super weak, takes little pressure to make it move.
Old 08-08-2013, 06:56 PM
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Order has been placed. After several months, I've got the mod-bug pretty bad. My new shift knob from Moddiction shipped today too!
Old 08-13-2013, 11:25 AM
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My kit includes the lower bolt with the wrong thread pattern too. I am actually going to run (5 miles) to the hardware store and back to get a new one so I don't have to lower my car off the jacks and then re-lift it. So much for a 20-25 min job...
Old 08-13-2013, 01:54 PM
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You don't have a bicycle?
I got lucky, since I bought it 2nd hand, I didn't even take it apart. I tried but looks like previous owner used thread lock. I figured I'd test fit and it was perfect.

It made the engine just feel a lot more solid. Love it.
Old 08-14-2013, 07:59 AM
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^ It's funny, but I didn't even think about taking my bike. I'm training for a marathon and had a 5mi scheduled for yesterday anyway.
I'm pleased with the way it feels too. Car actually feels faster because there is no lag caused by the engine rocking when you hit the accelerator. Went with the red bushings. Thread locked everything inside too so I don't have to worry about it again.
Old 08-14-2013, 10:29 AM
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Ha ha...
gotcha...5 miles ain't much for you anyway then! You sound like me, getting as much done as possible in a small amount of time!

Same way i felt...less rocking, just felt more solid and more propelling.


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