Brook Racing Development (BRD) Engine Mounts - Overview

[Squalled]

G'Day TOCA,

Recently installed the BRD engine mounts (front and rear only) in my Corolla Sportivo and thought I'd make a separate thread with what's required, my opinions etc.

Before I begin, for further information on BRD or their products, please visit https://www.facebook.com/Brooks.BRD or https://www.brooks-brd.co.uk/index.html. Before I begin, if you are unsure of how to complete this work on your own (like myself 😝) please consult a mechanic.

Installation/Modification
Unlike the Speed Source engine mount inserts commonly used (my previous setup before BRD), these inserts completely remove the need for the original rubber insert making this mount quite a tedious exercise if you choose to pursue this path. Unlike the inserts which require some type of bracket or washer to hold them in, these mounts will never suffer the same issue being a complete replacement for the rubber insert.

The best possible method on doing the mounts is buying used or destroyed stock engine mounts since the rubber needs to be removed anyway. In my case I just used my existing mounts as I was unfortunately unable to find another set at the time. Once the mounts are ready for the work, the rubber inserts will need to be pressed out. In my case a machine press was used by my mate.

Once removed, the rear engine mount doesn't require too much additional work before the new insert can go in. However, the front engine mount will require modification to remove excess metal no longer required and that will also block the new insert from fitting.

It's easier to see in images what is required to be grinded down and/or away and it was made easier on the outer parts by the old inserts I had which left marks of where they were which is where the BRD mounts will also extend out to as you can see in the first image before the metal is removed from the front mount. Once completed, it's good practice to spray the grinded surface to prevent any future rusting.

After that they're practically ready to go back in the car!

Review/Opinion
So I went for the red mounts as they are more suited to street with occasional track use. There is the harder yellow option which is the opposite and will be a lot more intrusive in terms of NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) so if you can't stand any NVH, I'd highly suggest not going towards the yellows. 

Back on topic, the mounts are honestly the perfect upgrade for the Corolla Sportivo, reducing the engine movement under throttle and throttle blipping that they're quite known for. After my first drive I immediately noticed very little movement between clutch releases and throttle changes compared to stock engine mounts and mounts with Speed Source inserts. It makes for easier launches and makes shifting a lot smoother and easier with the lack of movement interrupting as it was before. 

In terms of NVH, I personally have no issues with a little extra noise and vibration as I've always had older model cars which have always had higher NVH to start off with but the red BRD mounts do tend to vibrate a little on warm idle with the dash vibrating the most, the steering has a small amount which is nothing crazy and I have also felt the vibration through the accelerator pedal but haven't noticed this as much after the first few drives around. In all honesty, compared to the Speed Source inserts I had, which had actually popped out on the rear, these mounts are actually nicer to deal with in my experience so far. I've found the vibrations to be not as bad as the Speed Source inserts which was on thing I was surprised with.

In all honesty, the mounts are quite pricey compared to the Speed Source inserts, and are quite a lot harder to install compared to them also but the additional cost and labour required are totally worth it. If you plan on keeping your Sportivo for a long time, invest in BRD engine mounts and you'll never have to replace a front or rear engine mount again. BRD has indeed made a product that was definitely needed for the ZZE12x chassis and I have 0 complaints or issues with it.

Edited February 14, 2021 by Squalled

[Tony Prodigy]

Excellent write up. I can see that you're proud of your work and posting a separate thread was a good idea. That way, others looking for such information can find it quickly. If you bury it within one generic thread it tends to stay that way.

Love your work man 

[Squalled]

3 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Excellent write up. I can see that you're proud of your work and posting a separate thread was a good idea. That way, others looking for such information can find it quickly. If you bury it within one generic thread it tends to stay that way.

Love your work man 

Thanks a lot Tony. You read my thoughts exactly, I have seen plenty of threads on the UK Toyota forums as they can the mounts a lot easier than anyone in Australia can but I haven't really seen a complete write up of them anywhere so I thought why not. It's an excellent product and BRD deserve the extra business if people come across the thread 🙂