While Russia as a country continues to make the news for all the wrong reasons, the Garage 54 YouTube channel reminds us that people are people, car enthusiasts are car enthusiasts, and governments aren’t reflections of the citizens. In the chilly Siberian north, the mad scientists at Garage 54 film outlandish experiments with cars and their latest experiment is no exception.
Behold the next level of mechanical lunacy, wherein the team decides to mount a car engine via coil springs to see if it’s a solution to noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) transmitted to the car’s cabin. We know what you’re thinking, and the answer is yes. Coil springs used for vehicle suspension systems are way bigger than typical rubber-isolated engine mounts. Like we said … mechanical lunacy. And the result is wildly entertaining.
Addressing NVH
In real life, NVH is what you hear and feel in the cabin and mainly attributed to the engine and transmission. If the engine was bolted directly to the chassis of a car, you would feel exactly what the pistons are doing. While not the most outlandish part of the video, seeing exactly how an engine tries to move at idle while completely untethered to a chassis is a legit eye-opening, educational delight.
Typically, an engine is mounted to the chassis by engine mounts that use rubber or silicone as a dampener. In theory, using springs instead of more solidified mounts would allow the engine to move more, but would be more disconnected from the car. Someone idly wondering if that would be the case probably wouldn’t image an old Russian hatchback with an engine perched upon three huge springs. Seriously, these look like they came from some big 4×4 truck. They’re welded to the car, so yeah. Pure Garage 54 overkill.
A Smooth Ride
Under idle, the suspension springs look like they aren’t doing a great job while the ancient little engine is misfiring. The other thing engine mounts deal with is the engine trying to twist when the transmission is engaged with a gear. If it wasn’t mounted to the car, torque would spin the engine on its axis and the car wouldn’t move. This just makes the body shake more.
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Outside the workshop, the engine jumps around like a beekeeper with a loose helmet, but the driver claims there’s no vibration being felt inside. But, he points out that the engine jumping around in front of him is “hectic,” which could be a little distracting while driving. Never mind what all that movement is actually doing to the engine. But hey, it gives them inspiration to make the engine dance on the floor. Some people pay big bucks for machinery that can dance.
In reality, this is, of course, well over the top and not in any way a feasible idea. A commenter points out that if, rather than just using the springs, they added shocks or struts, it might be better. Shocks and struts are typically oil-filled and dampen the tendency of springs to be, well, springy. Indeed, it’s not uncommon for luxury cars to use oil-filled engine mounts to dampen the engine’s vibrations and twists. This is part of the reason why a single engine mount for a Rolls-Royce Phantom costs $300.
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Does this mean we’ll see a future Garage 54 video where an engine has its own complete suspension system to reduce vehicle NVH? Dear God, we hope so.
Source: Garage 54 / YouTube
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