Totem Motor Mounts vs. HCP Motor Mounts

CAR:  1994 Honda Civic DX Hatchback  (Straight Body - No Accidents)

SWAP:   JDM H22A Motor / M2B4 LSD Tranny / P13 ECU


Additional Information:

The installer of the H22 motor, for this vehicle, works for a performance shop and does motor swaps all the time, so this swap is no different than any other that he's done.  This particular shop normally uses HCP motor mounts for its swaps, however this time the HCP mounts were on back order so since the customer needed his car to use for daily use.  Therefore, the customer went out and bought the first thing that he found available, a set of Totem H22 Motor Mounts (notice the similarity of the motor mount design - HCP first introduced their EG-22 mounts onto the market in late 2000, being one of the first companies to have a H22 mount kit available on the market for the H22 motor swap into a 92-95 Civic).  For the swap, nothing different was done and the installer went ahead with the swap procedure the same way as he's always done with numerous other H22 swaps into the 92-95 Civic chassis.  A week later, the HCP motor mounts were available and the owner opted to have his Totem mounts swapped out for the HCP motor mounts.

Below are detailed pictures of both setups, using each of the mount kits.  You be the judge on which mount kits positions the motor better and is the better deal.


Totem Motor Mounts   (Retail:  $349.99 - Totem's Retail Advertised Price in DRAG Magazine (June 2003 Issue))

HCP Motor Mounts      (Retail:  $350 shipped w/in the continental US - JDMshit's Retail Price)
 

PICTURES BELOW - Totem pictures on LEFT side, HCP pictures on RIGHT side

Driver Side Motor Mount - Frame Clearance

The driver side motor mount from the Totem kit is touching the fame, thus causing vibration on the car.  Excess metal on the mount allows for no extra clearance.  The HCP kit clears with ease, thus zero vibration.
 
 

Driver Side Mount - Bolt Holes

Both driver side mounts installed.  With the way the passenger side mount was designed, the Totem kit it pushes the motor to far towards the driver side, thus causing the rear mount bolt of the Totem driver side mount to not align up properly.  The installer tried to make this line up for 20 minutes before he gave up.  The HCP kit and driver side motor mount lines up perfectly with no extra maneuvering of the motor required.
 
 

Passenger Side Transmission Mount

The passenger mount itself looks fine when bolted up.  The HCP mount uses an extra gusset on the mount for extra support.  The Totem mount pushes the motor more towards the driver side.
 
 

Rear Transmission Mount

For the Totem kit, the passenger side mount pushes the motor towards the driver side, putting stress on the rear mount bushings, causing the bushings on the left side of the picture (passenger side) to be compressed against the Prelude rear transmission bracket, and the bushings on the right side of the picture (driver side - arrow pointing) coming out of the mount because the bracket is not line up straight.  With the HCP kit, the bushings are set perfectly in the rear transmission bracket so the motor is aligned straight in the chassis.
 
 

Timing Belt Clearance w/Shock Tower

With the Totem kit, the motor is too close to the driver side shock tower so the timing belt cover of the valve cover had to be cut off in order to make room.  With the HCP kit, the timing belt clearance is greater since the motor is aligned properly in the car.
 
 

Alternator / Headlight Clearance

Again with the motor too far towards the driver side, the alternator is barely touching the rear of the headlight housing with the Totem mount kit.  As you can see on the alternator belt (the white color on the side of the belt), it's been rubbing against the headlight housing.  With the HCP kit, there is more clearance between the alternator and the headlight housing.
 
 

Motor Level

Using the radiator core support and bumper as a line of reference, the motor looks tilted downward on the driverside with the Totem kit, thus lower and not sitting straight.  With the HCP kit, the motor is more level and sits straight.
 
 

Overall Picture

Here is a picture of the final product using the Totem mount kit.  The motor does not seem to be sitting straight in the car.
 

Here is a picture of the final product using the HCP mount kit.  The motor looks very straight in the car.


Conclusion:

Everything here has been neutral with both mount kits, and during both swaps, the motor has been installed correctly and in the same manner each time so nothing different was done.  No tricks with any cameras or Photoshop work done, except for the "pointers" showing the specific details.  Therefore, the pictures show the detail of what each mount kit can do and how they both position the motor into the 92-95 Civic chassis.  HCP also uses automotive-grade polyurethane inserts, made by Energy Suspension.  The quality is very high and it's very durable and strong.  The urethane inserts on the Totem mounts are of a lesser quality, as it can picked apart with your fingernail.


Summary:

This isn't the first time we've seen "knock off" motor mounts that are near replicas of the HCP motor mounts (there are a few other mount kits out there, and similar tests will be performed for educational purposes).  These "knock off" mount kit companies claim to have engineered their mounts with "precise laser cut" work, where as it looks as if it's been machined and not put through any  R&D (this was proven with Totem mounts, and same with ENJO mounts - pictures coming soon).  This is gathered from the quality of the mounts, the design (position of specific pieces and the welds on them), and from the position of the motor - just look at the pictures judge for yourself.   HCP has put numerous hours into their research and development, constantly improving the quality of their products where needed and stepping ahead into the right direction.  All mounts kits produced by HCP are all proven on the race tracks (drag strip & road race course) and on the street and have been used on 500+ horsepower applications without any problems to date.  HCP is also always coming out with new and innovative products for the Honda/Acura scene, where as the other knock-off companies are only making the same, existing mount kits out there.

We're not telling you what mount kit to buy here, but rather an informative page on what to be aware of when shopping around for performance motor mounts for your Honda engine swap.