A quick follow up on this post...
I went with the 034 density line
https://store.034motorsport.com/mot...a3-s3-tt-tts-mkvii-volkswagen-golf-gti-r.html
NVH is stock like. Even with the stock dogbone there's a noticeable difference with shifting feeling more secure.
Something that I didn't expect...
Going over bumps and such on the highway the front end doesn't bounce around as much. Feels more planted.
My opinion is to get the 034 mounts that if you are after stiffer engine and transmission mounts with a miniscule amount of NVH (only feel a small difference at startup).
Very OEM+ feeling!
I ran my car with the 034 mounts for about a month or so. Ordered the HPA Motorsports mount around the same time as the 034 mounts. They didn't get installed at the same time because #1 I wanted to see how they felt with each step. #2 HPA must have had a mad rush of orders because their machine shop was swamped. Took them a solid month to get the mount to my door
I'm actually glad it worked out like that. Gave me a chance to get used to the 034 mounts. They made a good difference by themselves, but I still had wheel hop. Shifting also still felt a tad sloppy between gears. There really is a lot of drive train movement with that OEM dog bone mount.
Rewind to Saturday afternoon. I had the HPA mount installed by a local indy shop (shout out to Country Dubs). After install the tech that installed it was shocked at just how little NVH there was. With the AC on you feel a little bit of a vibe. But it's not bad.
Put it like this, you'd never know that I had and aftermarket mounts in the car, let alone all three unless the car is idling with the AC on. The only other time that you'd notice is when I start the car. I finally feel the car come alive I the drivers seat.
Shifting feels much better with much less drive train movement.
In the end I got exactly what I was going for. Something that blurs the line of aftermarket and OEM feeling. Well done HPA Motorsports! And well done 034Motorsport. These three mounts really came together very well!
For anyone familiar with the e46 3 series... The stock GTI mounts are too forgiving. Kinda like a 328i. The 034 + HPA mounts reminds me of the e46 M3. Still "OEM" feeling, but it also feels more alive.