Along with putting the transmission back together comes the opportunity to install the three new VF-Engineering mounts. These are quality parts as can be seen in the pics, and with all the extra power headed into the R32's engine bay, it's just common sense to upgrade these critical components. With billet aluminum bases and higher duration urethane inserts, these mounts will remove most of the slop associated with engine movement under load and the more direct connection they offer will provide a more instantaneous transition of power from the crankshaft to the wheels.

With the engine and transaxle bolted in, we took the opportunity to test-fit the exhaust manifold. Though we've used this PAG-Parts manifold many times before, the truth is there are some differences between the Mk4 and Mk5 R32s, so just for peace of mind we need to make sure our chosen hardware mounts up the way we think it should.