Garmin Portable Friction Mount for GPS 010-10306-00

Manufacturer:	Garmin
List price:	~~$34.99~~
Our price:	$22.79 that is 35% off!

Garmin Portable Friction Mount for GPS 010-10306-00

Average rating: Stars

Gets the job done

I bought this item so I would have some portability with my GPS V Deluxe. After having it for a couple of weeks now and using it every single day in three different vehicles, I must say that I am very satisfied. As stated in the description, the mount has four bean-filled "wings" that act as weights and stabilizers for the mount. The bottom of the mount has a grippy rubberized/neoprene type lining that acts as a high-friction material for the dashboard. The internal structure of the mount (including the bean-filled "wing bags") is made of some type of flat metal. This metal "core" enables you to gently mold or form part of the mount to accomodate drastic contours of a dash.

I have used this in a Chevy truck, Ford Explorer and a Chevy car without any issues whatsoever. I have never had the unit slide, even a little, during cornering or acceleration. I don't know how it would do in a high performance car with a wild driver, but it does just fine with normal everyday driving for me.

The mount comes out of the box ready to use. The plastic mount for the GPS unit is already attached and you simply use your existing car mount (which should be already attached to your GPS) and pop the GPS on there. This mount is identical to the dash mount that comes with GPS units, only that this mount is attached to a weighted friction pad and bean-filled bags.

I highly recommend.

Garmin Portable Friction Mount for GPS 010-10306-00 - Garmin

Rocks for normal drivers

I drive a company-supplied vehicle, so alterations to the dash are out-of-the question. As long as the cord is not interfering with gravity (run under the bean bag) this will hold up for all but the most extreme driving.

I don't drive like an old lady, but I don't really take into consideration G-forces when I am on the road. Unless you drive like an &^%hole this will probably stay put pretty well. For the record, I drive a 2004 Ford Freestar (a real babe magnet, let me tell you.) and live in a pretty hilly twisty suburb of Philadelphia. The only time this thing fell off the dash was when I ran the wire to the power adapter underneath the bean bag.

Garmin - Garmin Portable Friction Mount for GPS 010-10306-00

Basic design flaw

Garmin's friction dash mount is immensely convenient for quickly moving your GPS between cars without modifying the dash -- very nice for rental cars. However, I find I have to baby the car around turns to keep the mount from sliding. I spend way too much effort worrying over and watching it as I drive.

While the friction surface and weighted bean bags are a very good implementation of the portability design requirement, it has a basic flaw with respect to automotive use. One will remember from basic physics that friction is the coefficient of friction multiplied by the normal force that pushes (downward in this case) the two sliding surfaces together. It works great on smooth streets and low-G turns. Occasionally, however, cars go over bumps. The movement alternately increases and decreases the normal force between the surfaces. Friction sharply increases and decreases and very little lateral force is needed for the unit to fall off the dash. Also consider the soft suspensions found in nearly all rental cars which allows the chassis to roll way over in hard turns. In the roll, the angle of the dash allows the lateral force to reduce the normal force another way and, thus, the unit falls off the dash.

I have experimented with my iQue 3600 in a Mitsu Evo 8 with a very stiff suspension that corners very flatly, a VW Passat wagon and a couple rental cars. The dash material of all these is very receptive to the clever friction material on the bottom of the mount. In all cases I was able to cause the mount to come loose in mildly spirited driving. Trying harder, I can get the mount to move during braking, turning and even *accelerating* maneuvers *at will* on smooth streets. The mount is entirely incompatible with my Porsche 928 and 951 dashboards. In all these cases, the suction cup windshield mount of my Garmin eMap works without failure even in highly spirited driving.

The no-dash-modification portability is great, but it doesn't stay put which is very distracting and dangerous. Perhaps more significantly, this mount becomes a projectile in a collision.

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