Mounting the DriveSmart 86

Since the mount for DS 86 is new to Garmin GPS units, I thought a few words about it may be helpful.

The name for this new mount from Garmin is “Large Suction Mount”, and it is large, sturdy, and secure. No other current mount can be directly connected to the DS 86.

In addition to mounting the 86 to the windshield, it can be mounted to some sort of dash mount that will accept the suction cup. The base of the Garmin mount has a dimeter of 2.75”, and the dash mount must accept that. It is unlikely that any of the mounts that let you slide the base into a slot will be large enough to accept the 86 mount. It is about 3” from the base to the top of the ball. The standard mount has a diameter of 2-1/8 and 2.5” to the top of the ball. The connection from the mount to the GPS itself is similar to those on the DriveSmart 61 and 65, but larger, and those connections are not interchangeable with the 86 connections.

You can find dash mounts on Amazon from Garmin and others, but I don’t know if any of them fit, except for the one I own. I own the Deco dash mount and it works great. Its inside diameter for the GPS base is 4”.

Some have been concerned about the suction connection losing suction and causing the GPS to fall. The suction action on the 86 has been very strong with no disconnects. I have always used suction cup mounts with great results, but I use special care about installing the cup to the base. I clean both surfaces with water treated with Dawn. I wet both surfaced with the dawn mixture, then make sure the GPS base is firmly pressed down to the dash mount surface before actuating the lever to form the suction.

A couple patches of industrial stick-on Velcro will secure either or both the GPS base to the dish mount or the dash mount to the dash. Don’t use too large a Velcro patch because it is very hard to remove.

My Deco dash mount came with an Amazon GPS order. It requires no modifications. You can find it on Amazon by searching for “Desco GPS Mount.”