Super Bearings
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Our Super Bearings have been totally redesigned from the original bearing units used in the 924, 944, 968, 928, 964, 993 and 959 torque tubes. Our Super Bearings have been made to exceed the operating specifications of the original bearing units and to make the torque tube rebuilding process easier with excellent end results.
The Super Bearings can be shipped to the owner or their technician to do the torque tube rebuild at their location without the need to ship the torque tube and incur shipping and core charges. However we do offer our custom rebuild services for those wanting it.
Replacement parts for torque tubes have never been available from Porsche. Before our Super Bearings, owners who needed to replace their torque tubes had to purchase expensive Porsche rebuilt torque tubes, purchase rebuilt torque tubes from other re-builders or rebuild their own torque tubes.
The problems we discovered from tearing down "rebuilt" torque tubes is most rebuilders use the original bearing unit parts replacing only the bearings within them. Since the removal of the torque tube from the car is a major and expensive service, the current rebuild methods were unacceptable to us and is why we decided to design a better alternative for the Porsche owner.
Here are a few facts that we discovered during our research and development of our Super Bearings:
Fact 1 - The original specified bearings used by Porsche® are no longer available and the bearings used by aftermarket rebuilders have tolerances below what Porsche® originally specified. Our research also found aftermarket rebuilders do not always use "Top Tier" bearing manufacturers in sourcing their bearings. This is a cost cutting practice meant to maximize their profit margin which will lead to a shortened life of the rebuilt torque tube.
Fact 2 - The hard rubber which covers the original bearing units have lost some of their original tolerances due to heat and age shrinking the outer rubber. This can result in the bearing units shifting within the torque tube and not supporting the drive shaft at specific points along it's length as initially designed. This will cause vibrations in the drive line which can be hard to diagnose.
Fact 3 - The original bearing insert which grips onto the drive shaft is made of a thin steel extrusion covered by a thin, hard rubber. As with the rubber on the outer bearing housings, due to heat and age this thin rubber coating shrinks away from the drive shaft and lets the drive shaft spin within it. This causes the drive shaft to burnish off it's protective coating which can lead to the drive shaft being damaged.
This will also happen when the bearing insert is replaced with an aftermarket Nylon or Delrin insert. These materials do not grip the drive shaft as the original insert did when new and will allow for the drive shaft to spin within them causing the same damage to the drive shaft as using an old bearing insert.
Below is a picture of a drive shaft with it's coating burnished off and damage starting to the drive shaft metal.
Here are some of the Super Bearing features which make them the best choice for anyone wanting to rebuild their torque tube to better than new specifications: Although a 928 Super Bearing is shown, the same benefits extend to the rest of our Super Bearing line for all Porsches we service.
Feature 1 - Longer bearing housing with a specially formulated rubber compound resistant to the effects of heat and oil. The longer housing, which is approximately three times the length of the original design, self aligns as it is being pushed through the torque tube. The larger surface area of the rubber exterior helps to keep the bearing unit in place and isolates more drive line vibrations than the original bearing units.
Feature 2 - A larger bearing which is mechanically captured within the housing. Our larger SKF® or FAG® sourced bearing can handle more load and is an upgrade to the original specified bearing.
Feature 3 - A larger bearing insert which is mechanically captured within the bearing. This larger steel and rubber insert has been designed to better support the drive shaft than the original design.
Feature 4 - The increased rubber of our insert helps absorb drive line vibrations caused by the drive shaft under operation. This rubber also makes the rebuilding process easier when re-installing the drive shaft into the torque tube and through the Super Bearings.