92silver964

I've looked around RL and only found one opinion on choice of wheel bearing maker - which was to stick with OEM (don't know what company makes them for Porsche). The aftermarket alternates are *** and SKF - not exactly junk manufacturers. I'm not a racer, so are there any real reasons for me not to just use the cheaper (half the price) versions? A full set of Porsche OEM wheel bearings is about $450, as far as I can tell.

Thanks for any advice!

joey bagadonuts

I recently installed *** bearings in my race car based on previous discussion.

roblav

Any part that has the P-word on or anywhere near it raises the price by at least a factor of 2.

I used some excellent Japanese manufacturer wheel bearings in my last racecar build (non-Porsche).

92silver964

Thanks, Joey. I am going to go ahead with the *** bearing order, which versus the OEM parts saves me about $200! Hey, I owe you some donuts!

joey bagadonuts

Anytime!

springer3

Bearings are standard sizes, and I am not aware that Porsche has any special source. The place I work checks hardness and dimensions on bearings to be installed in motors for nuclear safety applications. I have never see a ***, but SKF bearings have been rejected for being out of spec. NTN bearings made in Japan are always dead-center of the tolerance range for both dimensions and hardness.

roblav

Ahhh - that's it - NTN!

92silver964

Thanks, Roblav and Springer3. I am planning to go with the *** bearings. I am aware of NTN but don't see them offered for the C2 (just turbo and 993?).

Cheers.

WHITECAR

I have had two issues with premature SKF failures... one lasted one weekend!!
No premature failures with *** to date...

race911

Is it the bearing, or the lubricant?

One data point I have, going back nearly 10 years, was from David Taylor (ex-TRG, SCARGO) who was working over here for awhile from his native New Zealand by way of Australia. Worked with a lot of 964 variants in the late '90's, early '00's in their wheel-to-wheel series. He told me that they solved their bearing issues by only using the factory ones, AND repacking the bearings. Yeah, pretty involved for something that comes sealed, but he said that was the only way to make them last through any reasonable service interval. Wish I remember exactly what grease he said to repack them with. So that's what I was going to do with RSA #1 when the time came. Wrecked the car first, so never followed up.

altarchsa

I did too and no problems. I've never had to replace a *** bearing I've installed in anything.

Boeing 717

Sunset has front wheel bearings for 50 dollars a piece and rears were i think 62 dollars a piece, i didnt think that was too bad a price really. I dont know who makes them.
Where can i look at the NTN bearings???

roblav

A lot of bearings come in standard, across industry, numbers. There's probably a way to crossover from the *** or SKF to NTN. Try to get the OE bearing number off the side of the bearing.

92silver964

I just talked with the shop where I am planning to have my suspension rework done. I had decided recently to add wheel bearing replacement to the list since I do think one of mine is heading south. A manager there told me he would not install the *** bearings I just bought - "nothing but Porsche wheel bearings". I assured him I am not "racing" the car, but he seemed adamant. I won't mention the name of the shop since it is very well known. The guy I taked with was not the owner, so I am thinking of calling the owner to see if that is a company or personal policy. I am quite surprised based on the comments earlier in this thread which seemed basically supportive of *** bearings, even under racing conditions. Comments? Advice?

joey bagadonuts

Steve- It looks like you're up against two problems: Negative feedback on *** and a stubborn shop manager.

I'll address the latter. It's a delicate balance when you're trying to build a relationship with your local Porsche specialist. After all, he's the one with years of experience and there's no question that a newb like you should simply take his word as gospel. And I'm sure there's a very good reason why he fees the way he does and there is nothing you can do to convince him otherwise.

My suggestion is that you explain to him that, in this relationship, you're the boss and that you'll be making the final decision. Acknowledge his experience and expertise but let him know that you've also done your homework and will assume responsibility for any bearing failure. And if he can't accommodate you, then let him know that you'll be glad to have your car serviced elsewhere.

I'm sure you could get into a real pissing contest as you question his knowledge of bearings, OEM suppliers and the difference between what you purchased and what the folks from Stuttgart are selling (probably nothing). But why bother? This is about having fun and if this guys can't respect your wishes, then it's time for a new shop.

Good luck!