AudiOn19s

The old short bus needs wheel bearings. One started to really make noise at the track this weekend cutting my fun short.

There are a couple old threads on this but very little good information. Here's what I've dug up.

Part numbers:
Front - 999 053 054 06
Rear - 999 053 055 02

Who makes the OEM bearing? I see listings for ***, OEM (no manufacturer mention), Timken, and a couple others.

Is there a "better" bearing to run?

Also any tips on removing the hubs from the car would go a long way. I plan to remove the hubs myself and then take them to have the bearings installed.

Thanks,

TurboCup87

How many miles does your car have, Andy? Mine are still quiet. Sure was a great weekend. Three days of perfect weather.

There are some on car bearing presses. My 944T had the rears done that way at Steinel. IDK if there is one that works on GT3s.

AudiOn19s

32k miles. A "couple" of those miles might have been in a high stress setting

I'm just going to pull the hubs this weekend and take them to someone with the appropriate tools to remove and install the bearings. It's tough for me to swallow my pride and not do everything myself but I just don't have the correct tools for this job. One of my lower control arm monoballs is making noise too it's a perfect time for a little refresh on those components too.

I missed you before you left, Had a hoot out there this weekend I was impressed with your pace...you have certainly turned up the wick in that bad boy

TurboCup87

Yeah, I had my best times ever with pretty worn out front tires. Biggest thing is I finally convinced my foot to quit overbraking for T1. Now on to the same thing on T13!

Then, maybe get rid of the stock suspension!

StephenB

It has been several years ago now, but I used the Sir Tools bearing removal tool to change them on my old 996. It wasn't a very hard job to do with the tool. I resold the tool for what I paid for it so it ended up just costing me time.

mmuller

Still on the first set? I replace mine now once a year. I have twice had them Ruin a weekend I decided the cost of doing them was cheaper than dumping a 3 day track weekend because they where bad. I am on my third set since the car started as a track car.

My advice is to also have the bearing packed in high temp LE grease also. The grease that's in there is intended for road use, not thresh hold braking for 25 minutes straight all weekend, every weekend.

AudiOn19s

They were replaced prior to me purchasing the car 3 yrs ago. I've always heard 2-3 year intervals for someone like myself who does 5-6 weekends a year. Not surprising by any means that one started to make noise.

Good info on re-packing. I thought they were a sealed cartridge bearing I'll look more closely when I have the units in hand.

TomGT3

Do you have a suggestion on manufacturer and where to purchase?

mmuller

I get mine through the shop I work with. We use the *** bearings.

They are sealed, but you can pop of the dust seal without harming the bearing. Once you do that, you will see they have used what looks like hand cream for grease. Irrespective of brand, this always seems to be the case

TomGT3

Do you know where they order the *** bearings come from and
why do you think they are better than OEM?

Just to be clear; does your shop switch our the grease in the *** bearing?

KOAN

Andy,

Sorry I missed you this weekend. I was there on Friday, but my clutch slave cylinder died, and I had to quit early. Boy, what great weather, though. The track felt fast too.
I was able to spend some time with Brian Till. It was so frustrating having him offer to do some corner observation, and not being able to move.

mmuller

I don't know where they order from. It's whoever the wholesale supplier is that carries many of the Porsche spare parts. I believe this is what this wholesaler ships as an OEM part, which is why is u sed in my car.

They do switch it out to LE. My car is a dedicated track car, seeing high speed and high temp only. I have seen what the OEM grease looks like when it comes out. It's intended for street cars and the heat turns it into almost a gum. A combination of not enough of the grease and the wrong type is its downfall.

When we change them out these days, they are fine and looks like they could run another 50 days. But I hate cars letting me down, so it's part of the yearly schedule.

TomGT3

Thanks for the advise, having this done Friday.

TurboCup87

Which high temp grease do you use?

mmuller

The grease the shop uses is from LE (Lubrication Engineers), although I not sure exactly which one it is. A view of their website shows a world of choice.

I know it's very red and very sticky!