An unsettlingly common problem on various Porche motors manufactured between 1997 and 2008 is the failure of the IMS (intermediate shaft) bearing. A customer of ours brought in his Boxster for a clutch and we found that his RMS (rear main seal) was weeping and needed replacement. We recommended that he also upgrade the IMS bearing since the majority of labor for an IMS bearing retrofit is accomplished after removing the transaxle.

Post Removal of Transaxle - IMS Bearing After Flange Removal is on Bottom

The intermediate shaft runs below the crankshaft and is responsible for camshaft rotation through a chain or gear drive depending on engine. This hollow shaft spins on a bearing that is mounted below the RMS (rear main seal).

OEM Style IMS Flange on Demonstration Motor - Bottom

IMS bearing failure has been attributed to the choice of bearing for the application and/or a lack of lubrication caused by seal failure that allows the permanent grease in the bearing to be washed away by engine oil. This engine oil, which was not intended to lubicate the bearing, is not pressurized enough to provide adequate lubrication. Catostrophic engine damage may be the result of IMS bearing failure as the bearing literally tears apart and metal detritus travels throughout the motor.

Porsche Boxter Demonstration Motor - OEM Dual Row IMS Bearing and Flange

As can be seen in the photo below, the intermediate shaft is hollow. The IMS bearing outer race presses into the hollow shaft with an interference fit. Unlike many bearing applications, in this instance the outer race rotates and the inner race remains stationary. In extreme cases of bearing failure the intermediate shaft may develop a wobble so severe that the bearing bore may be damaged beyond repair or even skip cam timing.

Intermediate Shaft - IMS Bearing is Press Fit into Shaft

A proven, preventative upgrade has been developed by LN Engineering. The replacement bearing uses ceramic balls and an open design that utilizes the small amount of oil available for lubrication. This bearing was created for and thrives in a low lubrication environment and has much better heat tolerance and distribution of load than the oem design.

Upgraded Ceramic - Open Design IMS Bearing from LN Engineering

Our customer now has the confidence and needed insurance against a catastophic IMS bearing failure for his sportscar investment.

New LN Engineering IMS Bearing Flange

A couple of great customers of ours track their F430 Scuderia’s extensively. The carbon ceramic braking system that Ferrari equipped these vehicles with works fantastic but is pricey to replace. The gents who run these cars were replacing brake pads every two track events. A more cost effective solution is GiroDisc’s steel rotor conversion. Utilizing the stock six piston calipers, the GiroDisc system requires no major modifications and the vehicle can be returned to stock quickly and easily.

Removing carbon ceramic rotors and stock pads.

The conversion kit was installed on two of these F430 Scud Missiles.

Lovely in Bianco Avus

OEM Carbon Ceramic Rotor 398mm X 36mm

Due to differences in coefficient of friction, the steel rotor is able to provide the same level of braking with less pad material. In the below photo, notice the difference in swept area of the brake rotor and pad size.

Steel Rotors are 7mm Larger @ 405mm

The increased diameter of the steel rotors required a relocation of the calipers. Ferrari designed these cars with a radial mounted caliper. This eased the install and required very little hardware to accomplish the correct position. We have found this does limit the choices available for aftermarket wheels.

GiroDisc Steel Rotor Constuction and Finish Quality is Top Notch

Ready for Another Day of Lapping

The owners of these cars report that braking with the steel rotors yields a positive pedal feel with better initial bite, good modulation, and no discernable fade. Both customers who had their cars undergo the conversion are very pleased with the braking performance and longevity offered by the conventional rotors.

Ferrari fans rejoice as Fernando Alonso took his first win of the season at Silverstone. Alonso took advantage of a Red Bull pit error to score the win.

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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English.

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English.