JXB Performance Driveshaft Carrier - Porsche 955 Cayenne/VW 7L Touareg - Street Bushings - With Tunnel Brace - 95501A0-SB
The 1st gen Cayenne/Touareg has a nearly 100% rate of center support
bearing failure from the factory. We’ve done extensive research into the
root cause of the failures, and found the issue lies in a 5° misalignment
between the transfer case and the front half of the driveshaft. In order to
align the driveshaft correctly, the center support bearing would have to be
up through the ceiling of the center tunnel. Since the attachment of the
driveshaft to the transfer case is a rubber guibo, which cannot articulate
without imparting forces into the driveshaft, it is unable to deal with
this misalignment without causing the driveshaft to vibrate. This vibration
quickly wears out the OEM center support rubber.
Our solution is a center support bearing carrier that is strong enough to
resist constant driveshaft vibration, yet soft enough to absorb it without
transmitting it to the cabin. Finding the balance between performance and
vibration absorption is very tricky, but after many iterations of bushing
and frame design, we believe we’ve found the best possible solution.
The 2-piece design clamps around the original bearing, so does not require
disassembly of the driveshaft or special tools. We offer an optional tunnel
brace that makes installation easier. See the install video for details.
One interesting takeaway from our research was these driveshafts spin
smoother as their guibos age. While experimenting, we replaced a guibo on
an older vehicle. Driving the car up on a lift, it became apparent there
was much more driveshaft vibration with the new guibo than the old. As
guibos age they become softer, increasing their ability to soak up the
angular misalignment without imparting radial forces on the driveshaft. So,
if you’re thinking about replacing your guibo “while you’re in there”,
don’t. We only recommend replacing them if they’re truly failing. A few
small cracks are normal. Keep in mind they’re not solid rubber, so a crack
doesn’t mean it’s about to catastrophically fail. They have a wound fibrous
core like a tire that holds them together. The rubber is just the glue that
holds the fibers in place.
Normally we’d put some comparison videos here showing how much stiffer our
carriers are than stock, but that’s not the point in this case. Our
carriers are just as stiff as they need to be to be durable, but not so
stiff they transmit the excessive vibration of this platform’s driveshafts
to the cabin.
Instead, here’s a video showing the behavior of the driveshaft before/after
installing a new guibo to prove a new guibo is not the solution to
vibration or center support bearing issues.
Installation doesn’t require removal of the driveshaft. The 2-part design
clamps around the unserviceable OEM bearing. The old carrier must be
removed, so a cutting tool is required.
955/957 Cayenne (2003-2010)
7L Touareg (2004-2010)
Street and Track refer to the durometer (stiffness) of the bushings. Track
are roughly twice the durometer of the street bushings. Both track and
street are many times stiffer than stock and will hold up to whatever abuse
are thrown at them, but the street bushings are better at soaking up
drivetrain noise and vibration. Usually both street and track are
completely silent and vibration-free, but in cases where there is an
underlying drivetrain issue causing the driveshaft to vibrate badly (like a
new guibo), the track bushings may not be able to soak it all up, where the
street bushings can.
We generally recommend street bushings for any car that's not purpose-built
for track or overland use, since the street bushings have a much lower
chance of transmitting drivetrain NVH to the cabin at high speeds or under
heavy throttle loads.
If you’re not sure which to go with, the “Give me Both!” option will give
you a full set of each of the street and track bushings. You can use all
street, all track, or even mix and match them to find the perfect balance
of performance and NVH-absorption.
Street - 95501A0-S
Track - 95501A0-T
Both - 95501A0-B
Carrier frames with revision -2
- Currently Shipping
Street - BSH11A0
Track - BSH11A1
Carrier frames with revision -0
Street - BSH04A0
Track - BSH04A1
Carrier frames with revision -1
Street - BSH06A0 or you can update to BSH11A0
Track - BSH06A1 or you can update to BSH11A1
Without JXB Tunnel Brace - SHS02A0
With JXB Tunnel Brace - SHS02A1
