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.