458 New hub to replace just the bearing?!

I suspect Ferrari only supplies the hub / bearing as a factory assembled unit.

If I had to make a guess as to why, it would be that perhaps Ferrari is using a heat differential assembly method between the bearing and the hub. This is where you heat the housing and chill the bearing (usually using liquid nitrogen), then quickly assemble the two parts and allow them to return to normal temperatures. If they are using this method, sometimes disassembly can result in damage to the housing and/or you can never really obtain the same union again, short of starting over with brand new parts.

Also, you may be picturing the wheel bearing assembly more like how it's setup on a normal car (e.g. a Toyota or Honda, etc.) where you have a separate outboard bearing and then an inner bearing that is easy to remove / replace via a shop press. In that situation, replacing the bearings is a lot more straight forward.

Here's a video I found on YouTube, which shows someone doing the job on an F430:



As you can see in the video, it appears the hub / bearing comes from Ferrari as a single unit, which bolts in. As far as price, when you consider a set of 458 brake pads cost over $2000, then I don't think the bearing price tag is all that outlandish (for Ferrari).

Ray

 

I had to have my rear hub assembly replaced because a wheel guy stripped the female threads for the lug bolts.

Taught me a lesson about having skilled qualified specialists work on your car.

It was a difficult job for my service center. At the time-a few years ago-/ this was not a common repair. And I doubt it is a common one these days either.

May I ask if you are running non OEM rims and or have lowered your car.

I doubt bearings would wear out in 100k miles

 

It would be cool if there were improved meaning titanium hubs which offered some weight savings. (Think that Swedish car company uses titanium’s hubs)

the labor costs are probably more than the parts.

so gird you’re loins!

 

Just looks like Ferrari doesn't want you to press in your own bearings. Dare say they don't have dealerships buy the massive press and necessary jig to push the old bearing out.

Easy way out is to buy the whole assembly and there you go

 

HF press for the win

 

Wow, low miles and need bearings. Did you park it in salt water at the beach???

Other than that: Press the old bearing out, get a part number, buy the bearings, and press the new ones in.

If you fail, no harm, no foul. Buy the new ones from Ferrari and consider the bearing cost a losing lottery ticket.

 

Did you let a mechanic test drive your car and examine the car, to see if he agrees with your diagnosis?

 

Usually wheel bearings aren't too hard to diagnose - jack the wheel up and see if you can move it back and forth and up and down (i.e back and forth from the top and bottom). If the bearings are the least bit bad, you can usually feel compliance. Also, when spinning the wheel, sometimes you can hear the ball bearings grinding.

I just did the front and rear bearings on my pickup truck and you could definitely tell something needed attention by grabbing the wheel and testing it that way.

Ray

 

I bought a used HF 12-ton press off Craigslist for $30 and then upgraded it with some 3/4 in plate steel and some chromoly cross pins - it works like a champ! Here's a video I made showing the mods:



Ray

 

My stepdad built some custom axles in the 1960's when I was a kid. They were two-piece, male and female. I put the female part in the oven at 450 degrees and he put the male end in a thermos of liquid nitrogen. I put my oven mitts on and took the female part from the house to the garage, he slid the frozen part in and a few seconds later he had his solid axle. We repeated for the second axle, and he drove the car for years with no problems.

 

I had a collapsed rear wheelbearing on my 458, I also was thinking I could change out the bearing only and get away with a 150 EUR-ish bill, but Ferrari has designed these bearing units on front and back in such a way that the tapered bearing is preloaded by forging over the end of the shaft, instead of using a nut or bolt as for example you can see in the 430 video above.

I ended up buying a complete rearhub for I think something like 1500 EUR, bearing failed after 32000 miles. car was fitted with spacers on the wheels.

 

I use that same method when installing bearings into chainsaw housings. It's amazing how much you can affect the tolerances with a little bit of heat or cold.

Ray

 

The bearing assembly in a 430 is $500 and is replaced as shown in the video. On a 458 its a single piece combined with the hub carrier and costs $1900. I haven't repacked or replaced an automotive tapered roller bearing set since the 90s and it was $50 for all four corners. The only reason to replace the bearings/races back then was because you were too lazy to repack them when you replaced the tires . When cars went to front wheel drive the bearings/races went to one-piece hub assemblies at around $100 a corner. They were inner/outer bent over and not pressed in. So we went from $50 to $8,000 to do full set of bearings not including labor and the bearings don't last the life of the car. A felony offense for sure.

The only reason for non-replaceable bearings is cost to the OEM. Instead of two parts you have one and no separate assembly required. The end result is extreme increase in owner cost and low reliability. These components should be top notch and maintenance friendly in such a car. I can only guess they get away with it because most buyers flip the newer cars before any repair is necessary. Then the buy-in cost for used is very low compared to new car buyers and they try DIY or independent. If anyone has replaced just the bearings in 458 or newer than post up but I would be surprised.

 

Yeah, that doesn't sound fun.

It would be interesting to take apart the bearing / hub assembly from something like a 458 and see if you could machine it and/or modify it in order to make serving the wheel bearings more straightforward. Maybe toss in some ceramic bearings in a steel race while you're at it

Ray

 

Oh god. A Ferrari guy and a chainsaw guy? What saws do you build? I’ve got an old 026 that I’ve got to put together one of these days, a 372 that could use a light messaging. I’ve been on a jag rebuilding non strato forestry clearing saws for the last year or so.

 

OP, have you checked your hubs runout with a dial indicator to make sure it’s the hub?

 

These days, I have a couple of 012 for limb work and also a hybrid 026/260 that I built and which has ceramic bearings. I've also got a 661 Magnum for larger stuff. A while back, I converted my Dad's old 031AV into electronic ignition and sold that for him. I've also rebuilt a few others along the way. For a while I had a 441 magnum, until I sold it to buy the 661. I also rebuilt an old 020AV about 5 years ago, as well as restoring a friend's MS361 for him. If you want to see some of them, check out my YouTube under ray5961 and you should be able to find some videos on some of the saws.

The last one I built from the ground up was the 026/260 hybrid.

Ray

 

Wow, it’s a small world Ray! I had a professional woodturning studio for twenty years (back when I had hair) before I retired. I used a Stihl 026 and an 066 for most of my cutting/bucking work. Both are great saws and I still have them, as well as the largest electric saw Stihl makes (the model escapes me at the moment).

I recently did a light rebuild on the 026 and the 066. My 066 has a 41” bar mounted on it occasionally. I used to process trees (from land clearing operations for residential development) up to six feet in diameter for turning stock for my studio work. My Oneway woodturning lathe can turn up to 24” diameter on the inbound side of the headstock and 48” on the outbound side.

I used a custom made two headed electric hoist to mount the big blanks (up to 500lbs or so) on the lathe and the electric Stihl to fine tune the edges until I could rotate it to clear the bedways. Love my Stihl saws!!!

Cheers and thanks for your informative posts on F-Chat, I have learned a lot from you bruddah!

Steve

 

Thanks!

Yeah, those 066 saws are super nice. I thought about getting an 066 and porting it, as opposed to the 661.

Ray

 

Whilst visiting a friend of mine in Utah, we used his 088 with an 8’ (not a Stihl bar) bar to process some super large 10’ diameter Maple logs. That 088 with an eight foot long bar hanging in front of the motor was a beastie!

You need big guns to lift it into the cut. Once the bar was in the cut, it was easy... Seeing 16’ of bar chain running around in front of you was awesome!!! [emoji2]

Cheers!