Performance driven 996's w/ IMSB failures...let's get some feedback please!

How many 996 owners here, past or present, that have driven their cars mostly on the 2.5k+ rpm side and have still experienced the stock bearing failing? I bring this question up finally because everyone I talk to, including the longtime Indy, dealer, other owners, all say that the high rpm driven cars tend to not have IMSB failures (for whatever reason). Jake, feel free to dial in your thoughts from any of your past client cars that claim they drove it like they stole it...and still failed, if there are such cases. Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

Goes without saying that this applies to m/t cars. Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

Not this sh$t again Seriously how many times is the same topic going to be beaten to death and resurrected by some musing?? Sorry to take it out on the OP but do a search Stop stirring the pot The answer - and you know it - is that it is a very small percentage that have this problem and it is completely random - regardless of type of use. Your question is squarely aimed at trying to prove that high rpm regularly exercised engines will experience no failure - then go ahead and do that and sleep well at night Geez Pls let this thread die

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I actually sleep well at night regardless. Apparently you couldn't and had to

The 996s that experience IMSB failures could all be prevented if driven at 0 RPMs.

"Performance driven" is completely subjective, and 100% of Porsche drivers see themselves as capable performance drivers. Once you factor in the fact that most of us are insufferable ******, all you're guaranteed to get from this thread is a spike in blood pressure.

I understand what the OP is driving at. A large percentage (so it seems) of failures has occurred in seldom driven cars that did oil changes only annually. Some suggest that regularly driven cars that are revved to 2500+ rpm minimum at all times along with frequent oil changes (6months 5k miles) plus use of a premium oil such as Joe Gibbs DT40 are much less apt to experience the dreaded IMSB failure.

whacked...

Even so, there are an infinite amount of variables. When pigs fly, and a controlled study is performed by actual statisticians, only then will we know the truth. I am convinced these posters are car dealers looking to continue to beat down resale values on a great car.

I see very few IMSB failures from cars that are tracked hard. Its likely that a loss of oil viscosity will lead to main and rod bearing failure much before an IMSB will fail in these applications. Or a rod bolt will break. I can't think of a failure report that has come in lately that stated the IMSB failed during a track session. That goes back probably 3 years. On the track, this is what will take you out, and no bolt on part will save you from this demise:

So...is the conclusion that a tracked 996 is less likely to have IMSb failure, or that tracked 996's tear through other parts before the imsb has a chance to fail? If the latter is not stated, the former will be assumed, and we'll be awash in "Just drive your 996 really, REALLY hard and the imsb will never fail. Jake even said so!!!" That's what I'd like to avoid...flawed polls, misquotes, and unsubstantiated "facts..."

What I stated applies only to engines with M96 diameter IMSBs, either dual or single row. The later, M97 IMSB is opposite as it hates track service, but loves street use. The M96 IMSB diameter unloads with higher RPM, and the M97 over speeds with higher RPM. Most IMSB failure reports I get start out "I was going slow in a parking lot", or "I was in a construction zone when", or "I was pulling into the gas station when".

Roadsession sez it best,enough already!

Looks like that rod got really hot and stretched like salt water taffy. Oil system failure of some sort?

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That's pretty much how non Porsche owners feel about all Porsche or Corvette owners. They are correct about the Corvette owners.

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This is exactly what I am trying to get to. How many of us have actually followed through as he stated and have experienced a failure? Or, I would ask, how many of us saw a perfectly intact IMSB when upgrading to aftermarket solutions after such driving/maintenance practices? This thread would mostly be valuable to either original 996 owners, maybe 2nd hand owners if purchaser was familiar with first owner's driving/maintenance habits, or worst, 3rd owners with this information passed on. Basically enthusiast owned, passed on... Point is, I am looking for someone to come through and say I tracked my 996 on weekends, or only took it on spirited drives, maintained it...and still the IMSB failed/was intact when upgrading. Again, this response would not apply to another owner of a 996 who did not know the driving history of their car. This is all I'm very interested in. I know 3 original owners of 996 cars. They drove them 88k miles, 124k miles, and 90k miles all on the original IMSB. They also drove/maintained their cars like I stated above...hence my question. Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

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Oil failure... Then bearing failure, then rod bolt failure.

There is a correlation between post count and likelihood of posting an imsb thread. I think this is much more demonstrable than op's theory.

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LOL. Some of you guys really have so much time to come up with these creative answers. Guess life's not been so exciting lately. Thanks though. I like the script writing. Keeps me more in tune with Rennlist. I guess it is actually true what some of society think about P Owners. Glad I'm still not one of them... Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

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Some of theses guys get angry because they know that these engines are ****. Massively flawed on a number of levels. I don't care. If mine goes bang I'll just a chuck a used motor in there and wait till that goes bang and then rinse and repeat.

The car in my avatar is an 01 986S. From what I understand, my 3.2 engine is similar to what is in the early 996 cars. Anyhow, it has 90k miles, and probably the last 15k of those miles have been on track. The engine runs strong. When I had to rebuild the tranny a few thousand miles ago, I did the ceramic bearing upgrade. The mechanic told me the original steel bearings were pristine. N=1 anecdotes aren't worth much but thought I'd pass along my history FWIW.

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No we are angry because so many new members post the same old tripe without bothering to read (or comprehend) everything that is already out there. Every newbie has a grand new idea about the cause or correlation, but if they bothered to read they'd know it's all been discussed before. And now we see this twit is stirring the pot and doesn't even have a 996. I'm shocked about this revelation. Shocked I tell you! The IMSBS is far over blown to the number of actual failures. It's a risk, but there are plenty of other risks in the M96 just like there are risks in any motor you buy for any car. I have no more fear of our motor dying than I do of getting hit by lightning. I'll do things as appropriate to help it live longer, but I'm not going to go out of my way to throw money at problems that are a relatively low risk. In the meantime we have enjoyed it for 15 years and will continue to do so.

If the IMS thing keeps you up at night, just don't buy the car. It's really that simple. Like any product, if there is a feature or design issue you simply can't live with, don't buy it. Plus I just wanted to post my new avatar.

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While I may be a douche - I assume that's what you're suggesting society thinks about Porsche drivers - my reply wasn't really just an attempt to be clever. It seems like every potential 996 owner (or, worse, the ones who buy on impulse and THEN read about the IMS bearing online) on Rennlist starts a "I read all of the IMSB threads, but I'm going to phrase this one just slightly differently so I feel justified in posting it. Please agree with the theory I'm posing so I can feel better about my 996 purchase " thread. Hell, I was tempted to post one when I bought my 996, even though I'd already been driving an M96-powered car for 2 years. The temptation is strong. To save time, I have added a list of known-to-be-true facts about the 996 and the IMS bearing: * If you make only right turns, the IMS bearing will last forever. * If you examine your oil filter weekly with a scanning electron microscope, the IMS bearing will last forever. * If you shift at exactly 5,996 RPM, the resonant frequency the IMS was tuned to by those crafty Germans, the IMS bearing will last forever. * If you drive your car in the rain, the IMS bearing will fail almost immediately. NO LIE. Please do not test this theory out.

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You forgot #5: * Conversely if you drive it in the snow, the IMS will last forever.

Well, EVERYONE knows that, but since you'll be tearing the motor apart annually to address bore scoring, I figured I'd leave it off the list.

#6. As soon as you buy a "new to me" 996, you must spend at least $5,000 on "preventative" maintenance, which includes replacing many, many parts that are currently working just fine and have been performing properly for 11 to 16 years, because, you know, at some point, they might fail. Failing to replace any and all of these parts will cause immediate IMSB failure. And Schnell, you "may" be a douche? Don't sell yourself short, you're a tremendous douche. EVERYONE knows that.

Oh, I forgot to add a well deserved photo:

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Thanks - I need to remember to be more self-confident. I appreciate the affirmation.

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Your Avatar keeps me awake at night. Please feel free to post more often.

And the classic #7 if you leave your car in the garage your ims will never fail. With that avatar i will stay on this forum forever.

I hate to be argumentative, but it's common 996 Forum knowledge that "garage queens" are ticking time bombs. Everyone knows that the best 996 to buy is one that has been ragged out day after day (see title of this thread)... It may seem counterintuitive that the rattiest, most beat-on 996 on the planet is the one you should buy, and that you should run, not walk, away from pristine low-mileage examples...but it's on the Internet, so it MUST be true.

It all depends on the brand and type of oil you use. Discuss.

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I hear a unicorn semen/concrete mix is the best oil alternative for making sure there is zero play in your IMS.

Knock it off guys, this thread was on its way to becoming a sticky.

Sorry to end your male orgy fest. Hopefully you all will reconnect at the next meet and "get it going" again. I would usually say more but I've asked karma to reach out to each and every one of you who decided to make a joke out of this. It will happen. Just a matter of time...enjoy the ride of life! Sent from my iPad using Rennlist