Beisan S54 Exhaust Sprocket Hub Solution

[stash1]

I don’t agree at all. Equally important to warn people away from companies that’ll ruin their cars as is to encourage the good ones.

Again, I hear you, and I agree that it's good to post the negative as well as positive experiences w/regards to vendors/companies...and services offered aside, I'm sure that not all of VAC's products are shite-lol. I would strongly encourage folks still do their own research, and then do more research, and decide for themselves. Ultimately, I'll let my dollars do the talking-lol.

[Rajaie]

For reputation alone, I suppose the Beisan hub sprocket + oil pump disc is is the way to go (seem to agree with the term "the ultimate solution").

However, am wondering about the following:

1. assuming nothing's broken and just doing preventive work: the combo of using the existing (OEM) oil pump disc but using the Beisan hub sprocket is still not ideal as the tabs will continue hammering the disc due to the play (Beisan tabs, although thicker are still same width as the OEM tabs) -- is this correct?
2. so, the Beisan oil pump disc should really accompany the use of the Beisan hub sprocket -- is this correct?
3. ECS has the VAC hub which supposedly has tabs wider than the OEM's and provide a better fit for the (OEM) oil pump disc holes. Would this be an alternative fix with just 1 part being changed?

Thanks.

If your hub tabs are not broken, there is no need to replace your hub. Once you install the Beisan oil pump disk with smaller holes, there is a 7 year 100% statistic that you will not experience a broken tab.
But if you insist on installing a new hub, you are correct that the Beisan hub, although with thicker tabs, does not have wider tabs, and will not remove the play with the OE disk large holes, and there will be hitting and possible rattling.

In my opinion, you should always install a new hub with a disk with new holes. This is needed to allow the hub tabs to mate and embed evenly into the new disk holes.This way you can be assured of the disk being turned by both tabs.
So many people have installed the TT or VAC hub to replace their hub with broken tab and used their old disk with old holes. This seems really crazy to me and I have not said anything about it, until now.
When a tab breaks, it always dents out the disk hole it breaks in. So, when a TT of VAC hub is installed with the old disk, only the hub tab in the undamaged disk hole contacts the disk hole side. The other hub tab doesn't touch the other disk hole side, because the hole has been indented out. So the disk is only turned with one tab. You might as well have left the old hub in with one tab, except for the still present play.
I have spoken with many owners doing this and have always tried to recommend to them to send their disk to TT or VAC to machine new OE size holes in them.
Further, even if a tab wasn't broken and a TT or VAC, or even Beisan, hub was being installed, the disk holes already have indentations in them from the embedding OE thinner hub tabs, and the new thicker hub tabs will only mate with the unintended outer edges of the disk hole side indentations. This is ok, but not a very good matting.
All this is why I always recommend installing a disk with new holes when installing a new hub, even if it is a new OE hub. The new tabs should always be allowed to mate and indent in new hole sides.
The Beisan hub product states to only install with a Beisan oil pump disk.

Your last question is perplexing. You want to install just one part, and you would prefer to install a VAC hub for $600 instead of a Beisan oil pump disk for $150, to effectively accomplish the same thing of removing the play. You are correct.
BTW from what I know, the VAC hub leaves .2mm hub tab to disk hole play. The Beisan disk leaves .05mm play. The original play is 1mm.

[mrgizmo04]

Hey Raj, good insight.

PM-ed you about a different topic. Let me know your thoughts when you have a chance.

[eml]

If your hub tabs are not broken, there is no need to replace your hub. Once you install the Beisan oil pump disk with smaller holes, there is a 7 year 100% statistic that you will not experience a broken tab.
But if you insist on installing a new hub, you are correct that the Beisan hub, although with thicker tabs, does not have wider tabs, and will not remove the play with the OE disk large holes, and there will be hitting and possible rattling.

In my opinion, you should always install a new hub with a disk with new holes. This is needed to allow the hub tabs to mate and embed evenly into the new disk holes.This way you can be assured of the disk being turned by both tabs.
So many people have installed the TT or VAC hub to replace their hub with broken tab and used their old disk with old holes. This seems really crazy to me and I have not said anything about it, until now.
When a tab breaks, it always dents out the disk hole it breaks in. So, when a TT of VAC hub is installed with the old disk, only the hub tab in the undamaged disk hole contacts the disk hole side. The other hub tab doesn't touch the other disk hole side, because the hole has been indented out. So the disk is only turned with one tab. You might as well have left the old hub in with one tab, except for the still present play.
I have spoken with many owners doing this and have always tried to recommend to them to send their disk to TT or VAC to machine new OE size holes in them.
Further, even if a tab wasn't broken and a TT or VAC, or even Beisan, hub was being installed, the disk holes already have indentations in them from the embedding OE thinner hub tabs, and the new thicker hub tabs will only mate with the unintended outer edges of the disk hole side indentations. This is ok, but not a very good matting.
All this is why I always recommend installing a disk with new holes when installing a new hub, even if it is a new OE hub. The new tabs should always be allowed to mate and indent in new hole sides.
The Beisan hub product states to only install with a Beisan oil pump disk.

Your last question is perplexing. You want to install just one part, and you would prefer to install a VAC hub for $600 instead of a Beisan oil pump disk for $150, to effectively accomplish the same thing of removing the play. You are correct.
BTW from what I know, the VAC hub leaves .2mm hub tab to disk hole play. The Beisan disk leaves .05mm play. The original play is 1mm.

Hi Raj, thanks for the detailed response.

Agree with replacing both components since we're doing preventive maintenance already and, in this case, the whole thing is open already. Agree, too, with the cost comparison (actually had that exact comparison in my draft) but wanted to keep the discussion on the tech side of things.

Just wanted to go through the thought process as one point I was looking at is availability of parts in the long term. My car is 15yo (and others' are even older) and am planning to keep it until it dies ... not sure if it's a correct assumption that OEM parts will be available longer than "custom" ones but was thinking that, to be safe, it may be advantageous to use "ok" OEM parts as much as possible and just use replacement parts when those replacements "fix" something that's wrong with OEM ones (like, in this case, the play).

Anyway, am looking forward to getting my hub and pump disc replaced soon. As somebody mentioned earlier, the sad part is that these parts look too good to be hidden!

[bjz!]

Great job, Raj!

You should send me a few parts to Europe, to decrease the shipping times and delays of the customs! ☺ Hahahaha!

[Arith2]

BTW from what I know, the VAC hub leaves .2mm hub tab to disk hole play. The Beisan disk leaves .05mm play. The original play is 1mm.

My VAC hub definitely doesn't have much play. It fit snug in a dented disk where broken tabs made it look pretty knarly. Even with extra play it was snug in that one. I now have another disk from a different engine and it's even tighter. It barely moved at all. If it was out or I had the valve cover off I'd measure it for you but next time. From what I've read, the S52 had half the clearance

VAC treated me very well and I ordered directly through them. They literally gave me next day shipping for free just because. Apparently other people have been done dirty by them. I think we need a vendor experience thread on here which I'm 100% Beisan has little no complaints. I don't have anything but good things to say and I've rebuilt two Vanos assemblies with those kits.

[Albino09]

Wow, thank you for continuing to innovate and improve the product for our platform! If I hadn't already gone through my VANOS 3 years ago with your pump disc I would've certainly picked up a new hub while I was at it. Consider me a satisfied customer with 20k+ trouble-free miles after I put in the new pump disc.

[kaiv]

Plenty of things to like about Raj/Beisan. One of them is extended testing prior to releasing a product.
Here's a prototype Beisan hub in my car circa 2014

https://www.instagram.com/p/wfeGU1PTuR

[Albino09]

Plenty of things to like about Raj/Beisan. One of them is extended testing prior to releasing a product.
Here's a prototype Beisan hub in my car circa 2014

https://www.instagram.com/p/wfeGU1PTuR

Wow! How many miles does that unit have in your car now?

[kaiv]

Wow! How many miles does that unit have in your car now?

So much has happened since, I couldn't say, sorry! I sold that car quite a while back to. I do remember pulling the hub after some miles and sending it back to Raj for inspection/tweaks.

[jbfrancis3]

Impressive. Beisan taking the long view; the right way to do things.

[Rajaie]

My VAC hub definitely doesn't have much play. It fit snug in a dented disk where broken tabs made it look pretty knarly. Even with extra play it was snug in that one. I now have another disk from a different engine and it's even tighter. It barely moved at all. If it was out or I had the valve cover off I'd measure it for you but next time. From what I've read, the S52 had half the clearance

VAC treated me very well and I ordered directly through them. They literally gave me next day shipping for free just because. Apparently other people have been done dirty by them. I think we need a vendor experience thread on here which I'm 100% Beisan has little no complaints. I don't have anything but good things to say and I've rebuilt two Vanos assemblies with those kits.

Thanks for the nice words of support.

The VAC .2mm play is strait from the VAC website, "reduces the clearance to 0.2mm".
https://store.vacmotorsports.com/s54...ade-p3771.aspx

[dstrbdM]

I went to bullet proof my vanos with the Beisan S54 line up (exhaust upper chain guide, rebuilt solenoid pack, Oil pump disk anti-rattle repair, vanos seals) before my exhaust hub broke and when I tore into it I found a broken tab. I was in contacted Raj for a replacement exhaust hub recommendation and he offered me to beta test the new top secret hub! The new hub was delayed due to extensive testing of manufacturing because he said it had to be absolutely perfect. After a couple of push backs i started to get anxious to drive my car and I told him I was going to look for a stock hub or another option. He then sent me a used stock hub for the delay to get me up and running.
It's obvious to me that not many places care this much about their product and their customers as Raj.
100% Class

[jpiazzam3]

Is there anyway of knowing if I have an early enough M3 to fall into that category of having the “better” hub. I have an 01 with a November build date. I still want to do my Vanos as preventative maintenance but I’ve been going back and forth between subframe and Vanos. If there is a way to tell if I have the “better” hub it would help in my decision and maybe put off the Vanos till after subframe reinforcement. Any help would be appreciated

[Stack]

My tab is not broken with
102,xxx on the clock....but that's not stopping me, I will be doing the full Beisan system