The FAG wheel bearing with face spline is among the nominated finalists for the renowned PACE Award. This award, which is presented annually by the Automotive News magazine in cooperation with audit and consulting firm Ernst & Young and the Transportation Research Center (TRC), honors outstanding product innovations of automotive suppliers.

The new wheel bearing with face spline, which went into volume production in the BMW X1, connects the wheel bearing with the axle journal axially instead of radially. This leads to several advantages: The weight of the component is reduced by around ten percent while significantly increasing its capacity to support loads. In addition, the face spline reduces the fitting outlay and ensures clearance-free fitting. The innovative wheel bearing concept thus has a positive influence on fuel consumption and emissions, performance and driving characteristics as well as operating life and costs. In short: With the wheel bearing with face spline, the Schaeffler Group offers a state-of-the-art product that is more precise, more lightweight and at the same time more cost-efficient.

This innovative wheel bearing solution has won the “2008 Automechanika Innovation Award” and the “2009 NoAE Innovation Award” (Network of Automotive Excellence). Last year, the Schaeffler Group received the PACE Award 2009 for the LuK dry double clutch.