Flex Joint options... <aka Guibo, Giubo>

[brokencase]

Has anyone ever tried this type of flex joint?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/FEBI-05539-Pro ... SwkClckSXB

Seems like a better design than the original type...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-1988-1989- ... xyrP9RbD1S

[my8950]

It's interesting, I'm wondering as well...Curious what the original application was for that one.

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

This poly one has everything from a bmw 318 to a corvette zr1 listed.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Polyurethane-T ... 0005.m1851

[brokencase]

I like that design. I wonder if the black portion is made of metal. In any case if it doesn't say it fits the Scorpio its not really useful.

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

Mike over at Merkur Depot told me there are 3 different guibo versions, you can get them easily at the autoparts store since they fit various bmws, and if I needed one he would get me the correct part number. You may have to cross reference that, since these ebay sellers may not include the xr4ti (yet alone a scorpio!) in their ebay listings.

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

I think they are aluminum/poly like these are.
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-dr ... M4QAvD_BwE

[my8950]

I have heard mixed stories of the BMW ones lasting a short amount of time, to a little bit of time on the XR. I don't have any specific information anymore as that was on and off for a few years a while back. I'd make sure before spending that loot to ship something here and find out it's not going to work out so well.

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

Knowledge base says 26111107832 part number from 5 series bmw. I don't see any poly ones like in those links available.

[brokencase]

I don't know. The aluminum frame with the individual poly bushings looks intriguing. But I'm leaning more toward the first one in my post.
I'll call this one the "Modern BMW style" for lack of better terminology. I know this is more akin to what you would find on a more modern BMW.

The reason I'm leaning to this type rather than that poly bushing one is about "smoothness" in the drive line. I don't think you need stiff polyurethane and aluminum here. You want it to flex in all aspects.

I could imagine installing the poly aluminum type and ending up having a drone at certain highway speeds.
The "Modern BMW style" ones look like they had some German engineering though put into them.

My "guibo" looks OK at this point but I suspect it is original and will go soon (its 32 years old)....it'll probably fail when I take it on long trip.
I had to change the one on my previous Scorpio so nothing unexpected here.

Likewise I purchased a spare transmission mount because I had to change that on the previous Scorpio.

[John Brennan]

I have to laugh, I also thought it was "guibo" for many years, until I learned that the word is actually "giubo," pronounced, essentially, "jee-YOU-bo."

Waddaya know...

[Ed Lijewski]

Each links suggests the application is for race use (?).

YMMV

[andyofcolumbusmerkur]

I saw the ECS tuning video on installing and they spelled it giubo. I thought that was just an error since it's guibo every other place I see. Also I heard it pronounced "gweebo". I think I will just stick to calling it a flex joint.

[my8950]

A giubo (/ˈdʒuːboʊ/ JOO-boh; etymology: giunto Boschi, "Boschi joint"), also known as a flex disc, and sometimes misspelled as guibo, is a flexible coupling used to transmit rotational torque between the drive shaft and the companion flange on mechanical devices, such as an automobile engine.

[brokencase]

Guibo, Giubo, RotorFlex, Flexjoint, Driveline Rubber Doughnut...Whatever...

Which is best? I would think that the "BMW style" ones would be an improvement over the older original design.

The older design has the stamped steel around the bolt holes vs. the newer design having the individual steel bushings.

There was a video on youtube of a guy changing one on a 5 series and the old one he pulled out had some cracking, but it did not exhibit the "chunks missing" that I have seen on failed Scorpio flex joints in the past.

The other thing that is a concern is that the older style ones for sale are "old stock". I think the BMW style ones would be of a more recent manufacture, so the rubber is fresh and maybe of a more modern formulation.

[my8950]

I am somewhat curious about this. I'm skeptical though of the BMW units due to the issues I heard before in the past. Agreed that a newer unit would possibly be a different formulation, but do they fit the same as our original and will they work the same as well?

I'm looking at one for the XR, I see this is the scorpio side of the fence.