[Walt Fricke]

Scott

Those are 10mm bolt holes? All my CVs are the 8mm style. Though I don't know why that would make a difference as to raised vs not raised. Lobro/GKN just didn't change their practice for those?

Do your race car axles have a shoulder to which the CV butts? But the presence or absence of the thick washer on the axle side doesn't explain the purpose of cutting the inner race down to create the appearance of a raised center, because that part faces the circlip side, away from the axle. And the total thickness of the two styles (based on the one I had to compare with six or so non-raised ones) is the same. The inner races on the one are just a little bit shorter on that side because of the additional machining.

I can see no possible interference issues with which way the center race is installed. The circlip doesn't extend beyond the raised area? So cutting away the perimeter isn't going to be some kind of protection of the circlip's stability?

Identifying the relieved inside splines is all I can see as to a purpose. Of course, I don't claim to be all seeing. But I do like to understand why things are supposed to be this way or that.

So far, no one has shown some kind of asymmetry which requires the outer race to be installed one way or the other. Doesn't mean there isn't one, but it must be pretty subtle if it is there. The groove would allow you to reassemble exactly as it was before without having to make some mark of your own. Or to reassemble the opposite way, if spreading wear was your goal.

The cage asymmetry is subtle, but real. Don't front wheel drives put CVs through greater angles than a 911's rear sees other than in off road use with extended suspension travel. Craig Watkins explained that the reason the hollow axles Smart Racing once sold had longer splined areas and no inner shoulders was based on off road racing experience in the Baja, where allowing the axle to slide some was beneficial due to the increased suspension travel. Anyway, since I have seen no evidence of wear on the outsides of my cages, despite my not having paid attention to thin vs thick (since I didn't know about it) when reassembling the CVs on my two track cars, I don't think it matters. The CVs go bad when there is grooving of the races. I used to keep some of these as a short of show and tell when someone wanted to know when the parts were worn out (if you can feel a groove, it is worn out - the groove will just get a lot larger a lot faster because it is at least close to wearing through the hardened surface). I know sometimes guys find broken cages as well. Have I just been lucky?

In some cases, proper may be in the eye of the beholder. Grady viewed proper as being exactly as the factory did it. You should have the two hole thick washers, and the proper serrated washers. I don't use either. Yes, the boot holder sheet metal will thin out under the bolt head, but I've yet to have a bolt get loose on that account, nor the metal get so thin that the holder gets loose and grease gets out or dust in. Some of these boot holders come with a thick circular piece inside the sheet metal (perhaps this is when Porsche stopped using the two hole washers on the outside?). I pry these out. I use the 12 point Allens (much more resistant to stripping) and make sure the length is right. Porsche used the 12 points at one time, then went to the more common hex. Cost?

If there is a point to this, I think it would be that if a guy had failed to note these details of CV reassembly, he ought not to sweat it. It is not like putting rod caps on backward, or pistons wrong side up.