It's a "while you're in there" kind of thing. I changed mine from a bushing to a bearing.
The bushing probably would have worked fine, but "while I was in there", I upgraded.

 

I would go ahead and change it out. The roller bearing is cheap compared to the cost of the swap. The T5 uses thinner oil than the older transmissions and the extra drag of the bushing could degrade the shift quality. You may get away with it with no problems, but I wouldn't take the chance for the $10-12 the roller bearing costs.

 

I debated this question back and forth when I did my T5 swap. I even put the roller bearing in, but thought it had to seat all the way in like the bushing so I cheseled it out. As far as I now know, the bearing WILL NOT seat fully, but will stick out about 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Me too - I was told I "should" change to the bearing. Getting the old bushing out was a royal pain, but at least I don't worry about it.

The bearing will stick out just a tad (maybe 1/4 inch), but that's fine.

 

I went with the roller bearing for my swap as well. That's what the articles I've read recommended. As someone else replied, it will slightly stick out farther than the original bushing, so just tap it in until it hits solid.

Jason

 

I had good luck with the grease and plug method. I turned a piece of aluminum to fit
the ID of the bearing (a wooden dowel would work as well), packed the cavity with grease,
inserted the plug and 5 taps later I had the bushing in my hand! Physics in action!

 

I've been told that when putting in a t-5 that you HAVE to use the roller bearing. It was a while back, and the ole memory ain't what it used to be. But I thing that it had something to do with the input shaft requiring the bearing.

 

Grease works good but I ran into something even better. PlayDough! Its soft and pliable and is easy to shove in, it cleans up real quick because it won't stick to the crankshaft, and there is no chance of it contaminating the new clutch disk.

 

Thanks for the info,

Steve