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Internal combustion engines normally use a pair of flanged bearing whose purpose is to carry axial loads resulting from the clutch system action and/or crankshaft impacts which unavoidably occur under real running conditions. There are alternative solutions to flanged bearings like, for example, thrust washers positioned directly onto the engine block but structurally decoupled from the respective main bearing. An engine designer's choice on the subject depends, in many cases, of his knowledge of similar engines with a reliable track record or of his personal preference for a specific solution that he is fond of However, the trend towards smaller and compact power units, i.e. of high power density (kW/L kW/cm2) has, as a result raised the mechanical loading imposed upon thrust bearings, in a number of cases, the thrust loads foreseen at the conception of the original design were exceeded by far. This factor alone results in excessive wear of the thrust faces.