how often do you change bearings???
 

hi guys i was wondering how often i have to change bearings on my 808..do you change all the bearings or do mainten them?

what year model 808?

its the 2009

You can replace all the bearings include engine bearings,or replace them when they are going bad? the way you can tell if the bearing is going bad is if it feels rough when you spin it,like there is dirt or grit in the bearing.

the engine bearings should go at least 5 or 6 or more gal. of fuel.

thank u for the reply..how many gallons should chasis new bearings go?

This depends on your maintenance routine; whether or not you use water or harsh cleaners when you clean your car, etc. A guy who uses a toothbrush and air(carefully) to clean his buggy is going to get a longer life out of his chassis bearings than a guy who is using Simple Green w/water, break cleaner, denatured alcohol, etc. If you disassemble after every race, brush your bearings clean and re-oil with proper bearing oil through the shield, your bearings could conceivably last indefinitely.

How about those ceramic bearing? I was told they are maintenance free, i.e. don't need to re-oil them. Any they don't' use oil but grease if I'm not wrong.

+1 In between race events if you tear down your rig and only use water + cleaning solution on the plastic/aluminum parts you'll get longer life out of the bearings.

I use a brush to dust off the bearings before checking them. If they spin free I cleam them w/ brake cleaner and re-oil, it then goes into my 'old/reuse' container. If I notice it binding and/or notchy it goes into my denatured alcholol jar with the hopes of salvaging it. BTW I have yet to salvage any so I'm not sure why I keep doing it. In most cases I end up reusing about 1/2 of the bearings after each race. The old reused bearings only go on the wheel hubs. Drivetrain will get new bearing after every race event.

You can pickup an entire set of the econo bearing set from Boca Bearings for about $24. In most cases I can get 2 race events before opening up a new pack. The ceramic orange seals are $300. I did the math and I chose to go with econo bearings and the cleaning/change out routine I stated above.

Once a year I replace them all. I always use rubber shielded since they are easier to clean than metal shielded. I clean them every 2 races.

I'll usually change engine bearings after 4 gallons..this is when I normally tear the engine down for cleaning as well. I get ceramics when I can, but personally I don't see a substantial difference between them and the metal..

I agree that bearing longevity is all about mantenance. Typically, I replace chassis bearings yearly. I have recently become a huge fan of Avid bearings for engine and chassis. :)

It's depend on the race condition.

regular track,
engine bearing up to 2 race.
car bearings, up to 3 race.

big, speed and jumps.
Engine check every race if dusty track.
New car bearings after 2 days event.

Only know the bearing condition during the rebuild.

Ceramic Bearings are lubricated with oil...they require more maintenance than standard steel bearings in many cases. cleaning, blowing out, and a drop or two of light bearing oil.

Standard steel bearings are most often packed with grease. This allows them to last quite awhile without maintenance, but adds a bit more resistance. If you blow them out and add oil instead, they will require maintenance more often.

Hmm, that not might be true. I purchased this ceramic bearing and it stated that all ceramic bearing are packed with grease.

I remember reading somewhere that the reason why grease are better choice is because it does not get diluted when mix with water comparing to oil. Ceramic bearing is always more expensive so it would be strange to be packed with oil.

Boca bearing seems to packed all its bearing with grease either steel or ceramic. I might be wrong but that's what I understand.

Note, I'm referring to RC usage, not those high end speed, heat and pressure thing which make oil fill a better choice.

http://www.bocabearings.com/bearing-...off-road-nitro

Do you mean your clutch bell bearings, or are you actually tearing down your engine, and replacing the front and rear bearings after 2 races???:weird:

I tear my car down after every race. Part of that is checking the bearings. Like mentioned above, I'll pop the seals on any that feel "notchy", clean them with brake cleaner, then re-oil. Clutch bell bearings I typically just throw away, but I generally get a couple of race days of or practice sessions on them.

I've tried the expensive bearings, ceramics, etc....I didn't notice a huge improvement in performance or increased life over the Avid's, so I generally just stick with them. About $25 to replace every bearing isn't bad.

I generally replace all of them at the end of the season, and keep diff / hub bearings, and clutch bell bearings on hand to be used as needed.