Captain Harlock

I once ran my T4 with a Lehner 1930/5 brushless motor(1200watts) and 11 nimh cells. At take off, I blew up the rear left bearing and I had already ordered a set of ceramic bearings from Acer Racing and used them in the T4 and it did not suffer not even the least damage after the ceramic bearings were installed.

Radio Active

iTrader: (2)

I'm currently racing non-boosted Offroad 4WD Stock. I'm near the front of the field and am chasing a competitive edge. I've been thinking about going to ceramic bearings to try and get more straight line speed and acceleration. My thinking being that less rotating mass will do that for me. I've already lightened the rest of the drive train as much as possible, the car is sitting on the weight limit etc.

After reading through this thread I'm now less sure of the performance benefit from going to ceramics than I was before, with some posters saying that it only makes a difference in high heat or very high rev bearings. It seems like at the very least I should swap out the motor bearings. But what about the rest of the drive-train? Will that help me?

The car I'm racing is a XX-4* which has a sealed drive train, and so that might negate some of the wear problems others have mentioned. The bearing kit I am looking at is the yellow seal (rubber) set from Boca, which is marketed as being for offroad applications so that should help too. This'll cost > $100 though, so I'm after some opinions, will this give me the speed advantage I originally thought it would?

*Yes, you read that right, and I am making this post in 2011. In this slower class the XX-4 offers a competitive advantage being much lighter than modern cars, and having more light-weight options available for the drive-train than others; there is also the fact that the car was originally designed with a NiCd weight distribution in mind which is closer to the modern LiPos than the latter NiMHs; plus it still jumps better than any other car.

bertrandsv87

iTrader: (2)

Ceramic bearings are the best all over, and make sure you have a big front bumper to deflect hits as much as possible , thereby saving your wheel bearings. Stop cutting off your bumpers, and blame the ceramic wheel bearings !!!! Bearings are not made to get hit !!!!!

Radio Active

iTrader: (2)

Well thanks for the advice. I think you might have missed the bit where I said it was for Offroad though. I don't think anyone has made a wide enough bumper to protect the wheels on an offroad buggy since the mid-80s. Also, there are jumps.

bertrandsv87

iTrader: (2)

Since we are in the On-road forum , my advice was not for you !!!! What are you doing here anyways? Post on the OFF ROAD FORUM ONLY !!!!!!!

Radio Active

iTrader: (2)

I did what you're supposed to do. I looked for a thread already created on the topic I was interested in and posted on that. Bearings are used in both onroad and offroad you know. My post on this thread was the first one in 4 years, so it seems odd that you didn't mean it for me.

HarryLeach

Don't mind him, he's always a bit off and his "!" key is continually stuck.

Ceramic bearings are nice if you can stomach the cost. They do spin more freely, and they're not as maintenance intensive as long as you keep them clean. For offroad, a small bead of regular automotive grease on the outside of the seals to act as a dirt trap that you can carefully clean off and reapply at least once during the day goes a long way toward keeping the bearings clean internally.

For onroad, being careful about where and how forcefully you use an air compressor for cleaning does even more for preventing contamination.

And for any type of bearing, fewer wrecks means fewer chances for introducing a failure.

bertrandsv87

iTrader: (2)

For On-Road racers only, don't cut your bumpers too short !!!! UNDERSTOOD !!!! Wow .....

squarehead

iTrader: (75)

Odd question for you guys... does anyone know how to easily distinguish a ceramic bearing from a standard bearing once they are both in your hands? I have a few in a certain car, and some are standard bearings. I just don't know which are which.

Any way to tell them apart visually?

CraigMBA

iTrader: (22)

Slightly disagree. On my 1c oval chassis, I have been using an RPM bearing blaster and brake cleaner to flush the grease out of new bearings, then using the air compressor at 120psi and a rubber tipped nozzle (to seal up against the bearing blaster) to blow the bearing dry. I do it while still in the bearing blaster so air goes THROUGH the bearing.

Never, never, never freespin a dry bearing with compressed air.

As a user here, I thank you for that. And to answer your question, I regularly clean out/reoil brand new bearings for my 1c carpet/asphalt/concrete chassis, but I would never do it for anything offroad. The bearings come factory packed in grease and the maintenance becomes unbearable once you get it out.

Further, I wouldn't bother with trying to free up a XX-4. The three belt system has enough drag I suspect it would negate any benefit of ceramic bearings and/or getting the grease out of them.

Wow. No idea. Anybody?

Odin544

iTrader: (93)

You would have to open them up and take a look at the balls. Ceramic balls are dark, almost black. Steel balls are nice and shiny, and look chrome.

squarehead

iTrader: (75)

Hmmmm... not an option. Kind of need those shields on the bearings. So no other way to tell, eh? Damn, that's kind of dumb.

Odin544

iTrader: (93)

I assume you're talking about the rubber shields. I quit pulling the rubber ones apart because they are a pita and you can damage the rubber shield easy. You can pull the shields off and put them back on though.

Metal shields, piece of cake.

HarryLeach

You misunderstand me.

I was referring to cleaning your car with compressed air without removing the bearings from the car, the way a lot of guys do between rounds. Some people see light contamination on/around the bearing shield and hit it with air until it's all gone, some of that grit is/can be forced in the ball and race area.

Your cleaning method is 100% correct and acceptable, and yes, never use compressed air to free-spin a bearing.

TonyK

iTrader: (5)

Since, we are having a discussion of bearings. What is the proper way to clean them?