Roelof

Name one RC bearing brand that provides a specsheet for their bearings, I havn't seen one.

DarthDad

Ordered a set from Avid

EricW

iTrader: (1)

If you're running on carpet, take the shielding off and leave them off and use a light bearing oil. (you'll need to do more maintenance, but your bearings will run freer without the shield) You can use Dry Fluid rather than oil, a bit pricey but works well.

DRYFLUID RC-CARS english (dry-fluids.com)

BigBuckORamma

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABEC_scale

Most RC Bearings are ABEC 5. "Mid-Grade" Precision Bearings.

I have heard of some factory guys using ABEC 7 bearings.

A lot of places (not just RC related) that do not specify their ABEC ratings often times buy ABEC 1 or ABEC 3 bearings in bulk, and then do some basic tests to bin them by quality based on resistance, race play, and overall tolerances.

Even though the bearings are only tested at the manufacturer to a certain ABEC ISO standard, it does not mean that bearings in that particular sorting are all at that level of precision, it means that there is nothing LOWER than that ABEC level of tolerance.
So it is more than likely that in a bulk ABEC 1 or 3 allotment, you will find bearings that easily pass ABEC 5 quality standards, but they are not certified for that quality level, only to their lowest common denominator for that production run, so even if they are ABEC 5 quality, they cant be called ABEC 5 bearings, because that is not the tolerance the manufacturer certified them to.
This is how many bearing kit manufacturers (again, not just RC, think remanufacturing companies for industrial purposes) acquire their bearings. They cant say they are "ABEC 5", because they are not made to that standard. But they can say "Meets or exceeds OEM requirements" which makes no definitive claim to legally defined regulated ISO quality standards. So you are left with "Trust me, bro" as your quality guarantee, because they aren't adhering to any legally defined quality standard. Which is why ISO, and its regulated national equivalents were created.

shortcut3d

iTrader: (1)

Acer and Whitz both provide the ball material and grade as well as the ABEC grade. Boca also has RC bearings that are meticulously detailed specs like every other bearing they sell.

DarthDad

that was my thought. Do I take shields off bearings in gearbox?

Roelof

Whitz I do not know but Boca I do see as a true bearing company because they have a wide spectrum of bearings.

ABEC says something about tolerances, it says nothing about stuf like axial and lateral forces....
What I mean is if you go to Ina, SKF and others like them you can get full specsheets of all forces it should withstand and RPM ranges with what kind of lubrication.

DarthDad

Roelof BigBuckORamma Interesting technical info, but

BigBuckORamma

If you have genuine NMB Bearings, they have full spec sheets for all of their bearing sizes, with static and dynamic loads. The smaller the bearing, the less detail there is on lubrication specific material wear rates, and intended lifespan, because the cost per bearing is so low, its not worth mentioning or testing. But the data is there on the suggested loads and application, if you want to choose to find it.

NMB sells certified bearings, for specific tolerance ratings. They are required to have that data on hand to certify their products for scientific use. Boca also has data sheets available upon request. But they are a lot more stingy with them, unless you are a supplier of their bearings. Again, I personally dont like the "Trust me, bro" levels to the quality of an item, when i can literally look it up from a reputable manufacturer. Do i need it? No. But its good to know its an option.

Roelof

The main thing is that most RC bearing companies do not make them, they just buy them from a Chinese/Asian company, that is why they can not provide you a decent specsheet. I had this discussion with some new bearing brand some years ago on this forum and he came with just a commercial info folder about the ceramic balls of how they are made. If you are owner of a bearing production company then you should know what a specsheet is....
Most of the RC drivers buy the stuff based on commercial talk, fanboys and trust the (most) USA based brand. Basically with some very low prices (even with ceramics) you can be sure they are China made. Funny thing is that on these forums China bearings are crap and basically the same bearings supplied by some known RC bearing company are the best. And do not get me wrong. In my car I use simple cheap steel bearings from somewhere out of Asia. I do not mind, they run well and when they have a sign to go bad I will easily with a big smile replace them with new ones, of all the sizes I use I have bags of 50pcs.

BigBuckORamma

Oh yeah, there is no disputing that at all. Which is why i prefer to get my bearings from places where i know i can get the genuine article, and see the laser etched NMB production stamp with lot number.
I probably pay too much for them. But i know what i am getting, and genuine NMB bearings have always way outlasted my expectations on performance and longevity. So i see it as being a good investment, especially comparative to some of the other dumb shit i spend way to much money on with my RC car, only to wreck once, and make every hop up worthless. LOL!

P.S. - OK, so wreck like 4 times...but still.

EricW

iTrader: (1)

I run on astro and at times on carpet. None of the bearing in my cars have shielding on them. I clean them with citrus cleaner and water, then I blow them out with compressed air. I also use the dry fluid and not oil/grease.

DarthDad

Thanks for feedback. I'll do that with mine. You have a dry fluid you like? I have grease and oil now, but not the dry fluid.

wely324

iTrader: (4)

Cleaning bearings is a pita. I fully understand the benefit of having a well maintained car, but on my 8th scale buggy I will check if they are still smooth, if not I toss them. I also don’t race, but my buggy is always running good, and replacing bearings is like once a season thing for me.

EricW

iTrader: (1)

DRYFLUID RC-CARS english (dry-fluids.com)

I have a bottle from a while ago, but I need to get a new one.