In my TC5 the front bearings went out all the time. Its the same for the TC6. I did try the scoring of the inside of the hub and that did help for a little bit with the slop. If you hit anything with any regularity you should change them frequently

AE bearings are not their strong point, but again parts are cheap, but investing in better hub bearings makes sense.

i run boca ceramics! been running them since my tc5! never had any failures

The associated stock bearings are crap. Even the $1 each avid bearings are more durable.

I think a wider front bumper will help these bearings a bit . Associated have a reputation of soft and small bumpers that make every other part in their cars look weak . Parma should be a good start, and if they don't make one for the tc6, you can buy the 3"x8" foam blank and cutout your own !!!!

Thanks for the input guys. Im gonna try replacing the stock ones with the Acer ceramics. They are a little pricey, but as always, you get what you pay for in this hobby.

I used to run Boca ceramics in my gas on-road cars back in the day... and I dont remember ever having a bearing failure create this much slop/play in the suspension unless I hit something hard enough to break far more than just the bearing.

Speaking of the front hub bearings... does anyone know the width of these bearings? Are they 6x10x3mm?

That is the right size. Do yourself a favor and get the $1/avid bearings. Ceramics aren't any more durable, so it's much cheaper to stock up on those. A little motor spray and lightweight oil and they will spin as free as ceramics as well...

thanks am03ct for ure help that was to good but i want to remove the washer to get zero bumpsteer mate thats what it says in the set up sheet am i doing the right thing

Not sure why you are having bearing issues. Are you cleaning them and using good oil? I'm still using kit bearings and they are still smooth after a season.

Mike

What about ceramics at non-contact places (layshaft, inner suspension)....... Worth the extra $4 per bearing?

+1 on the Avid bearings. I tested their bearings in the TC6 for Avid vs the AE bearings and once I replaced them with Avids I have not had a single bearing failure.

David, the owner of Avid will tell you himself, Ceramic bearings are not worth the extra price in your cars. Performance increase is negligible, if any at all. For the price your could technically replace all the bearings 4x with steel bearings, which will really outlive the life of an average chassis. Save the ceramic bearings for your Nitro Engines and perhaps inside your diffs where heavy loads are applied.

Cleaned and freshly oiled right out of the package!

I would figure about a season per set of bearings, too, but I didn't have time to see how long they last with proper care. Within 4 race weekends, all 8 of the bearings in the outer hubs had split the outer bearing ring and spit tiny little balls everywhere, regardless of contact with the boards or not. One bound up so bad that it actually got hot enough to melt the plastic on the hub carrier.

Replaced all my Associated bearings in my TC5s and 6s with avids, never looked back. In fact, with $1/each and 3 business days from "Click to place order" to my door, I keep a full set of avids on hand for just about every car that I have. The price that OEMs charge for bearings that are really seasonal consumables is outrageous.

Also beware of the air blower type cleaners. You might be pushing dirt inside your bearings, in addition to cleaning your car !

BTW, Spec R TC6 diffs are now in stock at the shop!