Buying Bearings - Kits? Individual? Where From?

[JeepnMike]

Hey guys,

Two weeks ago I found a cooked bearing on my slipper clutch, and yesterday at the end of our session I started hearing a noise like an upset bearing somewhere else in my car, luckily it was the end of the day. My DB01 has almost 4 years on the bearings and could probably use a rebuild with new bearings this time vs. all of the drivetrain parts.

I started poking around at bearing 'kits" and thought I would be wise to seek the advice from the folks on this board. I see you can spend up to $215 USD on a set of ceramic bearings, there isn't a chance that is going to happen though. I have seen kits for as little as $12 as seen here: http://www.hobbyhot.com/RCS-Model-Bearing-Set-for-TAMIYA-RC-DURGA-DB-01-BG530.html I have seen RC Screws has one for around $32, Yeah Racing $20. I am definitely leaning towards more of a budget bearing if I plan to do any more racing this year anyway.

Anyway, what do you guys usually do and how much of a disservice will it be to my beloved DB01 if I do go the budget route for bearings? Is there any budget bearings anybody would actually recommend?

Thanks again as always!

[Champ85]

I buy most of the common sizes of bearings in bulk (lots of 100) from eBay. The 4x8mm, 5x10mm, 5x11mm so far. For less common sizes (8x14mm, flanged, etc.), I buy from Tower Hobbies if I can fit them into an order I was already planning. Otherwise it's eBay because generally it's cheaper when factoring the shipping cost for small quantities.

I try to get them from eBay seller "irvineman" (VXB Ball Bearings) because I've had good service from them, they have tons of sizes and quantities (packs of 1, 10, 100, etc.) and qualities (ABEC ratings) in stock and they are a US-based seller. They sometimes have sales, too. In 2010 I got 100 5x11mm for $25 + $8 shipping from them. That was an awesome deal. Now they are around $63 per 100. It's still only $0.63 per bearing.

No idea what ABEC rating the ones I bought are, probably 1 or maybe they aren't even good enough to be rated by ABEC rating at all. But so far they have all fit fine and run great for my purposes.

If you don't have a large fleet of cars or see yourself going through lots of bearings, buying smaller quantities probably make more sense. I buy in bulk because generally it costs less per piece in the long run and I know I'll eventually go through them. Nothing more frustrating than discovering you are out of a particular size of bearing during a kit build or restoration.

[danb1974]

But, at under a buck a bearing, are they any good? Recently I've got some 850 size from ebay only to discover they have more play (slop) then 850 bushings I was intending to replace. For small quantities, like what you find in one car, where do you get decent bearings?

[Percymon]

I don't race and i buy 99% of my bearings from www.rcbearings.co.uk

I've not had a bad one yet, and I've sold on cars long before they've needed a new set.

If I was racing them I'd probably look for something else, but I've no exerience to suggest whether paying more actually gets you anything better.

[biggamehunter]

x2 on rcbearings , outstanding

[mr crispy]

Another vote for RC Bearings from me. Used him a few times now and had no problems with service or parts. He seems happy to swap out metal for rubber seals and has always answered my questions.

Something I've found is if your only after the standard Tamiya size 1150 bearings, order a set for the TL01, you'll get something like 22 bearings in total. Should keep you running smooth for a while.

[JeepnMike]

This:?

http://www.rcbearings.com/rc-car-truck-bearings/tamiya/pk_pk147

(Not sure if the US equivalent is the same)

[mr crispy]

Err that looks like the "Hooters" sister company

I was thinking this on eBay: http://bit.ly/14Kwlf8

Or their website www.rcbearings.co.uk

Edit: Looks like the TL01 set has 24 1150 size bearings. Not bad for £8.99!

[30YrsL8r]

Err that looks like the "Hooters" sister company

I'd buy THAT for $16.19 - wonder what the shipping would be?

[Percymon]

Looks like the TL01 set has 24 1150 size bearings. Not bad for £8.99!

At that price I had to have some for the spares box. I needed a single 840 bearing anyway, so the TL-01 set made my order a little more worthwhile

[JeepnMike]

Err that looks like the "Hooters" sister company

I was thinking this on eBay: http://bit.ly/14Kwlf8

Or their website www.rcbearings.co.uk

Edit: Looks like the TL01 set has 24 1150 size bearings. Not bad for £8.99!

Dang, I just realized the image on that page looks a little better than a DB01.. LOL. Sorry about that.

[JeepnMike]

One last question. Is rubber or metal shielding better?

[mr crispy]

Rubber keeps debris and water out and I would say is a must if you're intending to run off road in dirty, dusty or sandy conditions. Metal shielding isn't as good at that but does provide less rolling resistance, so if you want a super efficient racer that's isn't going off road they would be better.

If you're planning a trip to the beach and driving through sea water, many have suggested leaving the plastic bushes in as sea water kills bearings fast. I've experienced this first hand and now stay well clear of the stuff.

[JeepnMike]

Rubber keeps debris and water out and I would say is a must if you're intending to run off road in dirty, dusty or sandy conditions. Metal shielding isn't as good at that but does provide less rolling resistance, so if you want a super efficient racer that's isn't going off road they would be better.

If you're planning a trip to the beach and driving through sea water, many have suggested leaving the plastic bushes in as sea water kills bearings fast. I've experienced this first hand and now stay well clear of the stuff.

Good info, thank you for the replies!

[jeekelemental]

If you're planning a trip to the beach and driving through sea water, many have suggested leaving the plastic bushes in as sea water kills bearings fast. I've experienced this first hand and now stay well clear of the stuff.

I don't like bushings and I prefer to clean bearings... is an habit that I took when I was a beachcaster and I never thrown away one of my Daiwa reels.

Sorry for OT.

[speedy_w_beans]

A thread on bearings recently came up on RCTech as well, and Avid has an interesting family of bearings called "Revolution." They're metal shielded on one side and rubber shielded on the other; this reduces the friction caused by the rubber shields since there's only half as many per bearing. The idea is the metal shielded side of the bearing goes to the inside of the carrier or the gearbox, and the rubber shielded side faces the dirt, water, etc.

Neat idea. Check out Avid and their metal shielded, rubber shielded, and Revolution series -- all for $1 a bearing.

[RichieRich]

I use Avid for my bearing needs. If I need an odd size, I'll check out Boca bearing.

[mr crispy]

I've heard of racers doing something similar and simply picking out the shield side that will be on the inner surface to reduce friction further.