What bearings do you run in wet condition?

[usert_l]

I have no experience with stainless steel bearings yet but read that they are corrosion resistant. Anyone run them in their RC car or truck in wet conditions?

I'm aware that bushings are a good alternative but at higher speed they can wear out fast and put grooves on drive shafts and make everything sloppy.

[lonleycreeper]

I have always ran factory sealed bearings.... The only time I find they rust is when I leave wet, muddy grass wrapped around the axle shaft, between the hex and the bearing. Otherwise never a problem.

[Inspector86]

The type of bearing is less important than proper maintenance after running in wet conditions. At a minimum you will need to run sealed bearings but even sealed bearings will require proper cleaning and lubrication on a regular schedule. A quick wash and dry then spray with WD40 will go a long way to extending bearing life.

[MAGNUMB]

Bushings have got a bad wrap...
For crawlers I see not one difference and I prefer them for less maintenance. I run run on all exposed areas for sure and they last a lot longer

[Timmahh]

Ball.




BUHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHA

I tend to use Fast Eddy Bearings. Just need to be sure to use compressed air and blow out the bearings as good as you can.

For crawlers. I gon't do much until I do maintenance or have to deal with a bearing...

[Vmax]

Tag-a-long question. Rubber or metal shielded bearings?

It seems like rubber would be better to keep water out, but I've never had much luck with maintenance. Seems like once the rubber is out it will never go back in appropriately.

Metal shielded would let more water in, but you can remove the shield and blow them out.

Any thoughts / experience?

[Phildirt]

My .02 for what it's worth...

Bearings are too cheap and too easy to replace to lose sleep over. Run them ragged and pop new ones in. If you're having to do that often it just means you're having more fun than if the truck is sitting on a shelf. Now if we were talking a 1:1 truck and it involved a jack, puller, hammers, beer, friends, and cussing, yeah I'd be worried about what kind etc.

[usert_l]

Originally Posted by Vmax

Tag-a-long question. Rubber or metal shielded bearings?

It seems like rubber would be better to keep water out, but I've never had much luck with maintenance. Seems like once the rubber is out it will never go back in appropriately.

Metal shielded would let more water in, but you can remove the shield and blow them out.

Any thoughts / experience?

Rubber sealed bearings are all I use. They have a little more drag than shielded bearings because the rubber seals make light contact with the ball race. Whereas the metal shields have a small gap and don't make any contact with the inner race. I want my bearings to last a long time with little maintenance so the extra drag is not an issue for me.

[TITANIUM94010]

Originally Posted by Phildirt

My .02 for what it's worth...

Bearings are too cheap and too easy to replace to lose sleep over. Run them ragged and pop new ones in. If you're having to do that often it just means you're having more fun than if the truck is sitting on a shelf. Now if we were talking a 1:1 truck and it involved a jack, puller, hammers, beer, friends, and cussing, yeah I'd be worried about what kind etc.

+1

Yep I do the same, Fast Eddy makes plenty of bearing kits for most of the RCs out there. Although rubber sealed bearings packed with marine grease seems to be the most corrosion-resistant.

[RockCrawlingKid]

Rubber shielded bearings are a double edged sword. While they keep dirt intrusion at a minimum. Dirt will still get in and once it does it’s trapped. On a pure mud truck oilite bronze bushings are your best bet imo. Metal shielded bearings require more cleaning but can last longer when kept clean and with less rotational friction.


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[ussprinceton2004]

bearings are pretty cheap. Replace them when needed.

[meatmonkey]

When installing bearings I'll fill the cavity between them with grease so that the bearings are "packed" with grease when squeezed into place. This makes you realize two things. First, those rubber seals are not very good at actually sealing, and most rc bearings dont have hardly any lubricant in them from the factory.

Yes, filling bearings with grease adds some negligible amount of drag. Not enough to notice IMO with our geared down overpowered toys.

Another thing I do to my submarine trucks is drill holes in the axle and trans housing for a 3mm grub screw. This allows me to purge the water/grease out with a needle fitting on a grease gun. Yes this is a bit messy, as contaminated grease comes out from the external bearings, but once you see how much water comes out as well you'll be glad knowing that your gears and bearings aren't rusting away while it sits on the shelf and you'll be able to significantly extend the time between proper rebuilds/bearing replacement.

I run Avid bearings in my fleet. They seem to hold up well for the price.

I've never had luck pulling the seals out and having them reusable. They always seem to get knicked or distorted.

[Vmax]

Never though about putting grease zerks on a 1/10. Love it!