Front Wheel Bearing Lube...

[Sumner]

I'm interested in hearing what some of you do to minimize the drag of the front wheel bearings on a car type spindle (LSR).

What kind of lube, how much, etc..

Thanks,
 
Sum
 
 <small>[ May 16, 2005, 12:19 PM: Message edited by: Sumner ]</small>

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Hey, Sum -- there's an article in the May 2005 Sport Rider  (motorcycle magazine) discussing ceramic coated bearings (vs. plain ol' metal bearings).  Take a look at it if you have a chance -- might bring new information to you as you consider bearing friction losses, etc.

[Sumner]

Thanks Jon, I'll have to look and see if our small book stand here has the mag or not.

I did some searching on the internet and just ordered a tube of Amsoil 2000 Series Racing Grease (  http://www.synthetic-solutions.com/racinggrease.asp ).  The guy on this site was real helpfull and they are shipping a tube for $7.00 pluss $5.00 shipping.  

I guess this will be a start, but I'm still hoping someone will post as to what they are doing.

I also found the following site some of the NASCAR guys use where they get a whole hub assembly already pre-set up with slick bearings and lube.  After the race they exchange if for another one.  Some how I think this is out of my price range    .

http://www.machinedesign.com/ASP/strArticleID/55728/strSite/MDSite/viewSelectedArticle.asp

While I'm on this subject do any of you motorcycle guys have an oil you especially like?  I'm using a Suzuki GSX-R 750 in the car.  It will be a while before I'm ready to fire it up, but I may as well start considering an oil to use.

Thanks,

Sum

[StraightSix]

Just a left-field thought, probably wouldn't work for cars, but I know some bicycle racers take the lube out of their hubs entirely, and use paraffin instead, just coat the parts in a thin layer.  Has to be redone after every ride though.

[Larry Forstall]

Motorcycles use ball bearings with a seal built into the bearing. We remove a separate axle dust seal outside the bearing to reduce drag and use a small amount of synthetic grease. Ceramics are expensive but do seem to work. As the Nascar article points out, finding the correct amount of preload and quantity of grease is the challenge with a tapered bearing.
   For motorcycle oil I use a semi-synthetic such as Valvoline Durablend in the factory spec wgt 10-40. I have used 0 wgt oil but that is a last resort when you are just short of the record.

[bbb]

We are using Royal Purple Full Synthetic Race 41 in our blown Busa motor. Seems to be a popular choice in several race mediums.

[wolcottjl]

Something you might want to take a look at regarding seals.  
Noticed a blurb in race car engineering about zero-friction seals.  
www.race-tec.com

[Rex Schimmer]

Sum,
I have been searching for a while but have finally found the name of the high speed spindle grease we used on our 10,000 rpm milling spindles when I worked at Standard Tool and Die. The name is Kluber, they have a web site and as I remember their spindle grease is the best and most expensive also.

Rex

[Sumner]

Something you might want to take a look at regarding seals.
Noticed a blurb in race car engineering about zero-friction seals.

I can't get their site to load on my computer for some reason.  What I did do on the front seals was I turned the bushing that goes on the spindle down some so there is very little drag on the inner seals on the hub.

finally found the name of the high speed spindle grease

Thanks Rex, I went on the site and they have lots of different types.  I wasn't sure which would be suitable for front wheel bearings.  I put a small amount of the AMSOIL Series 2000 Synthetic Racing Grease  on the front wheel bearings and it doesn't seem to have much drag.  Of course this is not a scientific study   .

c ya, Sum

Lakester Construction

[John Noonan]

We are using Royal Purple Full Synthetic Race 41 in our blown Busa motor. Seems to be a popular choice in several race mediums.

That motor was not running May 18th..what oil "were" you using?

J