Wheel bearings for track cars

[oldbimmer]

Do any of you PBMW/trackday guys use uprated front wheel bearings????

In my experience, front wheel bearings (particularly the nearside) don't last that long with hard track use, so I was wondering if there is anything a bit more heavy duty out there...

Any ideas?

[gareth]

what make have you been using?
i've heard bad things about the cheapo ones from GSF or ECP even on road cars, may be worth trying genuine parts?

[billgatese30]

what wheels are you using, massively different offsets can effect the side loads that the bearing experiences and this is exaggerated even further when on the track with sticky tires.

Also as Gareth says, make sure they are good ones in the first place and not cheapo ones.

[oldbimmer]

OK guys, I have to admit, I bought ECP ones (their "quality" items) for £50 each..
I don't normally skimp on stuff like this but I have used GSF bearings (Febi) in my last track car and they were fine for the 2 years I used it on track.

I am using standard BBS 15" with R888 tyres..

One of these "quality" bearings failed on me at Cadwell Park last week, having been on the car only 4 days! I got off lightly but won't be making the same stupid mistake again. I'll most certainly be buying genuine BMW from now on.

[gareth]

i've never had any problem with febi stuff. judging by the box, they're linked to bilstein somehow and bilstein are hardly known for making bad parts

[Jhonno]

I am running cheapo GSF ones.. The car has track tyres and has been abused round the ring and they are fine

[M3GTR]

I used the better quality GSF ones for years on my 325 and yeah you might need to change them once a season but for the price you can't go wrong. Having said that, it's very easy to fit them badly and end up with them failing very quickly

[oldbimmer]

I used the better quality GSF ones for years on my 325 and yeah you might need to change them once a season but for the price you can't go wrong. Having said that, it's very easy to fit them badly and end up with them failing very quickly

So what would constitute bad fitting???

I stuck mine on and tightened the nuts to the specified torque.. Have I missed something? Is there more to it than this?

Thanks.

[GeoffBob]

Intersting stuff this. I asked a similar question on one of the other forums some time ago and never really got a straight answer. It was the issue of the incorrect wheel ET that concerned me and it's effect upon bearing lifetime. I believe very strongly in maintaining the correct wheel offset in order to evenly load bearings (particularly on the front of the car), although sometimes it just isn't possible to achieve this.

I'll definately be fitting Febi in future.

As far as fitting is concerned you'd be surprised, I've seen people bang bearings into place with a hammer. And I'm not talking about tapping them in place with a soft mallet evenly applied over the axis of the bearing. I'm talking about banging them about at an angle with a heavy ball-peen. That's a sure fire recipe for distorting/breaking the bearing cage. But I am sure that's not the sort of abuse we are talking about here.

[RPM]

ECP do a FAG bearing, these are good and upto the abuse a PBMW car gives them, they also sell ones made of cheese which last a day if your lucky.

Cheers

Jimmy

[djs325]

I have had no problem with FAG or Febi (both OEM) items in the past. I am running a full race spec car, but with urethane bushes and semi-slick tyres. You might find accelerated wear with full slick tyres and heavier loads.

[oldbimmer]

OK, well having been quoted £125.00 for genuine BMW wheel bearings , I thought I'd go for some FEBI ones, which were less that half the price..

I hope they last a bit longer!

[Jhonno]

Out of interest.. I assume with 4 lug hubs, the bearing can be replaced in the flange and then put back on? (Unlike the m3 setup where the bearing is intergral to the flange..)

[oldbimmer]

Out of interest.. I assume with 4 lug hubs, the bearing can be replaced in the flange and then put back on? (Unlike the m3 setup where the bearing is intergral to the flange..)

Every E30 wheel bearing I have bought comes integral with the flange/hub. I guess it's posible but I've never seem the bearings listed on their own.. Perhaps you can buy them in isolation?

[Jhonno]

Weird.. When I bought my coilovers, I was returned used front flanges, with what appears to be a new FAG wheel bearing in.. Shame they were 4 stud

[Black_Potato]

OK guys, I have to admit, I bought ECP ones (their "quality" items) for £50 each..
I don't normally skimp on stuff like this but I have used GSF bearings (Febi) in my last track car and they were fine for the 2 years I used it on track.

I am using standard BBS 15" with R888 tyres..

One of these "quality" bearings failed on me at Cadwell Park last week, having been on the car only 4 days! I got off lightly but won't be making the same stupid mistake again. I'll most certainly be buying genuine BMW from now on.

They should be fine.. The cheap ones are shite.. i.e. 2 hours on track. However I have used the £50 ones and have probably done 25 track hours on them and they are still fine.

Obviously BMW ones would be good as well but they are £100+

[Black_Potato]

OK, well having been quoted £125.00 for genuine BMW wheel bearings , I thought I'd go for some FEBI ones, which were less that half the price..

I hope they last a bit longer!

Nope.. they are shite, sorry.

[RPM]

OK guys, I have to admit, I bought ECP ones (their "quality" items) for £50 each..
I don't normally skimp on stuff like this but I have used GSF bearings (Febi) in my last track car and they were fine for the 2 years I used it on track.

I am using standard BBS 15" with R888 tyres..

One of these "quality" bearings failed on me at Cadwell Park last week, having been on the car only 4 days! I got off lightly but won't be making the same stupid mistake again. I'll most certainly be buying genuine BMW from now on.

They should be fine.. The cheap ones are shite.. i.e. 2 hours on track. However I have used the £50 ones and have probably done 25 track hours on them and they are still fine.

Obviously BMW ones would be good as well but they are £100+

This is where you have to work to save the money ;)

ECP stock several different branded hubs and bearings classed as OEM or as you say quality!

The only ones we ever keep are those with a FAG bearing, only way to tell is open the box at the counter and check the back of the bearing. FAG bearings are stamped FAG.

I have made them reorder numerous times until they get the right ones in, my local branch love me :

[gareth]

i always thought febi stuff should be good due to their link to bilstein. i assumed the quality would be at least reasonable... seems i am wrong.

my Febi prop guibo on the M30 beastie is fine despite getting some brutal testing. same goes for the centre bearing and a whole host of other bushes etc.

[Black_Potato]

When I 1st built my car I replaced all the bushes/bearings etc with FEBI stuff for the same reason and to be fair everything has been ok withteh exception of the front bearing that failed after a couple of hours on track.

[Jhonno]

Weird that my front wheel bearings, which are GSF cheapo's, are fine after 'Ring abuse with sticky tyres etc, guess quality control isn't all that, so more risk of a 'bad one'

[oldbimmer]

Let's hope my FEBI bearing didn't go through quality control on a Friday afternoon then...

I hope this isn't going to be a case of buy cheap, buy thrice..

[GeoffBob]

Weird that my front wheel bearings, which are GSF cheapo's, are fine after 'Ring abuse with sticky tyres etc, guess quality control isn't all that, so more risk of a 'bad one'

Maybe your ET's are as they should be, so your bearings are evenly loaded. Nothing kills front wheel bearings quite like wheels with the wrong offset (particularly when abused).

[Black_Potato]

All the PBMW race cars run the BMW off sets.

Chances are Jhonno just drives like a girl

[UweM3]

All the PBMW race cars run the BMW off sets.

Chances are Jhonno just drives like a girl

I have driven said bearings before Jhonno (my second sets of struts is on loan to Jhonno) on my car with slicks, sticky tyres and road tyres. driven to the Ring twice, driven on the road to UK trackday. Total mileage is probably not huge (5 k ish) but I was surprised that they are STILL in good condition. I only bought the cheapest GSF bearing to verify an internet myth (use e28 bearings for M3's) and expected them to fail after one season.
rims used 8.5x17 ET15 and later 8x16 ET15
For my current set of struts I used the "good" and expensive SKF bearings and guess what the bearing race has FAG stamped on it...

[oldbimmer]

Maybe your ET's are as they should be, so your bearings are evenly loaded. Nothing kills front wheel bearings quite like wheels with the wrong offset (particularly when abused).

So does that mean added negative camber could also have an adverse effect on wheel bearing life?

[RPM]

For my current set of struts I used the "good" and expensive SKF bearings and guess what the bearing race has FAG stamped on it...

These are the bearings that we use from ECP. They come in an outer box branded SKF and the inner box branded FAG from them.

[billgatese30]

Chances are that due to the low volume of these being made they buy part of it (or all of it) from FAG who are probably one of the few top manufacturers that still produce them.

[Jozi]

Anyone know can you just buy the bearings? Is it possible to take them out of the hub so you can replace them?

Dad, being from the back in the day kind, says I should take the hub appart and find a supplier for the bearing and replace them.

[UweM3]

Anyone know can you just buy the bearings? Is it possible to take them out of the hub so you can replace them?

Dad, being from the back in the day kind, says I should take the hub appart and find a supplier for the bearing and replace them.

show him one and he will see that you CAN'T seperate them. The hub forms the outer race of the bearing.

[UweM3]

For my current set of struts I used the "good" and expensive SKF bearings and guess what the bearing race has FAG stamped on it...

These are the bearings that we use from ECP. They come in an outer box branded SKF and the inner box branded FAG from them.

I didn't know ECP sells SFK bearings, always thought that CAS is the sole importer (Central Auto Supplies).

I was a bit miffed when I saw FAG in the SKF box. I paid extro money for SKF and this is what I expected to get.

[RPM]

I may be wrong then Uwe, I don't have any in the garage at the mo to double check. I'll see if there are any at the workshop today

Problem with ECP is they constantly change the supplier and have several listed for the same part. I have in the past ordered 4 bearings on the same ECP number and had a mix of 3 manufacturers turn up in my local branch

[minicooper172]

What about using SKF bearings? They've got to be the leaders in bearing production? Or even Timken?

[Jozi]

I found a supplier here in ireland who can get me a snr wheel bearing which i was told is the same as the bmw one?

[RPM]

I didn't know ECP sells SFK bearings, always thought that CAS is the sole importer (Central Auto Supplies).

I can confirm that it is SKF bearings that ECP are selling as I fitted 2 at the weekend