# Wheel bearings



## Hazlitt777 (Nov 2, 2013)

I have 63,000 miles on my 2014 Chevy Cruze Eco. I've replaced one wheel bearing around 20,000 miles ago.

Just back from a 2,700 mile round trip. The pot holes were brutal...but fortunately no more wheel bearing issues yet.

But it got me thinking...is there any specific aftermarket brand that is highly recommended as being more durable or an improvement over the originals?

Seems GM has or had a bad reputation on its wheel bearings. Any response reaction to that comment?

thanks,
Joe


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Honestly - it's all in the design, no matter the manufacturer. The dual ball bearing hub/bearing combinations are cheaper and easier to implement and replace, but they are hit or miss regarding durability. A heavier vehicle will probably eat them quicker than a lighter one - my old boss had a Dart which had one go bad at 6k miles.

SKFs are supposedly the best ones to go with - but it's really a crapshoot.

I had the RF wheel bearing go on my Cobalt years back, probably around 80k miles. I replaced it with a Raybestos. By around 114k miles, it was making noise again (though I didn't immediately diagnose it as that - I replaced one of my axles first, then replaced the other axle with the old one, knowing it wasn't bad. I also replaced the driver side wheel bearing/hub with a Raybestos unit). Once I finally decided perhaps the ~34k miles passenger bearing was at fault, I removed it, and installed the OEM driver wheel bearing, just to test - and it solved my issue.

That was 6k miles ago, and thus far, the OEM wheel bearing with 114k miles on it, spinning the opposite way it spent most of its entire life spinning, has been doing great.

When the driver-side Raybestos probably fails, I think I will go with an SKF.


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

This is why I cringe when I see people talking about wheel spacers as they put a lot more axial torque on the bearings which will almost certainly shorten their lives.

I found some pretty good deals on complete hubs on Ebay. Or is you don't need the cat immediately you can get the numbers off the bearing races and look for just the bearing.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

I don't think the bearings are serviceable...they come as an assembly with the hub. I'd just replace the whole thing - it's pretty easy to do.


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

I have never serviced Cruze bearings but bearings are pressed into a bore.. You can normally push them out if you can get to the backside (sometimes you have to be inventive using a carriage bolt head as a lever in the bottom of a blind bore).

The only time you wouldn't normally be able to get them out is if a ring was welded to prevent the bearing from being knocked out.

Now is it worth it when Ebay hubs can be had for less than $50.. Maybe not.


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## Hazlitt777 (Nov 2, 2013)

frankh said:


> I have never serviced Cruze bearings but bearings are pressed into a bore.. You can normally push them out if you can get to the backside (sometimes you have to be inventive using a carriage bolt head as a lever in the bottom of a blind bore).
> 
> The only time you wouldn't normally be able to get them out is if a ring was welded to prevent the bearing from being knocked out.
> 
> Now is it worth it when Ebay hubs can be had for less than $50.. Maybe not.


The hub assembly my dad ordered and we put in ourselves cost 162 dollars! What did we do wrong? Are these used on Ebay or what?


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## frankh (Aug 25, 2014)

No you can just get really good deals on Ebay. Its all new gear unless it says otherwise.

If you kept the old hub you should be able to knock the old bearings out and order a new set for the other side.. Put the new bearings in that hub and voila you have a replacement.

If you get the numbers off the wheel bearing race you can order them from almost any bearing supplier.

Here are the Fronts.. $64 for both wheels.. Not bad..

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wheel-Bear...ash=item5685a717da:g:1X4AAOSwwBNaw09X&vxp=mtr


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Wheel bearings fail regardless of who made them......sealed cartridge ball bearing hubs are found on just about everything built.
Because they are ball, as opposed to roller bearings they are more prone to impact damage (potholes and the like).
The entire impact is transferred through the tiny dot where the ball meets the race as opposed to the length of a roller against its race.

The bearing maker will be blamed for poor quality if it is their bearing that failed......if you remove a Timken, you'll say Timken makes lousy bearings.....if you remove a NTS, or SKF, you'll be inclined to say they are poor quality.......can't win situation for bearing manufacturers.

MP81 got it right.......it is a crapshoot.......as far as what bearing takes impact damage better (all the same IMO....depends on where the ball is at the moment of impact).

Tremendous price variation out there related to how many pieces the retailer buys at a time. Outfit that buys 1000 at one swipe can sell them for under $70.00 and profit. 
Outfit that buys 30 at a time must charge more since they don't enjoy volume buying discount......those are the $150.00 versions.......nothing to do with quality.

If the failures were related to the hardening process of the balls or race(s) the bearings would fail at very low mileage.....like, under 1000, due to hardening failure (they start to chip at the contact points).......

Rob


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## rry3158652 (Jan 23, 2018)

Improper torque when replacing will cause premature where. Been there done that.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

rry3158652 said:


> Improper torque when replacing will cause premature where. Been there done that.


Nothing related to bearing pre load.....these are already assembled with the hub.

What component are you referring to as far as improper torque that could have any effect on this style bearings longevity?

Rob


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## rry3158652 (Jan 23, 2018)

Sorry, referring to hub replacement.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Robby said:


> Nothing related to bearing pre load.....these are already assembled with the hub.
> 
> What component are you referring to as far as improper torque that could have any effect on this style bearings longevity?
> 
> Rob


Maybe he didn't have teh axle nut tight enough.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Hazlitt777 said:


> The hub assembly my dad ordered and we put in ourselves cost 162 dollars! What did we do wrong? Are these used on Ebay or what?


Autozone, Napa, rockauto.com or even gmpartsdirect.com

I just bought a battery for my motorcycle. From Walmart. $98 for glass and $74 for lead. I went with glass. And found out powershark.com. (Or something like that) Sells them for half price. I thought i was getting a good deal from Walmart. As everyone else was MORE.


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

snowwy66 said:


> Maybe he didn't have teh axle nut tight enough.


The drive axle, regardless of how tight the retaining nut is, does not impart any load on the bearing since it is only being pulled into it.

I do agree though that the hub flange retaining bolts (three bolts holding it to the flange) should be at a specified torque to avoid any deformation of the housing.

Rob


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Robby said:


> The drive axle, regardless of how tight the retaining nut is, does not impart any load on the bearing since it is only being pulled into it.
> 
> I do agree though that the hub flange retaining bolts (three bolts holding it to the flange) should be at a specified torque to avoid any deformation of the housing.
> 
> Rob


I've replaced a few brand new hubs back in my day. Most people don't have a torque wrench. 

https://www.knowyourparts.com/technical-resources/hubs-bearings/finding-axle-nut-torque-specs/

And maybe they used an impact gun. 


[url]https://www.knowyourparts.com/technical-resources/hubs-bearings/the-dos-and-donts-of-wheel-bearing-torquing/
[/URL]


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