WHEEL BEARINGS AND HUBS 101: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Wheel bearings have a very important job – enabling the rotation of your wheels. They make sure your wheels run smoothly with minimal friction. They also maintain correct wheel tracking and can even play a role in providing your vehicle’s drive systems with wheel speed sensor signals.
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Over the years, three generations of wheel bearings have been developed. In our on-demand webinar, our experts take you inside all three generations to provide expert service advice and must-know installation procedures.

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Beijing SKF.

What Keeps Wheel Bearings Rolling

One side of the bearing rotates with the wheel while the other side is fixed to the suspension. The rolling elements in bearings carry vehicle load and ensure minimal-friction rotation between the inner and outer races. In automotive bearings, there are two types of rolling elements: ball bearings and roller bearings.

Ball bearings are used in applications where speed is more important than load. They have a small point of contact, which provides less rolling resistance and lighter load carrying capabilities.

Roller bearings, on the other hand, have a large point of contact, which makes them ideal for carrying higher loads. These bearings have many shapes and come in cylindrical, spherical, tapered and needle styles.

The 3 Generations of Hub Bearings Explained

Wheel bearings have evolved and additional functions have been integrated into the assembly.

GENERATION 1: For driven or non-driven wheels

• Are still installed on some import vehicles
• Use a compact double-row design which cannot be disassembled
• Need a spindle or axle thru-pin to set preload and keep assembly together
• Are pre-lubricated and maintenance free
• May feature an ABS encoder ring as one of the seals

Installation Tips

• Use caution when pressing corresponding components into place
• Ensure ABS encoder is undamaged and oriented correctly prior to pressing into the knuckle
• Make sure the bearing has seated itself fully and that any required snap rings are also fully seated
• Always tighten the axle or spindle nuts to the proper specification, since that will set the preload on the bearing

GENERATION 2: Typically used on non-driven wheels (but there are some driven applications)

• Use compact double-row ball bearings which cannot be disassembled
• Feature an additional hub or mounting flange with a rotating inner or outer ring
• Are pre-lubricated and maintenance free
• May feature an ABS encoder ring

Installation Tips

• Install is similar to Gen 1 bearings but with one mounting flange pre-fitted
• May require special tools to remove and install

GENERATION 3: For driven or non-driven wheels

• Are most commonly used on today’s vehicles
• Come as a complete unit with two flanges for securing to the knuckle and brake rotor/wheel
• Feature compact double-row ball bearings or tapered rollers which cannot be disassembled
• Premium variations will include roll-forming to set initial bearing preload
• Are pre-lubricated and maintenance free
• May feature an ABS encoder ring

Installation Tips

• Properly clean the knuckle surface and bore to ensure the hub assembly gets well seated
• If an axle passes through the hub, it is important the axle nut gets torqued to the proper specification
• Do not omit the brake dust shield that fits between the hub and knuckle (It was factored into the entire geometry of the bearing and leaving it off could cause other issues.)
• Some 4X4 front hub assemblies may use a vacuum hub locking system and particular attention needs to be paid to the seals

Overall, it is important to understand the type of bearing you are working with and to follow the proper installation procedures using the appropriate tools. Always tighten with a torque wrench to the correct torque specifications so the bearings are set to the proper preload.

What to Look for in a Premium Hub Bearing in the Popular Gen 3 Style

For increased part service life and performance, the best wheel hub assemblies are engineered with a stiff roll-formed assembly, feature precision rolling elements and raceways, come pre-loaded with nanoceramic grease and are protected by advanced sealing and coating technology. They are also designed for a quick and complete fitting, with hardware and torque specs in the box.

For a deep dive into everything you need to know at the wheel end, watch the webinar: Wheel Bearings and Hubs 101.

Seems my wife's Buick Rendezvous needs a new LF hub bearing again (a common problem with the W-body platform). What would be your pick from the following choices?

Chinese brands I've never heard of - $30-$47
Dorman - $68
Raybestos - $78
Timken - $91
Moog - $96
SKF - $118

Thanks for your input!

On the old bearing, if you can pull either seal out, see how much grease is in the bearing. I bet there's none.

If the seal on the new bearing can be removed without damage, pack some hi-temp wheel bearing grease.

We were having major front wheel bearing failure every 14hrs of endurance racing on our SHO. When we took a new bearing(Timken) apart the reason was obvious, very little grease. Since packing them with hi-temp grease we have raced over 40hrs on the same bearings.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Sliding Bearing.

I used to go with only timken but I had a problem with some I installed a couple years ago and someone said timken started out sourcing? I'm not sure if it's true but since those bearings went out in less than a year on a stock car I've gone back to skf

Edit: quick google search and the first link says they have moved production to India and China...in . Now I guess I should look up skf,

Edit2: looks like skf outsources too. What I came across is that many big name bearings stamp the country of origin on the bearing. So if you care, go to the parts store and see if they have a country you like, if not, whatever I guess it doesn't matter when everything is produced overseas now and a name is just a name

My experience (from my Exocet, YMMV but I doubt it):

Shopping for some replacement hubs for my Exocet. I know I can go with blueprinted and rebuilt OEM units for ~$100 per hub, but I was browsing Rock Auto and saw two brands:

WJB Bearings - $23/hub Dura International - $25/hub

Googled both, found this link on Dura:

Dura Brake Rotor Lawsuit

OK great, so they're out. Then I googled WJB, and found their somehwat professional looking site stating they have their HQ in North America (in CA) but couldn't find anything on the web about them, good or bad.

http://www.wjbgroup.us/

I purchased the WJB hubs to see the quality and then compared them to a Moog unit at a local auto parts store. Guess which one I took home?

Honestly, I would be afraid to even use the WJB units. They are about half as thick as the Moog units, which is a HUGE difference when we're talking about the part that is responsible for such trivial things like holding your brakes and wheels on your car.

The bearings are also night and day. The WJB units are clearly stamped made in China, and the bearings are either plastic sealed or not sealed at all and packed with terrible grease, depending on if you're looking at the front or the back. When I bolted one to the car, it didn't even spin (at all, even pushing on it) when torqued down.

The Moog units are made in Japan, have nicely sealed bearings and are overall much better fit/finish wise. You'll also notice that the body of them doesn't taper down like the WJB units do, which is pretty clearly a cost saving measure by them. The Moog units are better in every way.

C/N: Don't buy cheap suspension parts.

WJB on left, Moog on right:

Outside of WJB bearing:

Outside of Moog Bearing:

Inside of WJB bearing:

Inside of Moog bearing: