26 replies to this topic

[myminipickup]

Hello again! 

 

Once again I am asking for advice!

 

This time I am looking at crank bearing (both mains and big ends),  and getting slightly confused by all the types.

 

I rebuilding a 1275 A+ engine for my mini pickup. I am not going to race it, but I want to get good bearings but ones that will not break the bank!  Does anyone have any advice on this? Thanks.

 

 

 

 

[Northernpower]

King bearings are a good choice. You'll probably get them from F W Thornton.

[RooBoonix]

I've got mine from Minispares, Mahle/ACL I believe. £40 a set mains and big ends, don't need the expensive ones for a road car. Here you go:

http://www.minispare...00.aspx|Back to

http://www.minispare...|Back to search

Make sure your crank isn't out of spec, use a micrometer to measure and not a vernier. Check for ovalness too.

Edited by RooBoonix, 10 April 2017 - 10:56 PM.

[minimans]

The last two sets of king bearings I've purchased have had "county" stamped on them. So what are they? King bearing or County?

 IMG_1213.JPG   88.7K   3 downloads

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Edited by minimans, 10 April 2017 - 11:17 PM.

[RooBoonix]

The last two sets of king bearings I've purchased have had "county" stamped on them. So what are they? King bearing or County?
IMG_1213.JPG
IMG_1215.JPG

If you Google "county engine bearings" the first site which comes up is King bearings so I can only assume they're joint companies now. Much like Mahle, Vandervell and I also think Mahle own ACL.

They're all much the same, as long as you go for a branded set and not just some cheap rubbish you can't go too wrong. As I said, I wouldn't recommend race bearings.

[Spider]

Just about any non-competition bearings you can buy will be suitable and quite OK.

 

I generally use ACL, but have used Vandeval, King, Repco (which is in fact ACL) Glaciers. They are all good.

[MIGLIACARS]

I use these in my racer with no problems at all big power.

 

 

Vandeval

 

 

Again you could have the most expensive bearings in the world if its not built correctly or you use bad oil the your p ssing into the wind!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ultimax5]

Hi, I was reading this thread about main bearings and I saw a couple of indications about NOT using race bearings for road use, or at least that's how I interpreted it. 

 

If I'm building a fast road engine, are there any drawbacks to using ACL Race bearings as opposed to the standard bearings?  Is it about durability, that they don't last as long as the standard bearings?  Although I do believe they would do as good a job, if not better in terms of keeping the crankshaft well lubricated.  

 

Hope someone can shed some light on this.  Thanks in advance.  

[GraemeC]

I think it is more that there is no point in paying the premium for race spec bearings for a road motor - even one that has a reasonable amount of tuning done to it.

[ultimax5]

Got it. Thanks for your reply GraemeC.

[Spider]

Competition type bearing shells tend to be harder than stock types, so in consideration of total engine life, they potentially wear the crank more than stock types will.

[ultimax5]

Thanks Spider, that’s a very good point.

[DeadSquare]

The problem with bearings, is DIRT.

The best example for Mini owners is the bush in the rear radius arm, where the shaft wears as much as the bush.

The dirt gets forced into the softer surface and once embedded, becomes sandpaper to wear away the harder surface.

[stoneface]

I had a discussion with Mahle Engine Systems UK Ltd a few years ago about using their Motorsport (Racing) bearings over the standard HD main bearings in a road car.

 

Below are the main points they made.

 

"The motorsport parts are made at our motorsport facility in Kilmarnock.

 

These parts are actually more like the original Vandervell parts despite the use of the new MAHLE part numbers.

The racing bearings have a soft lead-indium overlay to deal with all manner of crank deformation and dirt contamination. They will be very kind to your crank.

The racing bearing should not wear out faster than any other material unless there is a surface finish problem with the journal. Even then, a racing bearing that is wearing will be in a better situation than a harder bearing that is overheating and at risk of seizure. But it really depends on what material you are comparing them with.

I cannot think of any disadvantage of fitting a racing bearing although it is difficult to account for every eventuality on a non-standard application."

 

I spent quite a bit of time looking into the diferences such as racing notches, laser engraving and materials which are all claimed as benefits of Racing over standard bearings.

 

The pdfs at the bottom of this link might be of interest. https://www.mahle-af...cts/motorsport/

 

 

 

[ultimax5]

I had a discussion with Mahle Engine Systems UK Ltd a few years ago about using their Motorsport (Racing) bearings over the standard HD main bearings in a road car.

 

Below are the main points they made.

 

"The motorsport parts are made at our motorsport facility in Kilmarnock.

 

These parts are actually more like the original Vandervell parts despite the use of the new MAHLE part numbers.

The racing bearings have a soft lead-indium overlay to deal with all manner of crank deformation and dirt contamination. They will be very kind to your crank.

The racing bearing should not wear out faster than any other material unless there is a surface finish problem with the journal. Even then, a racing bearing that is wearing will be in a better situation than a harder bearing that is overheating and at risk of seizure. But it really depends on what material you are comparing them with.

I cannot think of any disadvantage of fitting a racing bearing although it is difficult to account for every eventuality on a non-standard application."

 

I spent quite a bit of time looking into the diferences such as racing notches, laser engraving and materials which are all claimed as benefits of Racing over standard bearings.

 

The pdfs at the bottom of this link might be of interest. https://www.mahle-af...cts/motorsport/

 

Thanks for sharing this info, stoneface.