Ceramic Bearings?

[WickedFog]

I have been seeing a lot of people talking about ceramic bearings lately. The only experience I have ever had with them is in a Haas VF2 CNC milling machine that had a very slight crash when a part got chucked out of the vise. It was nothing for that to happen without any problems before with steel bearing spindles. But this time it was a brand new spindle, with ceramic bearings, and immediately after the crash it began making the same noise the old spindle did that died after a very hard crash. And from then on, that brand new spindle didn't cut as well due to chatter and vibration in the spindle.

The Haas guy who came to check it, who is probably the best CNC mechanic in the state (have had him come in to repair machines from Indianapolis, to Terre Haute, and a few other shops in between) said the new ceramic bearings were shite. They didn't take abuse like standard steel bearings. He replaced the spindle with an older model.

So I am curious who here is using them, and are they worth using in your RC? Did you notice any difference? $80 vs $40 for a bearing kit is a bit nuts. And this is one of those cases where I would definitely be looking outside the RC industry to source the bearings if I were to try them out. I get the feeling there is a huge markup for the RC specific kits, just like regular sealed bearings.

 

[Greywolf74]

Ceramic bearings are nice in the sense that theres a whole lot less resistance but unless you're racing or doing speed runs Id say they arent worth the extra money unless you just want them. I've heard that ceramics also wear out a little faster but again in situations were speed and resistance matter then you generally dont worry about how long they last over all.

This video gives a good idea of the improvement you get and he only swapped the transmission bearings, he didnt do the wheel bearings.

 

[WickedFog]

That may be true, because the steel bearing spindles would only run 12,000 RPM. The ceramic spindle ran up to 15,000 RPM. So there is probably some truth to that. I might have to do some comparison tests if I can find a source for some. I ain't fallin for the $80 RC kits. I'll see if any of my bearing sources stock ceramics.

 

[Chubaka]

That may be true, because the steel bearing spindles would only run 12,000 RPM. The ceramic spindle ran up to 15,000 RPM. So there is probably some truth to that. I might have to do some comparison tests if I can find a source for some. I ain't fallin for the $80 RC kits. I'll see if any of my bearing sources stock ceramics.

I thought you were bullshittin. 80-125 for bearings.

 

[WickedFog]

I thought you were bullshittin. 80-125 for bearings.

Yeah, and it is so far seeming like that's a good price. Everything I am finding is $4-15/bearing.

So they have to be sourcing those from China.

 

[WVNed]

A lot of the aquarium stuff runs ceramic bearings with stainless shafts. They crack up a lot.

 

[ahr43]

Steel bearings for me. Rugged, reliable and affordable to replace. It's an area I don't compromise on and won't drift from to try something different.

Ceramics have been around RC for at least the twenty years I've been involved in the hobby. Never been temped beyond curiosity, though. Steel bears the load and stands the shock, so I stay with what works for me.

True cars are lighter now than in the past and might benefit from ceramic bearings. But they are also going faster, so thinking it's about a wash on the dynamic energy of impacts. Which brings me full circle back to steel over ceramics in high impact and high load applications.

Good topic for discussion. Be interesting reading other opinions. Cheers. 'AC'

 

[WickedFog]

Steel bearings for me. Rugged, reliable and affordable to replace. It's an area I don't compromise on and won't drift from to try something different.

Ceramics have been around RC for at least the twenty years I've been involved in the hobby. Never been temped beyond curiosity, though. Steel bears the load and stands the shock, so I stay with what works for me.

True cars are lighter now than in the past and might benefit from ceramic bearings. But they are also going faster, so thinking it's about a wash on the dynamic energy of impacts. Which brings me full circle back to steel over ceramics in high impact and high load applications.

Good topic for discussion. Be interesting reading other opinions. Cheers. 'AC'

I tend to agree here. I am curious how the durability is, because in the CNC machine, they didn't last very long at all.

In the vid Gray posted, there could be lots of factors there causing one to spin more freely. Unless he pulled the cars apart and swapped bearings, and retested a few times with brand new steel bearing vs brand new ceramics, you can't really say that was a definitive result.

Another thing is, unless I were racing in competition, for me, it's definitely not worth it. All my RC's are plenty fast enough, and as long as I am not overheating anything, if I wanna go faster, I'll just swap gears.

 

[Be Ready]

I don’t know about big machines. In my RC motors i use a ceramics or a Hybird ceramic bearing. I’m using the Hybirds in my new no prep rig. In my bashers i again use the CB’s in the motors and Fast Eddies sealed bearings everywhere else. RC Speed Secrets is the place i get the HCB’s... They are pricey but, worth it in my no prep rig.

 

[Greywolf74]

In the vid Gray posted, there could be lots of factors there causing one to spin more freely. Unless he pulled the cars apart and swapped bearings, and retested a few times with brand new steel bearing vs brand new ceramics, you can't really say that was a definitive result.

Theres a fair amount of videos out there showcasing ceramic bearings. They definitely have less resistance and all that but with the extra money pay for them and the durability factor to me it only makes sense to run em if you actually need a competitive edge or you just want to for Ss&Gs.

 

[Iowa crawler]

I race land speed on a small motorcycle (full disclosure) and am sponsored by World Wide bearings. http://www.worldwidebearings.com

When I first got ceramic bearings I was like, OK let’s see the difference.
I don’t have a front brake so the front wheel spins freely. So in an unscientific way I gave the front wheel a good spin. And it went around about three times. Then I replaced all the wheel bearings and transmission bearing.

I then gave the front wheel a good unscientific spin. Over two minutes later the wheel was still spinning.

The bike feels like a bicycle when you push it around.

 

[WickedFog]

I race land speed on a small motorcycle (full disclosure) and am sponsored by World Wide bearings. http://www.worldwidebearings.com

When I first got ceramic bearings I was like, OK let’s see the difference.
I don’t have a front brake so the front wheel spins freely. So in an unscientific way I gave the front wheel a good spin. And it went around about three times. Then I replaced all the wheel bearings and transmission bearing.

I then gave the front wheel a good unscientific spin. Over two minutes later the wheel was still spinning.

The bike feels like a bicycle when you push it around.

Well shucks. I don't see RC cars in their list lol. Good to know man. So how is the durability?

 

[Iowa crawler]

I use Fast Eddie bearings in my SCT truck and they are fine so far but that’s pretty limited use. I would imaging dirt and salt will do more to the metal parts just like any other bearing.

Not sure about extreme shock loads. But everyone in land speed racing uses them. And they hold up to that.

 

[WickedFog]

Not sure about extreme shock loads. But everyone in land speed racing uses them are absolute madmen. And they hold up to that.

There, I fixed it for you

I am just reading up on the ceramic bearings after seeing a lot of drag RC vids, and based on that, it seems to be a good upgrade since those cars don't hit any jumps and such either.

When I was machining, we used ceramic inserts sometimes when we had a lot of material to remove. You'd spin the chuck like 10 times faster than standard carbide inserts could take. I never could really tell if the ceramics were actually faster, because just a few minutes into the cut you had to stop and rotate them. I know the carbide insert would hold up to removing a lot more material. But the ceramics supposedly would remove the same amount faster. But I seriously don't think they made enough difference to justify standing under a shower of flaming shrapnel raining down from above. On top of that, they were damned expensive inserts!

Check this out...

 

[Iowa crawler]

Madman?? It’s just Nitrous Oxide. What can go wrong?

 

[WickedFog]

Madman?? It’s just Nitrous Oxide. What can go wrong?

I always had a hard time going over about 130 in a car before the thpughts of - "my car really wasn't built for this" started running through my head. On a bike, it was just thoughts of a violent death. You guys have way bigger balls than I ever did. My vice was the twisties though. Give me an 80mph entry into a hairpin over a 140mph straight line any day. Yeah... I had ceramic brakes

 

[ahr43]

Done a bit of reading on magnetic bearings. Wondering if introducing them into an RC environment is a possibility? Brushless motors might be a good place to start?

Curious that ceramic bearings have a following in crankshaft bearings on RC nitro engines, esp. outer case where the clutch assembly attaches. But in a similar vein, ceramics have not found there way into the casings on brushless electrics. Or its happening and I'm not aware of it. At least on the inner bearing of a brushless electric. Outer bearing takes a beating from the rotor slamming into it at startup, unless carefully shimmed. At least it was that way with low-turn RC drag racing motors from back in the day. That might be problematic for a ceramic.

 

[Iowa crawler]

I always had a hard time going over about 130 in a car before the thpughts of - "my car really wasn't built for this" started running through my head. On a bike, it was just thoughts of a violent death. You guys have way bigger balls than I ever did. My vice was the twisties though. Give me an 80mph entry into a hairpin over a 140mph straight line any day. Yeah... I had ceramic brakes

I do the tech inspection for the motorcycles and we are pretty strict with rules and requirements when it comes to safety. Bikes going over 250 mph is seriously dangerous.

I sometimes do car tech as a helper. No way I want to be trapped inside the burning wreckage. I would rather watch the accident from far away .

 

[Greywolf74]

I do the tech inspection for the motorcycles and we are pretty strict with rules and requirements when it comes to safety. Bikes going over 250 mph is seriously dangerous.

I sometimes do car tech as a helper. No way I want to be trapped inside the burning wreckage. I would rather watch the accident from far away .

Ill drive, you can be my inspector