Better bearings

Automotive Design & Production,  April, 2004  

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Ball bearings are often used in wheel applications because they are cheap and get the job done, but tapered roller bearings have long been the gold standard (both in the senses of price and quality). That may be changing. SKF (Plymouth, MI; www.skf.com) has introduced a new asymmetrical ball wheel hub bearing that it says increases hub stiffness by 50% over tapered bearings.

Why is that important? A stiffer hub means the wheels run truer during cornering and acceleration; reduces brake wear (and the accompanying warranty costs); and minimizes deflection of the hub face and wheel which enhances steering and handling. The new design gains these benefits by using a double row of angular contact ball bearings arranged so that the outer row has a bigger diameter and more balls than the inner row. The unit is standard on the front wheels of the 2004 Dodge Durango, and is the first of a new family of hub bearings SKF has dubbed "X-Tracker," that will seek to help bring car-like handling to trucks and SUVs.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gardner Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group