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Avid Racing Concepts Halo series bearings.

In some industries, the answer is yes, but in RC, however, it is not. Due to the tight tolerances of an ABEC7/ISO4 bearing, testing has revealed that normal amounts of dust destroy the bearing quickly when entering the tight grooves of the bearing. Our testing has proven that, with our manufacturer, ABEC3/5s provide the best performance per cost value.

Seals are not that tricky to understand. Rubber seals offer the most protection from debris entering the bearing but at the cost of a little friction from the rubber seal touching the races under loaded activities. Teflon provides the least amount of friction with great protection, but Teflon seals are known to be touchy animals while under load—they have a tendency to pop off. Metal shields are your most common variety of shield offered in the bearing market, providing decent protection and low friction.

Revolution (RSZ): Avid invented this seal configuration in 2003 to offer the best of both worlds. There is a rubber seal on one side of the bearing and metal on the other. A rubber seal offers great dust/dirt/water protection but at the price of added friction, whereas metal offers almost no friction but will allow water and dust to get in over time once the grease has spread out. Since most cars have enclosed hubs and diffs, there is no reason to have the rubber seal inside the hub or diff since no dust, dirt, or water can get to it. But you still have protection from the dirt not entering from the outside because it is sealed with the rubber seal.

Metal (ZZ): Suggested use of metal is on high-temperature areas such as clutches or on tracks that are always well maintained with light watering in-between rounds or on-road vehicles that drive on clean surfaces.

Rubber (RS): They are becoming the more popular bearing among avid RC enthusiasts because they require the least maintenance to keep up to speed. In 1/8th scale clutches, the rubber seal is not harmed if your clutch is set up correctly. We suggest that you use these on dusty or wet/muddy tracks because of their protection. The amount of resistance created by rubber is only slightly noticeable in our experience, which is another reason for their rising popularity. Because they block dirt from getting in, they also keep the grease from getting out.

Teflon (TS): These are hardly seen anymore and honestly we don't suggest wasting your money on them. But if you do, we suggest you use Teflon inside enclosed areas such as transmissions. They provide the least amount of resistance but are best used in non-loaded situations.

If you are wanting to prep a bearing for its first use, please click here.

Now, if you have a bearing that has already been run, then this is what we suggest for any bearing not being used in a very high-spinning environment such as a clutch. If you are wanting to clean gritty clutch bearings, then you are better off replacing them. The cleaning and re-oiling will only hide the already pitted interior of the race and will never feel like it did. But if you have some rubber-sealed bearings, then it is cake. Click here to see step-by-step instructions on keeping them up. If you have metal/Teflon seals, you will have to remove a small retaining C clip that is against the outer ring of the bearing with an X-Acto (be careful and make sure the clip doesn't fly away).

There is honestly nothing better on the market that we have found as far as bearing oil other than our SLIP oil or SLIDE grease. However, if you are in a jam and willing to sacrifice a hair of performance for longevity of protection, you can use 10w30 Mobil 1 car oil. The oil is highly engineered and designed for high-temperature situations, and a quart will last you your lifetime in RC.

There are a couple of suggestions here depending on the particular bearing in question.

Clutch Bearing: Due to the sensitive nature of clutches, we suggest that you blast your metal clutch bearings with compressed air while the shields are still on the bearing. The majority of grease will come out on the other side around the inner ring. This will allow for a protective layer of grease in case dust is an issue. You will also benefit from this method because your bearing will be lubricated well by the remaining grease in the bearing, but it won't be enough grease to be flung out on your first run causing the clutch to slip and bearings to burn up and change to a pretty color like blue or purple. If you choose not to do this, then we suggest that after your first run (make it no more than 5 minutes), take your clutch bell off and wipe it down to remove the excess grease that was flung out of the bearing. You should be ready to go for longer than you are used to after doing this. Now remember, it isn't necessary to do this, but if you are avid about being perfect, then by all means.

Wheel/Hub Bearing: The best choice with these is to leave them suckers alone. We only suggest you replace the grease with oil if you are looking for the most prime performance at the cost of wearing bearings faster. If you leave the grease in the bearing, it acts as a second barrier to protecting the inner race and balls from debris.

We have put together a 12-step program to ensure the longevity of your bearings. This will allow you to get the most bang for your buck.

1. Mesh is too loose.
2. Endplay is too much or too little—needs to be 0.4mm—and use a washer on the outside or a Kyosho blue bevel thing.
3. Motor bearings are getting old and have a little play.
4. Crankshaft is slightly bent, usually not noticeable by the eye.
5. Leaving too much grease in them, causing clutch slippage and overheating.
6. Motor is not fully tightened to the blocks, or screws are missing from the bottom holding the blocks.
7. Trying to run a Kyosho bell on a Mugen car without grinding the chassis.
8. Running a car with no rear chassis stiffener or when the screw falls out.
9. Clutch bell and center diff gears should be getting the maximum amount of tooth contact. We've seen people set them up with only 1/4 of the teeth touching each other or not at a perfect 90-degree angle.
10. Worn-out clutch shoes that allow the clutch to slip more than it should, causing excessive heat.
11. Crankshaft nut backing off and causing the clutch to get tight.
12. Spacing the clutch bell too close to the flywheel—it should never be able to touch.

You bet—we stand behind our product and want you to feel satisfied with your order. If you are not pleased with the product sold to you, then you may return it within 30 days and get your money back!

This happens if your card was declined the first time around—for address mismatch, 3-digit code mismatch, or something else along those lines. What happens is your credit card company puts those funds on hold for a few business days in case we decide to claim them. Our system is designed to delete all declined charges at the end of the day at 12 a.m. So we never request the funds, and your credit card will release the hold automatically. This is a very common practice, and quite frankly, I don't understand why it's there—but it’s a pain we have to deal with, and we do apologize for the inconvenience.

Yes we do, but we do not honor requests. If you email us regarding this, you will be emailed a link to this portion of the page and nothing else. Sorry, but with the desire of every racer to be sponsored, we don't have the time or budget to dedicate to this. We will find you if you are someone we are looking for.

No, we do not. Our system is set up for online purchasing only, and it allows us to streamline delivery and paperwork. If you don't have access to a computer, then have a friend order them for you, go to a library, internet café, or even Kinko’s. We accept both credit cards and PayPal, so we have you covered.

Please do—we are always eager to hear what our customers have to say. Please use our contact form and share your ideas and thoughts with us.

We ship with FedEx and USPS and always provide a tracking number to make sure we know what’s going on during a problem. Orders go out no later than 2 business days after the order. However, this is only a disclaimer—9 out of 10 times, it ships the same day and will arrive anywhere in the U.S. in 2–3 business days.

Shipping costs vary from $3–$200 because we use several shipping classes from FedEx and USPS, ranging from USPS First Class to FedEx International Priority.

You can always get a real-time quote by starting an order. The screen before you confirm it will give you a shipping quote.

Since we are a web-based company, the best way is always by email or Facebook. This allows us to maintain a digital paper trail to keep track of communication.