What are Bearings?
All vehicles come equipped with some sort of bearing, whether it’s plastic, Oilite or a true ball-raced bearing.
True ball bearings are the best of these and are suggested for all types of RC cars. The downside, however, is that they do require maintenance depending on the circumstances on your driving.
There are two types of bearings commonly found in RC Kits: Rubber sealed and Teflon sealed. Rubber sealed bearing come with a thick rubber seal to help prevent dirt from entering and damaging the bearing. The downside is that it does cause quite a bit of drag.
Teflon sealed Bearings have a small Telfon ring sealing the bearing that creates a lot less drag. The downside to these bearings is that the seal doesn’t protect well against dirt. Your choice for Bearings will greatly depend on the surface (and area) you will be running on.
Tuning with Bearings
Plastic / Oilite Bearings
• Near zero maintenance
• Inexpensive to replace
• Great for driving in the water, snow or mud
True Ball Bearings
• Provides more speed and acceleration
• Long run times
• A must for racing
Back to the RC Suspension Tuning Guide.
