How RC Ball Bearings Work and Why They Are Great!

An engine’s ball bearings directly contribute to its durability and performance.  The Traxxas 3.3 engine is one such nitro engine which uses top-grade, large diameter ball bearings.  In nitro rc cars and trucks, clutch bell bearings have to cope with dirt, heat, grime and high loads consequently they wear out faster.  Using ceramic ball bearings and regularly cleaning the bearings of your nitro car can save you a lot of trouble. How do RC ball bearings work?  They work by handling thrust loads and improve the performance of several rc car components by reducing friction.  They will ultimately improve the speed of your rc car, its durability and reliability.  Several manufactures offer ball bearing sets, good sets come from Team Associated, Tamiya and Duratrax.  Ball bearings can be used to replace metal or plastic bushings when assembling car and truck kits.  In fact they are the very first hop ups you should buy for your rc car.

Cleaning Procedure

Ball bearings can be cleaned by placing them in a container, spraying them with WD-40 oil and then shaking the container. This will cause dirt to come loose. Repeating this procedure will ensure clean ball bearings. After cleaning the ball bearings, use a light oil such as Trinity oil to lubricate the bearings.

Replacing Ball Bearings

Replacing bushings with ball bearings is simple and consist of first finding the right sized ball bearings for your specific need. Wheel and hub bearings can be installed by first pushing out the bushings and then putting in the ball bearings by hand or using the plastic handle of a screwdriver.

A typical rc car’s transmission has six bushings which need to be replaced with six ball bearings. This includes two bearings for the top shaft, two for the differential and two for the middle gear. Once you remove the bushings from the transmission you can substitute them with ball bearings. Remember to remove the bushings gently, because if you distort the recesses for the rc ball bearings it might lead to gear-mesh problems.

Also check out: RC Nitro Cars