microBlue Front wheel bearings

"Dream...the impossible dream..."

 

Ask some high end race engine builders. This has been used years under different name, without any bigger benefits directly to HP but they have been able to use smaller bearings and lighter oils and that way get a couple HP more.

 

Look I am all for new technology that has benefits.

The needs of high end racers and commercial users are very similar in some areas but very different in others.
I know everyone knows this.
I'm not disputing the apparent advantages.
What I want to know is this.
(1)How long does the treatment last?
(2)When its time is up ,does it go quietly and just loose its benefits, or will it take some components with it?

I really don't understand the reaction of some to legitimate questions.

I have invested a lot of money in a new type of cone crusher to be a 13,3% share holder.
It has many advantages over the current types that are based on 70 year old designs.
It could be a revolution in the industry , if it lasts.
I don't know , I hope but don't get upset when the question is asked?

 

So I have been reading about this and when I doing my bearings this summer I will likely pay the extra and do it. I have a neighbor that changes his bearings every 200K as he says he get's 3/10th improvement. I am suspect that you would have that much wear in that little time to see that kind of change without more people seeing bearing issues.

My guy who works with CAT is also suspect of seeing that kind of change in only 200k miles. He says it is more likely at 500K to see 3/10ths. So that has me questioning the results. Because everything I have read is showing results within the range of what one would see just replacing bearings.

Thoughts? Can a bearing change alone at 500k make a difference?

 

Pop open a bearing at 200k miles. Save it and pop open another at 500k miles. Compare them both to a new bearing. You'll likely see a general decline in its ability to spin freely.

Its been a long time since I've done the physics to tell you exactly how much energy is used to generate the heat in a worn out bearing, but over 10 of them there is a certain amount of energy from the engine that is lost as heat in the bearings.

Run 25 miles on the old bearings, then check all of their temperatures with an IR thermometer. Install the new bearings, run 25 miles, and check their temperature. The difference in temperature is where the energy is being saved, because that energy makes it to the rubber, which is what gets you down the road.

Once you start seeing the IR temperatures approaching the same readings as the old bearings, you'll know that the benefit has diminished, because that energy is going right back to warming up the bearings again.

 

Infrared Temp Gun is a great tool to have on the truck. I use it to check temps on hubs, rear ends, tranny, exhaust manifold, tires, etc....

Bought mine at Harbor Freight for $39.99:
http://www.harborfreight.com/non-contact-laser-thermometer-96451.html

You only need to be less than 8' away to check it the spot with the lazer pointer.

 

Sorry if this has already been asked. After reading about the coating process it seems that it is pretty simple and the cost/price that is being charged is really high. What is the difference between adding tungsten disulphide to lubricants and coating the hard parts? Will the added TD eventually coat the parts? Can lighter lubricants be run with TD added? I found TD online in bulk for a very low price.

 

I bet the first 25 miles on your "new" bearings will be hotter than the old ones. The new ones will be tighter at first with more drag in them generating more heat.
I have a new set of inner and outer bearings on one hub on my trailer that were replaced last summer and to this day that hub is still hotter to the touch than the other three.

 

I used to work with electric motor driven machines (600-2000rpm), and a good deal of my work was swapping out bearings of all sorts as they wore out, shredded races, and seized. The only time I ever encountered a bearing hotter than its replacement was on a rookie's first night alone. He "packed" a bearing with 3 in 1 oil and it was smoking by morning and had gotten its pulley hot enough that it would have shredded the 24' belt in a few more hours. Otherwise, bearings typically stayed just over room temperature for a few thousand hours.

 

You would have lost that bet on my truck because my MicroBlue wheels bearings were cooler using temp gun on hubs that are rarely over 100 degrees. My MicroBlue rear end temps are cooler and my new MicroBlue tranny is on average 25 degrees cooler than my old tranny using the ambient air temperture as a baseline with the tranny temperture above it.