Green Bearings VS. Timken Stockers 8 3/4

[kb67mopar]

Ok guys I need wisdom. I have read some of your guys posts about this over time but want an honest poll. So green bearings or stock tapered rollers? Some say the green bearings are weak and fail others proclaim the green bearings are the way to go.

In case you haven't read the title, I am talking an 8 3/4 and outer wheel bearings for my 67 Coronet which will be a street driver and little to 0 drag time.

Please respond to the poll and let me know your experiences.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Green type bearings have been used pretty much as long in the auto industry as tapered roller. Just about every front wheel drive and most rear wheel drive and 4x4s use them exclusively today. So, you can pretty much throw all the hooha about green bearings being weak in the crapper. It's just not true. The difference between the two bearings is they are simply two different style bearings doing the same job.

 

[pro-streeter]

I have ran both with no trouble. Tapered roller bearings take addition set up during install to set end play. Green bearings are ball type and have less rolling friction than tapered roller bearings. That said tapered bearings by design will take alot more thrust load than the green bearings.
If you are a road course person the tapered may be the better choice. Drag race go with the green. Just some things to consider. General all purpose either is fine.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Here's what the NASCAR boys run. Ceramic ball type wheel bearings. In other words, ceramic GREEN bearings. I think they have lots of lateral thrust.

http://www.performancebearing.com/circletrackbearings.html

 

[ga66mopar]

I don't any reason to change from the original tapered bearings unless you're running a spool. I have friends that swear by green bearings but the originals will last forever if the seals don't start leaking and wash the grease out. It only takes a few mins to adjust 8-3/4" axle bearing preload. In my opinion either bearing design will work I just prefer to use the original.

 

[Meep-Meep]

I prefer the OEM tapered rollers. I have disassembled a Green bearing and I was not overwhelmingly impressed. The one I had used a plastic crown style ball retainer and it was failing. The fact is the tapered roller bearing has more rolling elements to distribute load as compared to the Green bearing. My life revolves (pun intended) around high precision high speed ball bearings, including the angular contact ceramic variety, so I can provide some insight on the subject.

The separable angular contact bearings shown in Rusty's link are probably set up as a duplex pair with the preload built in to the bearing, similar to a machine tool spindle as found in a high speed CNC mill. The key to making this work is you actually have two rows of ball bearings per wheel to spread the load out over more rolling elements, and the use of the angular contacts eliminates the friction associated with tapered rollers. Angulars do have a thrust component in one direction but from what I know they still can't match a tapered roller in terms of thrust and radial load. I believe most modern 4x4 and FWD cars have this duplex angular contact bearing / hub assy., just not ceramic, and they seem to do well. The Green bearing is a single row and I don't recall it being a deep groove design.

I have Greens on my GTS because that's what was on it when I got it, and I didn't have another set of factory plates, so in the interest of expediency I just put Greens back on. Reason I had to replace the bearings is because one was noisy. But in all fairness, whoever removed the old bearings cut into the axle seal area out by the flange and water was able to get in and damage the bearing. My fix was to make a repair sleeve. I don't drive this car much so I can't offer any feedback, but as of now the wheels haven't fallen off.

 

[Rems440]

Depends I guess, I too ran both,I prefer the green bearings if I had to choose

 

[snakeoil24]

The tapered bears are designed to take side loading better. Green bearings are good for drag racing or Nascar racing since they change them a great deal on Nascar racing cars. But for street driving stay with your tapered bearings. No advantage changing, If most of your driving is going to be street driving.

 

[62Furious]

Rebuild my 8 3/4 10 plus years ago and have had no problems with them and have changed gear raito acouple of times during that period

 

[Bruzilla]

Here's what the NASCAR boys run. Ceramic ball type wheel bearings. In other words, ceramic GREEN bearings. I think they have lots of lateral thrust.

http://www.performancebearing.com/circletrackbearings.html

You gotta be careful about using anything NASCAR uses. Their parts are designed to provide maximum performance over a very short operating period, not survive for long periods as part of a street driver.

 

[super-bee_ski]

For MY application on the 70 Bee, the OEM is all I need.
Same with the 63 Polara I'm doing.

 

[moparsteve636]

If most of your driving is on the street stay with the tapered!why waste money on some thing you don't need.

 

[Cranky]

I've used the Greens in drag racing but never on the street. The Greens have well over 300 passes on them and I still have the housing and will soon pull it apart to see what they look like. I also have some experience with the use of angular contact ball bearings in refinery service and agree with what Meep says. I also prefer Timkens on my street junk. For me with the way I drive...I feel they will last longer. I've seen a lot of Fords with bad wheel bearings back in the 60's-70's and they were using the single ball bearing in their rears back then.

 

[Meep-Meep]

I will agree with some that if building a street car you want the factory bearing or something similar in load carrying ability, in both radial and thrust directions. Even the axle bearings on my 02 Durango are cylindrical rollers with the thrust being taken up by the C clip. And a cylindrical roller has more contact area than a ball bearing. For drag racing, where you don't subject the car to cornering forces, the Greens should be just fine forever.

Yes, Fords use a sealed ball bearing but it's probably a better design than the Greens. There are also large bearing and small bearing 9" Ford rear ends, and in a huge early 70's Ford wagon that I saw in a junk yard, I saw rear disc brakes and tapered rollers!

 

[lewtot184]

the timken is superior in taking a thrust load. ball bearings don't like thrust, like in cornering. ball bearings are cheaper and thats what chevy used to use on all 4 corners. setting the axle end play isn't like brain surgery. the green bearing is just another hunk of garbage that the mopar community has took hook, line, and sinker.

 

[67steve]

i have green in my 9" with 40 spline gun drilled alxes, never a problem,
but imo if they go bad just replace with same type!!!!

 

[Cranky]

the timken is superior in taking a thrust load. ball bearings don't like thrust, like in cornering. ball bearings are cheaper and thats what chevy used to use on all 4 corners. setting the axle end play isn't like brain surgery. the green bearing is just another hunk of garbage that the mopar community has took hook, line, and sinker.

I remember when these were offered as a alternative for drag racing. They were advertised as something that robs less horsepower and that's true but now, it seems they have become the cure all to all bearing problems. Why that happened, I dunno.

 

[kb67mopar]

Thanks all. I went down to Van Senus at lunch and ordered the stock type tapered rollers. I was leaning that way anyway but recently had a mopar collector swear by the green bearings and made some persuasive argument.

A mechanical engineer by trade I understand the tapered roller is a superior bearing in all aspects but not having seen the difference between the two in person I wanted your opinions. Since I get a little spirited in the twisties and plan to put lots of miles on this thing I am going stock type.

Now, whats the procedure for setting the bearing play?!

 

[ga66mopar]

the timken is superior in taking a thrust load. ball bearings don't like thrust, like in cornering. ball bearings are cheaper and thats what chevy used to use on all 4 corners. setting the axle end play isn't like brain surgery. the green bearing is just another hunk of garbage that the mopar community has took hook, line, and sinker.

It's kind of funny I remember on a 55-57 chevy changing from a ball bearing type of rear wheel bearing to a tappered bearing was a big upgrade due to wheel bearing failure. Since most of our mopars are probably not driven more than a few thousand miles a year the green bearings should last.

 

[70chargerman]

I got green bearings in my X, never had any problems but I am running them on moser axles.
Tony