NAPA or Timken Bearings?

Looks like the time to do the wheel bearings on the front of the Exploder is now, not later. Anyone have views on the quality of today's Timken bearings vs the NAPA bearings? NOT the Napa Proformer discount crap, the actual NAPA Bearings...

Looks like it's about a break even on cost, although I might talk the local AutoZone into selling me the Timkens at a price match with RockAuto, which would make them $20 cheaper on the whole job. If the NAPAs are better, though, I'll happily spend the extra dough.

Also, I'm planning to stick to my normal do-both-sides policy unless someone can offer convincing evidence that doing only one side is a good idea.

The last time I bought a timken bearing from Rock Auto a OE NTN made in Japan bearing was in the box. Strangely enough the last time I needed a bearing NOW, I bought a NAPA bearing, and you guessed it. There was an OE made in Japan NTN bearing in the box.

And I have never replaced more than one bearing at a time. Must be a regional thing or something, because I have never heard of doing that.

ultraclyde wrote: Also, I'm planning to stick to my normal do-both-sides policy unless someone can offer convincing evidence that doing only one side is a good idea.

I buy both, but only do the one that needs it. They are easy to do so I like to get my money's worth out of them.

If we are talking a < $20 part... I'd probably do both.

Timkin for me. I've worked with them for years, and have never had a complaint about their bearings, or their customer service at the counter.

Well, inner/outer/seal is about $80 for both sides. The truck has 200+k. Granted, the bearings are a stock item at every NAPA so it's not like It would be hard to get the next one when it goes. Both sides is more of a life expectancy hedge. If one has gone bad, what are the chances the other will soon....kind of like headlights.

Is this a hub or just regular taper barrings? If it a hub i recomend oe from the dealer. If it is a taper bearing timkin should be fine.

ultraclyde wrote: Well, inner/outer/seal is about $80 for both sides. The truck has 200+k. Granted, the bearings are a stock item at every NAPA so it's not like It would be hard to get the next one when it goes. Both sides is more of a life expectancy hedge. If one has gone bad, what are the chances the other will soon....kind of like headlights.

I get the reasoning - but they only take 15 minutes in my application so I just wait until I hear them crying and keep a spare handy.

EDIT: Not on my race car though. The car I use only 30 days a year gets all the preventative stuff up front.

Taper bearings. The 'Sploder's as complex and technically innovative as a rock. And just as durable.

It's not necessary to change the bearings out on both sides of the car. Each corner has different load on it, so they will wear at different rates, there's no way around it. Also, the cause of the failure may not be wear, maybe you hit a nice pot hole and caused the rollers to dent the raceways. Too many variables to expect the impending doom of the rest of the wheel bearings.

What about something like a paper machine with literally hundreds of bearings from head box to reel. Could you imagine the cost of every bearing wearing out at the same time? Keep in mind the cost of a set of 4 (that's four) press roll bearings can be more than the price of a house...

Regarding NTN hub units, they're a leading manufacturer of automotive bearings and hub units. Many companies sell the NTN units in their own boxes. I work for one of these companies and many of the hub units in our boxes are made by NTN. Are they made by NTN to our spec? I honestly don't know, but my expectation is they're made to the car manufacturer's spec.

Disclosure - I work for the Swedish blue and red bearing company - aka SKF. 12+yrs in the Reliability dept.

Napa's good bearings are SKF. Theyre pretty nice. The SKF rep always did a good job pointing out improvements between the oe parts and their replacement (moreso with hub/bearing assemblies). Nothing wrong with timkin though. Both, if not all, parts suppliers rebox other companies stuff for a variety of reasons.

belteshazzar wrote: Napa's good bearings are SKF. Theyre pretty nice. The SKF rep always did a good job pointing out improvements between the oe parts and their replacement (moreso with hub/bearing assemblies). Nothing wrong with timkin though. Both, if not all, parts suppliers rebox other companies stuff for a variety of reasons.

Typically they are. When I had to replace the one in the Avalanche, it was a carbon copy SKF, which I believe is the OE supplier to GM on them, in the NAPA box. I don't buy any of cheap line of bearings anymore after getting a pile of worse then what I took out ones.

The SKF rep was telling me two years ago that they supply around 25-30% of GM's wheel bearings. He said they couldn't get cheap enough on a lot of models, but most of the higher price-point stuff the bean counter's had said okay.

In reply to belteshazzar:

That doesn't surprise me. Makes the 1+1=2 easier when the bearing said, "Made in Mexico", which is where the Av was assembled....

Last time I needed a bearing (and didn't order it with a bunch of parts from Rock auto), I went to a local bearing supplier that I found on SKF's website. The guy walked in the back and 2 minutes later I had my obscure bearing.

I have always used SKF when I could. The plant in Oakwood GA (across from my old High School)hooked me up with a great deal with a Throwout bearing for my Skyline that I FUBARDed removing it.

The plant's in GA and so am I, so assuming there's a good chance SKF = NAPA, then the choice is made.

In Canuckistan, SKF = UAP/Napa