Ceramic Bearings
- Thread starter CMRracing
- Start date
Pave track with ceramic so all can be fast Bahahaha .
CarlsonMotorsports
Site Supporter
Sorry CMRacing, we don't have a very organized website -- it's something that I created on my own many years ago and it just sort of grew out of necessity. We do not have an online shopping cart and the sorts....I've always been more of a one to one, non-techie type - thus the primitive, out of date website. 
Eventually, I suppose we'll have to step up to the plate and develop an online shopping system like many of the newer sites out there, but for now we just provide online phone shopping and support for the most part.
Give us a call if we can answer your specific questions.
Thanks,
Brian
Eventually, I suppose we'll have to step up to the plate and develop an online shopping system like many of the newer sites out there, but for now we just provide online phone shopping and support for the most part.Give us a call if we can answer your specific questions.
Thanks,
Brian
flattop1
Dawg 89
Thanks for the ones that answered truthfully .
I just wanted to know if they roll any better,last longer,make that much a difference or should I take that money you save and put it towards different areas of the kart.
Thanks all for the entertainment .
originally you asked whether they were worth the the cost difference.
same answer: only if you have the extra cash.
Now as to the other questions , they roll better , they will not last any longer(proper maintenance they could) and as to make that much difference( you are not going to feel the difference that is there). not knowing what, where, who, or how you race. Can not give advice on what is best for your money, best guess is other things on kart.
new bearings all around is 1 of them.
Please pass the popcorn.
I just wanted to know if they roll any better,last longer,make that much a difference or should I take that money you save and put it towards different areas of the kart.
Thanks all for the entertainment .
originally you asked whether they were worth the the cost difference.
same answer: only if you have the extra cash.
Now as to the other questions , they roll better , they will not last any longer(proper maintenance they could) and as to make that much difference( you are not going to feel the difference that is there). not knowing what, where, who, or how you race. Can not give advice on what is best for your money, best guess is other things on kart.
new bearings all around is 1 of them.
Please pass the popcorn.
I have ceramics in my platinum, didn't really understand the difference until this past weekend when I rode a kart for a guy that didn't have them, you cant tell the difference on the track behind the wheel, but on the stand you can tell a big difference in how much smoother the ceramics are, and that will make speed on track due to less drag.
Local racing I say no to the bearings, if you are running big money races you better get every edge you can.
Local racing I say no to the bearings, if you are running big money races you better get every edge you can.
It's always fun to listen to this debate! I have had both. Bob has done some real testing and timing, and I have just looked at lap times, and Bob knows his stuff. I have never seen any measureable difference in lap times, or at least none that couldn't have been fixed with a twitch of the wheel somewhere over the 2.7 mile or so roadcourse. I have learned that setting your bearings up produce better rollout than going with ceramic. I carefully take out the rubber seals, lay them on a flat surface, with very fine emery cloth and sand the back sides. There is a very small lip on the seal and by removing this, it eliminates contact, then I clean them of all "grease/oil. BTW, I should have said I start with Microblue Bearings. I then use 7-8 drops of Z-Max, install the seals, and I have the nicest turning bearings I have ever had. Last me a day of racing and I clean them again before the next race. The Microblue coating is like a water wetter for oil. makes it slicker than it is alone. These bearings are a little higher than good ones, and much cheaper than ceramic. Just FYI
The tough part on here can be separating the facts from the opinions.
Facts...
Are they more expensive? Yes
Do they perform better? Yes
Do they last longer? Yes
Are they higher maintenance? No
Opinions...
Do you need them to win races and championships? Everybody has a different situation.
Are they worth the money? Depends on what your money is worth to you.
If you run pro kart tour, tri state, mid atlantic, etc., most of the real competition is gonna be on ceramics. It's not a coincidence that the teams that spend the money are the ones collecting the prizes.
If you are winning on a local level or just plain satisfied with your performance using standard bearings, you don't need to spend the money.
I ran standard bearings for two years and then switched to ceramics. I'm convinced. Here is why...
When I ran the standard bearings, there is no doubt that they would become sloppy over a period of several races. The trouble was trying to figure out what level of sloppiness was I willing to accept before deciding to replace them.
Of course the ceramics felt tight on day one. I can honestly say that after almost a year running them in two pro series, they feel just as good as the day they were installed. History tells me that I would have replaced the steel bearings 3 times over the same period. I don't find myself wondering if I can squeak one more week out of a set of bearings before replacing them. There seems to be no performance lost since new. If nothing else, the piece of mind of knowing is worth it to me. Jmo.
Based on my experience, I compare a new steel bearing to a ceramic bearing like this...
Both new, out of the box, is the closest they will ever be to each other in performance. Some may say they are equal at this point or at least the difference is immeasurable. What hooked me though is - the steel bearing doesn't just fail over night, it starts to degrade as soon as it starts to spin. Immediately the performance level of the two begins to spread. After 8-10 nights of racing it will be considerably different. This is where the ceramic bearing advantage comes in. The ceramic seems to continue to hold tight and certainly when it begins to degrade, the curve isn't nearly as steep of a decline.
My point is, when making your decision, compare a ceramic with 50 races to a steel bearing with 50 races.
Hope this helps.
Facts...
Are they more expensive? Yes
Do they perform better? Yes
Do they last longer? Yes
Are they higher maintenance? No
Opinions...
Do you need them to win races and championships? Everybody has a different situation.
Are they worth the money? Depends on what your money is worth to you.
If you run pro kart tour, tri state, mid atlantic, etc., most of the real competition is gonna be on ceramics. It's not a coincidence that the teams that spend the money are the ones collecting the prizes.
If you are winning on a local level or just plain satisfied with your performance using standard bearings, you don't need to spend the money.
I ran standard bearings for two years and then switched to ceramics. I'm convinced. Here is why...
When I ran the standard bearings, there is no doubt that they would become sloppy over a period of several races. The trouble was trying to figure out what level of sloppiness was I willing to accept before deciding to replace them.
Of course the ceramics felt tight on day one. I can honestly say that after almost a year running them in two pro series, they feel just as good as the day they were installed. History tells me that I would have replaced the steel bearings 3 times over the same period. I don't find myself wondering if I can squeak one more week out of a set of bearings before replacing them. There seems to be no performance lost since new. If nothing else, the piece of mind of knowing is worth it to me. Jmo.
Based on my experience, I compare a new steel bearing to a ceramic bearing like this...
Both new, out of the box, is the closest they will ever be to each other in performance. Some may say they are equal at this point or at least the difference is immeasurable. What hooked me though is - the steel bearing doesn't just fail over night, it starts to degrade as soon as it starts to spin. Immediately the performance level of the two begins to spread. After 8-10 nights of racing it will be considerably different. This is where the ceramic bearing advantage comes in. The ceramic seems to continue to hold tight and certainly when it begins to degrade, the curve isn't nearly as steep of a decline.
My point is, when making your decision, compare a ceramic with 50 races to a steel bearing with 50 races.
Hope this helps.
ONEHARDHEAD
Member
That was a great explanation.
A chain guard gives hp?????? Who is making it?????