Richard Taylor wrote:
>
> Fellow FOTers,
> On the fifth lap in the HSR Enduro yesterday at Road Atlanta, I had my
> right front wheel-bearing blow out. No whining, no growling, no wobble,
> just PUUSHH! The tire went catywompus; billowed huge amounts of smoke
> until it blew. Then there was just the lumpy excursion off into 50 yards
> of freshly mowed grass. Since it was so early into the race, I had an
> exclusive (but rather lonely) spectator spot.
>
> Alan Pinel lent me his spare wheel bearing kit so I got to run the Vintage
> Race that afternoon..and did OK.
>
> This brings me to the question. What is the accepted drill for checking
> wheel bearings? I wiggled the tires before the qualifying race and they
> seemed fine. Does just tugging at the top of the tire really tell you
> anything?
It tells you if there is too much slack in the bearing and very little else.
It's not a bad idea to pull, inspect and re-pack the
bearings periodically.
I had a bearing seize on a '67 Camaro I autocrossed on the late 60's and it got
so hot that it took out the spindle too. You can't be
too careful with those parts!
Regards,
Joe Curry
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