16 replies to this topic

[RobWill116]

Hi all,

My o/s wheel bearing needs replacing, so to be on the safe side I will replace the n/s one as well. And seeing as I don't know when the rear bearings where replaced I will be replacing them also.

Obviously there is price difference between non-gen and timken bearings, just wanted to hear of your experiences with either of them?

Thanks

[mini-luke]

Think of the consequences of a wheel bearing failing on the motorway.

Timken, right!

[ANON]

why go replacing the others if there's nothing wrong with them?

[CityCharlie]

I would go for the Timken bearings out of the two for peace of mind, but I have no real experience of the cheaper bearings (In my previous classics they lasted fine).

What I believe is quite important however is the necessity of ensuring that the hub/driveshaft nut is correctly torqued so as to give the bearings a better life, making a torque wrench a very handy tool.

My friend ignored this advice despite many Mini owners warning him and soon paid the price a week later with the wheel he was working on destroying its wheel bearing.

EDIT: I would go in line with the above post in this instance. Maybe buy a kit just incase the bearing does die, but IMO with wheel bearings it can be a case of 'if it ain't broke'.

Edited by CityCharlie, 26 December 2012 - 03:30 PM.

[Naughty 40]

Timken

[KernowCooper]

Timken and do the job once maybe? its a long standing maker and unlike some others from China ??

[ACDodd]

If you don't by the name brand they won't be around in the future. Name brands mean quality, and Timken is the OE supplier for these bearings.

AC

[dow62]

You will always pay more for named bearings (Nsk,Skf Timken etc ). Never buy stuff in plain boxes with no name/info on bearings, no matter how cheap. (Saying that counterfiet bearings is big buisness, buy from a known source. )

Edited by dow62, 26 December 2012 - 04:41 PM.

[tiger99]

Definitely Timken, or another proper brand such as SKF, if they happen to have the right size. Last time I looked, only Timken actually had the particular types used on Minis. Wheel bearings are safety critical items, and unknown Chinese brands are known to be downright dangerous in some cases. It is a major problem in the electronics industry too, but fortunately none of the electronic stuff in most Minis is all that important.

But please be aware that the Chinese are counterfeiting just about everything. In the case of Minis, the main items to watch out for are wheel bearings, ball joints and high tensile bolts. I hear stories about rotor arms and distributor caps too, but at least those will prevent the car from going anywhere, not make it dangerous. Check the packaging and markings on the parts themselves very carefully, and if something is wrong, refure to accept them.

We "should" not have to worry about any of this, as the government, via Trading Standards and Customs & Excise, "should" be able to prevent dangerous or counterfeit parts from being imported or sold. But the problem is so vast that the industry in which I work holds out very little hope of that happening.

[glowpot]

If anyone's put off by the cost of Timken bearings (~£50) then go to a Unipart outlet and check their own Unipart boxed item. I did last year, cost about £30 and they were actually Timken bearings! (Name was etched on the bearing rim.)

[RobWill116]

Thanks for all the feedback. Timken it is! I will check the condition of the two rears before ordering

[RobWill116]

why go replacing the others if there's nothing wrong with them?

I thought it was a safer idea to replace the opposite bearing at the same time to be sure?

[ANON]

not really, as long as the bearings are ok then you can just leave them, maybe clean them out and re pack them.

[tiger99]

It depends. If they have had an equal amount of use, and were assembled with the same clearances, they should both wear out at about the same time, so it is sensible to do them both and have the car off the road only once. But in reality things are not that simple, and one wheel may have been kerbed a few times, or tolerances in the hubs may mean that one bearing was running looser than the other, etc, so they may have a very unequal life.

If the car has done upwards of 100k miles on the original bearings, I would be inclined to change them both. But you may not know its past history, or even real mileage, so can only make your best guess as to the appropriate thing to do.

[RobWill116]

It depends. If they have had an equal amount of use, and were assembled with the same clearances, they should both wear out at about the same time, so it is sensible to do them both and have the car off the road only once. But in reality things are not that simple, and one wheel may have been kerbed a few times, or tolerances in the hubs may mean that one bearing was running looser than the other, etc, so they may have a very unequal life.

If the car has done upwards of 100k miles on the original bearings, I would be inclined to change them both. But you may not know its past history, or even real mileage, so can only make your best guess as to the appropriate thing to do.

The bearings have done around 3000 miles, they were new at the time I converted to 7.5 s discs. Surely they should last longer, I don't know whether they are timken or not though as the hub was pre built when purchased. I used a torque wrench to make sure they were tightened to 150lb/ft, so not over tightened