What are the best bearings for the Optima?

[SMOKE-DOG]

Blue rubber sealed bearings work just fine. I've got them in a Tamiya TB02 and just put a full set in my Blizzard.

My question is... Has anybody ever used those ultra-expensive ceramic bearings? They can't be worth the $ they charge for 'em.

[bdrmbully]

sure if you have a newer brushless vehicle you wanna drive the crap out of. but do you wanna drive the crap out of a 1980's car? ceramics are a lil over board on a vintage car.

[Jay Dub]

Simple really. You get what you pay for. I have tested HUNDREDS of bearings over the years, and it always comes down to price vs. performance. I would have to say, that most of the bearings from yesteryear were of a better quality than what is available today. That is not to say that ther aren't good bearings available now, just that there are ALLOT of crappy bearings currently available. The manufacturing technology was much more expensive 20 years ago, and in those industries quality control was much more stringent. Now with the huge influx of products from China, everything is available in any "quality" you want to pay for.

Another thing you must understand is that AVID, BOCA, and all these other "Bearing" companies don't manufacture bearings, they simply re-package bearings with their name on them. Point being, they all have the same product available. Boca (IMO) has bearings that cost 2x as much as most other distributors for the same product. I have personally priced bearings from EVERY distributor in north america, so I know what is available, and at what price. I don't mind putting the time in to find the best deals, (price vs. performance) because I know what I am looking for. If however, you are looking for convenience, Boca is generally a "one stop shop".-Jeff

[Bormac]

I run full ceramic bearings in my 501x racer along with ceramic diff balls too. I can make no claim to be an authority on such things but I figured at the very least the ceramic bearings wont rust like the metal ones do when they get wet.

As for the ceramic diff balls, these are in 75% of my vintage runners and I guess I prefer them as Im led to beleive they generate less friction heat than metal balls. If this is true then they will allow my rare diff rings to last a little longer and that's my train of thought on such things.

I recently bought some blue rubber sheild metal bearings in bulk and from new I removed the blue sheilds, removed the grease with motor spray and re-lube with INOX brand lubricant. This has worked well for me this far in.

[RichieRich]

I run cheap-ass bearings.