What technology is in the bearings of wheels of cars/bicycles such that they are used in the rain without worrying about corrosion? Asking because everyone just told me skateboard/roller skate wheel bearings would rust if I skate in the rain, or just going through a puddle would ruin them.
In: Other
I am not familiar with all cars or wheel bearings, but I do have some experience, and can tell you that at least the ones I know about will absolutely rust, or really they will fail once they get slightly corroded. I used to have a 4wd, and was fa miler with 4 wheeling in mud and water areas, and I was also in the 4wd community. One of the big things that the people in this community that are serious about 4 wheeling do, is repacking their bearings after going out, if it involved going into deep water. For just normal driving, this is usually not a problem, because the bearings are completely packed in a heavy grease. If you drive your car in a flooded area or for any reason your wheels go deep enough for the bearings to go into water, you should absolutely have them repacked, or just replaced. As far as working on cars go, replacing or repacking bearings is not too hard.
It’s not that they are different it’s just that Bicycles and car bearings are a lot farther from the road surface so don’t get splashed on. Bicycle and car bearing are also bigger than skateboards bearings so are less affected by small amounts of dirt and water.
Car bearings are full of grease and had a plastic/rubber seal around them to keep dirt/dust/water out.
The grease and seal adds some friction to the bearing, so it rolls a bit less easily, not much of an issue for a car as the engine has plenty of power.
Skate bearings are usually unsealed and lightly greased to give the least rolling resistance so it can roll/skate faster, but this is at the cost of reduced lifespan and is more susceptible to dust/dirt/water.
Sealed bearings will be more durable, but will not “roll” as nicely.
bearings are made of corrosion resistant steel, machined to incredibly tight tolerances, in some cases a few millionths of an inch. The are lubricated, in a car or bicycle, they are packed in grease…. but….they can and do corrode. The grease doesn’t last forever. Salt and other environmental contaminants corrode them. Bearings eventually go bad, even when they are on the moon.
Materials. Good skateboard bearings are like $2. Good wheel bearings for a car are $35. The design and seals for wheel bearings are just built to a higher standard. Skate in the rain if you want to, bearings are cheap.
Latest Answers