Kevlar pilot bushing...Worth it or not?
#1
Kevlar pilot bushing...Worth it or not?
Currently have the clutch out, my current pilot bushing has maybe 1000 miles. I am not a fan of the roller bearing, but I was wanting to know what you guys think of the Zoom Kevlar bearing.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...B&autoview=sku
Worth it or not?
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...B&autoview=sku
Worth it or not?
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I was/am real interested in this kevlar bushing so I asked a mechanical engineer friend who is currently working in satellite construction. He has his masters in strength of materials and is a car guy, well sort of ... WRX's
Some food for thought:
"Well, nothing’s for free. The sliding friction energy’s gotta go some where (heat). That energy’s gotta do something to the toopart’s it’s mated to. If the bushing’s not going to wear out then the shaft that it’s mated to or the bore it’s housed in will wear out.
Never heard of hyglar. Kevlar in itself is very abrasion resistant (not proof). It has a tendancy to ball up when abrasion forces and temp get high. Nylon is good in tension like Kevlar but not as strong as Kevlar. It’s more susceptible to high temps than Kevlar. For something like a pilot bearing, I’d stay w/ something that has a roller element like the GM bearing.....Or replace the GM unit w/ a similar Timken unit.
http://www.timken.com/products/bearings/products/
we use Timken stuff at work all the time. They have cheaper consumer stuff off the shelf.
Hope this helps. I personally would stay w/ a bearing."
Some food for thought:
"Well, nothing’s for free. The sliding friction energy’s gotta go some where (heat). That energy’s gotta do something to the toopart’s it’s mated to. If the bushing’s not going to wear out then the shaft that it’s mated to or the bore it’s housed in will wear out.
Never heard of hyglar. Kevlar in itself is very abrasion resistant (not proof). It has a tendancy to ball up when abrasion forces and temp get high. Nylon is good in tension like Kevlar but not as strong as Kevlar. It’s more susceptible to high temps than Kevlar. For something like a pilot bearing, I’d stay w/ something that has a roller element like the GM bearing.....Or replace the GM unit w/ a similar Timken unit.
http://www.timken.com/products/bearings/products/
we use Timken stuff at work all the time. They have cheaper consumer stuff off the shelf.
Hope this helps. I personally would stay w/ a bearing."
#16
Pilot bearing failures are Common in performance cars that are run hard, once they go you get bad chatter, shaking, noise or worse. Yes they should be replaced every clutch job.I am keeping the bronze bushing.
Last edited by wrd1972; 10-21-2007 at 09:32 AM.
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Its kind of ironic that even as technology gets better , sometimes going backwards works better . There is nothing new about a bronze bushing , the automakers used them all the time before the roller bearing was even introduced . There are plus and minus with each design and the thought process with going back to the bronze bushing is its cheaper to replace than the input shaft . I tend to agree with that theory as well .
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i dragged this up from the past to say that i was suckered into getting one. i used the proper tool to install the bushing but the I.D. shrunk after putting it in and not even the alignment tool would fit into it. i had to drill it out as i couldn't get it out with a good blind hole puller. total waste of time and money.
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i dragged this up from the past to say that i was suckered into getting one. i used the proper tool to install the bushing but the I.D. shrunk after putting it in and not even the alignment tool would fit into it. i had to drill it out as i couldn't get it out with a good blind hole puller. total waste of time and money.