5 Best Wheel Bearing Greases (2023 Guide) (2023)

FAQs

5 Best Wheel Bearing Greases (2023 Guide)? ›

NLGI Grade 00 and 000 are commonly used in enclosed slow speed gear sets to help reduce leakage relative to an oil. Sort of counterintuitively, an NLGI Grade 3 is frequently recommended for very high-speed bearings.

NLGI Grade 00 and 000 are commonly used in enclosed slow speed gear sets to help reduce leakage relative to an oil. Sort of counterintuitively, an NLGI Grade 3 is frequently recommended for very high-speed bearings.

Mobilith SHC 220 could be used in wheel bearings, tripod internal CV joints and other applications. Suitable for temperatures from - 40º C up to +150º C. Long life greases with good water resistance and anti-wear properties.

LUCAS Red “N” Tacky #2 grease is a smooth, tacky, red lithium complex grease fortified with rust and oxidation inhibitors. This grease is ideal for wheel bearings on log splitters and for lubricating the top of the beam.

Mobil 1 Synthetic Grease meets the requirements of the National Lubricating Grease institute (NLGI) performance classification GCLB. It is recommended for automotive applications at both high and low temperatures. It is particularly suited for applications such as disc brake wheel bearings and ball and steering joints.

Overgreasing by applying too much grease to a bearing at one time can result in a seal failure and generate heat in the bearing housing. When too much grease is pumped into a bearing cavity, it eventually will become full. If there is no relief port on the housing, the grease will blow through the seals.

Lucas Red “N” Tacky Grease is a high-quality grease designed to resist rust, corrosion, water, acid, and alkali. This high rated grease is great for use in trucks, cars, boat trailers, wheel bearings, and industrial and agricultural settings.

Lithium grease is the most commonly used lubricating grease around the globe - accounting for 75% of lubricating applications across all industries. In the automotive industry it is commonly used as a lubricant in wheel bearing and chassis applications.

High-speed greases are formulated with special thickeners and oils allowing them to approach the functionality of oil while keeping the sealing properties required in this type of mechanism. One of the parameters to take into account is the speed factor: NDm of the bearing to be lubricated.

Synthetic Bearing Grease is a lithium complex thickened lubricating grease based on synthetic oil, suitable for various applications and bearings due to its all-round properties and wide temperature range. Modern high performance synthetic grease suitable for industrial, marine and automotive applications.

Is Valvoline multi purpose grease good for wheel bearings? ›

Valvoline Multi-Purpose GM Grease is recommended as a disc brake wheel bearing grease for most vehicles (i.e., GM, Chrysler, Japanese and European) and meets requirement of GM part number 1051344, MACK GC-G, and NLGI GC-LB quality requirements.

Lucas Marine Grease is a truly universal marine grease with applications in trailer wheel bearing, trailer chassis lubrication and outboards. It also has crossover applications in automotive wheel bearing and chassis lubrication. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CENTRALIZED DISPENSING SYSTEMS.

Dark blue – typically for multipurpose greases made from conventional oil base stocks. Red – mostly for multipurpose synthetic greases. Grey – for those containing moly for many off-road equipment specifications, and. White or undyed greases – typically used in paper machines or food-grade applications.

Wheel bearings are especially vulnerable if you hit a pothole, a tall curb, or a speed bump at a brisk speed. If water, mud, road salt, or sand gets past the seal and touches the bearings, it will contaminate the grease, causing the bearings to wear down, eventually leading to failure prematurely.

Greases containing moly are recommended for roller bearings subjected to very heavy loads and shock loading, especially in slow or oscillating motion such as found in universal joints and CV joints.

Grease Lubricant:

While some bearing applications use oil as a lubricant, grease is the lubricant of choice for 80 to 90 percent of bearings.

Copper grease is effective within the temperature range of of - 40° to + 1,150° celsius making it an ideal choice for use on wheel nuts & bolts, flanges, studs and exhaust brackets to prevent seizing.

You can run bearings dry for slow moving applications such as tonearm bearings or clock bearings. However, if bearings are used without lubrication, we recommend that they are made of a corrosion resistant material such as stainless steel.

A Grade 3 is a significant step up from Grade 1, while a Grade 5 is where the performance “sweet spot” is located for cycling. This is why most ceramic and ceramic hybrid bearings for bicycles are Grade 5. Grade 7 bearings offer only a small gain in tolerances compared to Grade 5.

Although grease and oil lubricants are the most common materials used to lubricate bearings, dry lubricants are becoming more common, especially in areas where grease or oil are not a viable option.

What is the shelf life of wheel bearing grease? ›

Normal Shelf Life: In general, the recommended shelf life for oils and greases is typically five years when stored properly in the original sealed containers.

Using the chart and the formula, the bearing only needs 8 grams of grease every 10,000 hours. If your grease gun delivers around 1.35 grams per stroke, that means the bearing needs 6 strokes every 13 months; you could average it out to a stroke every 8 weeks or so.

For closed bearings – sealed or shielded – that contain the standard domestic grease (GJN), and that are still in their original, unbroken packaging, the recommended shelf life is five years.

For high-temperature components, such as wheel bearings, a high-temperature silicone-based grease is required. These greases are designed to hold stable under high temps and against the elements commonly seen in wheel bearings.

Degraded Grease Changes Color

As grease degrades and becomes contaminated, it usually will begin to darken. This darkening, which can be more noticeable when compared to new grease, may be a sign that the grease has reached a condemning limit.

Lithium-based lubricants are used in cars and machinery in general. It's not advisable to use them on plastic parts. As lithium is based on petroleum, it tends to speed up rubber and plastic components decay.

Q4. Can I use any grease for wheel bearing? Calcium-based grease has high water resistance but only moderate heat resistance. Lithium-based grease is water resistant and has a high tolerance for extreme temperatures.

Due to the fact that lithium grease has a petroleum base, lithium grease is more suitable for applications that need lubricants that are resistant to heat and pressure. Silicone grease is better for everyday applications due to its rubber-like base.

Waterproof Green Grease is a professional grade, high performance synthetic polymer grease developed for mining, manufacturing, marine and off-road applications. Recommended for cars, trucks, boats, trailers, ATV's, motorcycles, mowers, farm equipment and implements - any application up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

A grease with an NLGI grade of 1 has a consistency like tomato paste, where a grease with an NLGI grade of 3 has a consistency more like butter. The most commonly used greases, such as those used in automotive bearings, would use a lubricant that is NLGI grade 2, which has the stiffness of peanut butter.

Is Royal Purple grease good for wheel bearings? ›

Royal Purple Ultra-Performance Grease

You can use it to lubricate the wheel bearings on your vehicle, U-joints on your equipment, and even some household appliances.

Valvoline™ General Purpose Grease is a general-purpose EP grease designed for both automotive and industrial uses. It is recommended as a chassis and wheel-bearing lubricant for some automobiles and trucks equipped with non-disc brake wheel bearings (drums).

Valvoline's Crimson grease is recommended for use in non-disc brake wheel bearing, water pump, chassis, fifth wheel, universal joints and other such fleet, agricultural, mining, industrial, and automotive applications.

Synthetic Multi-Purpose Grease NLGI #2 Reduces friction and wear in high-speed, high-temperature components like wheel bearings and electric motors. Keeps components running clean and trouble free for outstanding performance and long life. NLGI #2 is the primary wheel bearing recommendation.

Extreme cases of grease incompatibility can lead to catastrophic failure of the components being lubricated. It is always best practice to avoid mixing any types of grease.

Marine grease is loaded with water resistance additives. Bearing grease in general comes with soap, but soap can be water soluble. So you want to make a point to use marine grease if you know your bearings will see a lot of water.

WHEEL BEARING GREASE is formulated with lithium soap as thickener and highly refined mineral oil as base oil. It exhibits excellent mechanical stability, thermal stability, and water tolerance, and is the best grease for wheel bearings on large vehicles.

Most lubricating greases formulated for use in automotive wheel bearings are NLGI 2 grade and are designed to operate at temperatures as low as -40 °C (-40 °F). The NLGI GC-LB or SAE J310 specifications require the grease to operate at that temperature.

Bearing Temperature Conditions

A bearing temperature that is less than 180 degrees F is typically considered acceptable (see the chart below). Of course, there may be other consequences for operating in this “good” range. A higher operating temperature will cause the bearing lubricant to deteriorate at a faster rate.

Greases containing molybdenum disulfide shouldn't be used in applications that see excessive amounts of water ingress as the molybdenum disulfide can have a corrosive effect of the metal surfaces, and is not suited for bearings and other components that move at a rapid pace.

Is it better to drive fast or slow with a bad wheel bearing? ›

Drive your car slower, at about 50-60 kph, or a maximum of 40 miles per hour. Try not to take sharp turns while driving, as it can also create problems for your vehicle.

The most common failure pattern for wheel bearings is for those on the passenger side of the vehicle to fail first. The passenger side bearings are exposed to the most standing water in the gutter.

Your wheel bearings have a heavy impact on the handling of your vehicle. It would be extremely dangerous to drive with old wheel bearings, as it may cause your wheels to stop turning entirely and abruptly. You should expect to replace wheel bearings every 85,000-100,000 miles.

Valvoline Moly-Fortified Gray Full Synthetic Grease is generally considered the best grease for ball joints. Keeping the various ball joints in your car properly greased is vital to ensuring that they are adequately lubricated, moving smoothly, and not making too much noise.

What lubricant should you use? In the past nickel-based lubricants were often used due to their high heat resistance. Industries have recently moved to molybdenum disulfide or “moly” lubrication. Moly lubricants are known for being the best type of lube for assembly as it does not cause hydrogen-induced cracking.

While operators tend to associate the grease they use with a color, like deep red or bright blue. As described in the video from Mobil below, the color of the grease does not change the performance characteristics and it is only the manufacturer who determines what color their grease is.

Lithium grease is the most commonly used lubricating grease around the globe - accounting for 75% of lubricating applications across all industries. In the automotive industry it is commonly used as a lubricant in wheel bearing and chassis applications.

NLGI #2 is the most widespread classification and is used in many automotive and heavy-duty applications, such as ball joints and other suspension components. Chances are you've used an NLGI #2 grease before.

It's suitable for any object with a gliding motion, including ball joints and U-joints. Disc and drum grease is water resistant and can be used on disk and drum brakes. It can withstand extremely high temperatures generated from the high speeds of the wheel and the pressure from the brakes.

Mineral oil lubricants are the most common type of lubricant used for ball bearings. These lubricants are made from refined crude oil and are affordable, widely available, and effective in reducing friction.

Is Red N Tacky good for ball joints? ›

Red 'N' Tacky is the go-to for many mechanics thanks to its ability to work on several parts of the vehicle and the excellent layer of protection it offers. The molybdenum content of this grease makes it an excellent choice for greasing joints.

Mystik Multi-Grease is an excellent option for high-milage commuters, weekend track cars, or off-road vehicles. You can rest assured that you are extending the life of your Moog tie rod ends when you use Mystik Grease.

For traditional greases (NLGI Nos. 1 and 2), pump a ring of grease into the entire circumference of the wheel hub and coat the hub cap inner wall. The housing should only be half full of grease. Too much grease causes churning and higher temperatures.

To keep the bearings from overheating, they need to be lubricated, which is done by filling the inner part of the hubs – the part containing the bearings – with grease.

The best bet is to use methylated spirit or just soak the bearings in some solvent or alcohol. If you can find a spray-on degreaser, you can blast all the crap out of your bearings to great effect. Lemon juice works well too!