I hear what you're thinking -
"But Chuck, you've been talking about these damn spring plate bearings for months. Are they ever gonna ship or are you all talk?"
Yes, they are - and right now. Concurrently, the generatation 2 control arm bearings are also available and employ the same advances described here.
Order from Pelican, but you'll need to call and specify what you want since they are not in the online catalog yet.
Now you are saying -
"I'll believe it when I see it. Show me some pictures"
Click for larger image
Click for larger image
The product builds on experience gained with generation 1 and has changed in a couple of significant ways.
- Rides on an inner race
- Polyurethane outer jacket
The inner race -
- Steel race slips over the control arm/spring plate to provide a precision sized diameter for the bearing to ride upon. This eliminates issues associated with variance in the diameter of the control arm/spring plate shaft itself.
- Stainless steel shims are provided for fitment between the race and the control arm/spring plate. Selecting the right size shim lets you get the race good and tight on the shaft. Shims are simply wrapped around the shaft, then the race is slipped over for a tight fit.
The Poly jacket -
- Reduces overall weight due to its lower density. Weight is half the gen 1 product weight.
- More forgiving of variation in the size of the outer housing due to its compressibility. Minor irregularities are common on the torsion bar tube due to sloppy welds and are easily accomodated.
- Absorbs some vibration
The result is extremely low friction, no squeaking at all, and ride quality identical to poly bushings. This product is suitable for both street and track.
Installation remains easy. No custom turning or machining is required. All parts needed for installation are included along with instructions.
Easy relubrication should result in product life substantially longer than poly bushings.
A few more images to complete the picture -
Following is a bearing being installed into the spring plate cover:
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The same bearing fully pressed in:
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A race installed onto a spring plate:
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Spring plate installed. Grease nipples are accessible for both inner and out bearings:
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