RCR GT40 Front Wheel Hubs...

[Kim Haun]

What is the current experience you have had with replacement C4 front wheel hubs used on the RCR cars? I need to replace mine and Fran recommended AC Delco or SKF hubs. An exhausted search for SKF hubs(4 bolt) has come up empty and the Delco bearings are a couple of weeks back order or more. I did some reaserch on some of the Corvette sites to see what the consensus was and no real CURRENT information came up. Because I heard good things about Timken bearings, I spoke with a Timken rep and he was forthright in telling me they do not manufacture the hubs they sell and source them from China and that the AC Delco bearings and hubs are also no longer made in America, due to the closure of the plant about 3 years ago that used to produce them. I realize that this will be a wear item and I'm not interested in upgrading to newer style hubs.(C5 C6) I just want to know what brands seems to be working the best for everyone at this point in time.

Kim

 

[Tom]

To preclude any initial setup issues, I sold the ones that came with my RCR and purchased the Timkens from Rock Auto. Now that was back in 2012 and they are still holding up well (~7000 miles). I see they are still available but it appears they have significantly dropped in price. Maybe due to sourcing from China? Could be. I see the spec sheet on Rock Auto does not include country of origin...

For reference, they were part number:
Fronts - 513019 (https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1118357&jsn=1)
Rears - 513013 https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1117491&jsn=4)

Good luck! If you find something better, please post it on here to help the next guy.

 

[Joel K]

I can confirm Timken Front hubs are made in China.

 

[Michael]

FWIW, I have original C4 hubs at all four corners of my cobra and they are still trouble free after 20 years and 30k miles, just on my car. Probably at least another 30k on the donor car the hubs came from. Very good quality back then, not so sure about replacement units made today, especially if made in China.

 

[Brian Kissel]

I have several sets of NOS GM wheel bearings purchased some time ago. I’ll check their country of origin, and report back.

 

[Kim Haun]

My source at Timken said the plant that produced the higher quality OEM bearings, Delphi (sp?), sold their tooling to a chinese company about 3 years ago when they closed their doors. Hard to say whether that company is producing the bearing again at a higher quality and if so, what brand they're selling under. The Chinese can produce good products with good tooling and quality control but it's hard to say which brand it is without real world testing and evaluation. Autozone sells Moog hubs that have a 3 year warranty. Moog is a supplier of OEM parts I believe or at least has a good reputation. Anyone have good or bad recent experience with Moog? With a 3 year warranty maybe I'll buy them and run them hard and if they fail in the next 3 years, get a free replacement.

 

[Randy V]

I’ve no experience with Moog bearings, but have had some pretty crummy balljoints and tie rods from them over the last 5 years. Made in China - all of them. Even after lubricating with synthetic grease, the joints were stiff and felt like they were dirty or rough.. I put a set in an S10 pickup truck and they only lasted 10k miles before they were once again worn to the point of being loose. I’ll be using only OEM parts like these going forward..

 

[Joel K]

Summit has the SKF Camaro bearings in stock. I don’t know if the rear cap will clear the upright, otherwise I think the size is identical to a C4 hub. With summit you can always return it.

SKF Bearings BR930186 SKF Bearings Wheel Bearing and Hub Assemblies | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - SKF Bearings Wheel Bearing and Hub Assemblies with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Wheel Bearing and Hub Assemblies at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

 

[Kim Haun]

Summit has the SKF Camaro bearings in stock. I don’t know if the rear cap will clear the upright, otherwise I think the size is identical to a C4 hub. With summit you can always return it.

SKF Bearings BR930186 SKF Bearings Wheel Bearing and Hub Assemblies | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - SKF Bearings Wheel Bearing and Hub Assemblies with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Wheel Bearing and Hub Assemblies at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

Thanks Joel… I had heard the Camaro bearings would work, maybe it’s worth a try.

 

[flatchat(Chris)]

I had similar issues with Chinese C4 hubs --I was lucky enough to score some OEM Timken hubs at the time and are still good today
I think that the C4 hubs are repairable if you can source the quality bearings
… and Chinese bearings of any sort are just plain Shit!
One example -- an AISIN sedan gearbox that has a number of bearings in it , two of them are Chinese made which promptly fail and that type of box is not service friendly at all

 

[Kim Haun]

I'm updating this post with some additional info for those that have the C4 front hubs. I purchased the SKF hubs from Summit that Joel suggested that were listed for a Camaro (see above link) and was pleased with what I found. The overall quality looks good, they are stamped as made in Korea which might be of better quality? Far and away better than the hubs supplied with the kit(manufactured in 2007 but not built until now) which had .020 play at the wheel rim with 0 miles on them. The four bolt holes in the flange of the SKF hubs are tapped instead of straight drilled but the hardware from RCR bolts them right into place, a nice snug fit in the cavity in the upright. I had to remove the outer plastic cap for the ABS sensor and I added a little extra grease for good measure. I also used the 3/8" nuts as a safety on the four bolts in the flange just because. The price was $232 shipped for both hubs from Summit. I'll keep an eye on them and test for any play when I get some miles and track time on the car. I'll update here with what I find. I'm pretty optimistic at this point. Thanks again Joel for the great lead.

 

[Joel K]

Awesome news Kim, glad they fit.

 

[Walter]

Hello: Also ran into a ``loose" front wheel bearing. Based on the discussion above and what I pulled off my car there seem to be the following cross references:
FRONT:
WJB WA513019 - Front Wheel Hub Bearing - Cross Reference: Timken 513019 / Moog 513019 / SKF BR930023 / FAG 102209 (version installed in my car)

WJB WA513090 Wheel Hub Bearing Front Cross Reference Timken 513090 / Moog 513090 / SKF BR930186 (potential alternative with plastic cap)


REAR: WJB WA513013 - Wheel Hub Bearing Assembly - Cross Reference: Timken 513013 / Moog 513013 / SKF BR930052K

My local bearing shop told me that they rate SKF bearings the highest.

Regarding differences between SKF BR930023 and SKF BR930186: the latter has studs with an unthreaded tip, the former does not. In Kim's first picture above these tips seem to have been milled off. Am I right? Also, since the previous entry dates back to 2020, has new insight/experience been gained on this issue since?
Cheers, Walter

 

[Walter]

A somewhat useful discussion on C4 hubs here:

SKF bearings (C4) Where do I get them??? - CorvetteForum - Chevrolet Corvette Forum Discussion

Autocrossing & Roadracing - SKF bearings (C4) Where do I get them??? - I know I know... ANOTHER bearing thread. I have searched for quite a while and have yet to find an actual answer. I'm in the market for some new wheel bearings for the C4 track car. I have found OEM and Timkin which most...

www.corvetteforum.com

also I found sources for the RCR style hubs from SKF:

SKF BR930023 in Canada

Shop online & Save up to 40% on SKF BR930023. Free Shipping in Canada over $149 ~ No Customs, No Duties, No Hassle.

www.thewrenchmonkey.ca

SKF BR930052K Wheel Bearing and Hub Assembly in Canada

Shop online & Save up to 40% on SKF BR930052K Wheel Bearing and Hub Assemblies. Free Shipping in Canada over $149 ~ No Customs, No Duties, No Hassle.

www.thewrenchmonkey.ca

 

[Walter]

ok, TheWrenchMonkey informed me that SKF BR930023 has been discontinued (out of stock - obsolete link). Thus I ordered SKF BR930186's elsewhere... Will use the time waiting for parts to fit brake duct back plates etc.