Rod Bearing brand options? - OEM, ACL, VAC, BE, King Race

[GeorgeBeirut]

Hi guys,

Im prob sure this has been covered intensively on the previous forum and partially covered in the Rod bearings DIY. What brand rod bearings have you chosen and why?

My mechanic is recommending the VAC (Calico coated) bearings. He has had them on his race car for 10+ years, revving to 9k RPM with zero issues.

Im getting the vibe, the popular choice these days are ACL (US and Europe), is it because of the price and reliability? BE are out of stock until November.

I did read on m3cutters about the clearances, tech etc but i just got more confused and im no expert.

[Zekarus]

everyone will tell you something else. most will tell you to go OE with bmw bearings because they think there is no reason to use different bearings. me and a lot of us are using ACL. they are cheap and good.

[SteelGreyM]

everyone will tell you something else. most will tell you to go OE with bmw bearings because they think there is no reason to use different bearings. me and a lot of us are using ACL. they are cheap and good.

He’s right when he says everyone will tell you something different.

I went with OEM from FCP euro.

[TexaZ3]

OEM from FCP. Lifetime fix.

[Arith2]

ACL are $100 and used in MANY 1000+ hp drag cars. Same with King bearings. They're trustworthy. They're popular on the domestic side. At the end of the day, all of those will work. Get what you determine is the best bang for you buck according to what makes you comfortable. I went ACL instead the FCP route because I won't be doing 5 bearing changes in this engine's life. I think I paid $90 for some on sale a member posted.

[tnord]

ACL was a pretty common choice in SCCA racing back in my day.

[R1pilot]

ACL are $100 and used in MANY 1000+ hp drag cars. Same with King bearings.

How many miles do those drag cars put on between bearing changes? J/k I am sure they are good.

I went with factory bearings. They lasted me 100k hard tracked miles on r-compounds, so I am sure these will last me another 100k miles.

[R1pilot]

BTW, I had mines WPC coated, not sure it was worth it but it made me feel good.

[Richtings]

I went with ACL because Lang Racing and Rogue Engineering both recommended them

[m3nt0s]

OEM from FCP. Lifetime fix.

This is what I did for this exact reason. If you’re considering f long term ownership and believe you will have to do bearings again at some point, I don’t see another option making sense.

[eacmen]

This is what I did for this exact reason. If you’re considering f long term ownership and believe you will have to do bearings again at some point, I don’t see another option making sense.

Concur. Every time you need to drop the subframe just do bearings too!


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[SteelGreyM]

Concur. Every time you need to drop the subframe just do bearings too!


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That’s just taking advantage of a good system.

[eacmen]

That’s just taking advantage of a good system.

I suppose it depends how often you're dropping the front subframe. Seems like a fairly infrequent task.


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[sharadn]

ACL at Matt Coynes shop in York PA 10K miles ago. $100

[Arith2]

Now that you got some answers, head over to the oil thread and ask what oil to use.