It may be overkill on my part, but I repack my front wheel bearings after
every race weekend, and if time allows, between qualifying and the race.
This is a practice that I carried over from the previous owner. I am
running one inch spacers and zero offset 15 x 7 Panasports, so there is some
extra load on the bearings. So far it has been working. I am running a
54.6 inch track at the front of my TR3.
If anyone is going to be around Pocono on May 20/21 I will be racing with
the SCCA , in the Volvo Historic Series Races. It is a double race weekend
with races on Sat. and Sun. I don't have a full crew, so I can bring a
couple people in for free, if I know ahead of time.
Joe
----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Taylor <n196x@mindspring.com>
To: <fot@Autox.Team.Net>
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2000 6:25 AM
Subject: Wheel bearings
> Fellow FOTers,
> On the fifth lap in the HSR Enduro yesterday at Road Atlanta, I had my
> right front wheel-bearing blow out. No whining, no growling, no wobble,
> just PUUSHH! The tire went catywompus; billowed huge amounts of smoke
> until it blew. Then there was just the lumpy excursion off into 50 yards
> of freshly mowed grass. Since it was so early into the race, I had an
> exclusive (but rather lonely) spectator spot.
>
> Alan Pinel lent me his spare wheel bearing kit so I got to run the Vintage
> Race that afternoon..and did OK.
>
> This brings me to the question. What is the accepted drill for checking
> wheel bearings? I wiggled the tires before the qualifying race and they
> seemed fine. Does just tugging at the top of the tire really tell you
> anything?
>
> But even after I got the whole wheel back together, there seems to be an
> awful lot of drag. The wheels on my everyday car, a 30 year old 911, spin
> effortlessly. For the life of me I can't get the TR-4 wheels to do this.
> Especially the front ones. The 911 has a spring deally at the top of the
> brake pads to keep them from dragging. The Triumph pads seem to take a
> much longer time to release completely. What's the preferred drill on
this?
>
> I'm sorta embarrassed to ask this august group about something as
> elementary as wheel bearings but, hey, we're family, aren't we?
>
> Richard Taylor
> Atlanta
> TR-4
>
>
>
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