Wheel Bearings and Hubs - Preventive Maintenance

The debate still rages about whether crate motors are a boon or bane for stock car racing, but one thing that cannot be argued is that crate motor classes have made Dirt Late Model a surprisingly affordable class. This is because the big guys in the Super Late Models are constantly cycling their chassis after a season or less, so it is usually easy to find a mildly used chassis on the cheap. Sometimes even a roller that will then have an inexpensive crate motor dropped into it.

The problem that comes with it, however, is that inexperienced racers can get into the class and quickly find themselves in over their heads. So in this and future installments of Dirt Tech we will often cover maintenance tasks that should be performed regularly to avoid breakdowns or other problems. Fortunately, whether you drive a Super Late Model or a Hobby Stock, many of these tasks are similar and something can be learned from everyone.

This time we followed along as Late Model racer Robbie Jordan invested an hour inspecting his hubs and repacking his wheel bearings. These components aren't exactly cheap, and Jordan says that pulling down the hubs to look for potential problems and repacking the bearings is a great way to extend the lifespan of these parts.

This is a task that probably should be performed after every four to five races, or at least at the midpoint of your racing season. Also, we all know that a pressure washer is about the only way to get a dirt car clean, but be careful not to spray high pressure water directly at the joint where the hub and the drive flange meet. This can sometimes allow water inside the hub, ruining your wheel bearings.