An angular contact bearing is what we have used since 2005 we were the 1st to develop an angular contact bearing back in 2004 to help solve a problem before it became an issue. We were looking at heat buildup in the tube on an aluminum rear end housing and was not happy with the way the bearing ball was loading the contact point of the bearing groove that the balls were running in. This was the standard bearing at the time and everyone was using it in their birdcages and I think most still do today because of the company that imports them. As far as I know there is only a few companies bring birdcage bearings in for a non-live axle setup, and we are the only one that is doing an angular contact bearing that is using the correct contact angle and load setting for this bearing. Angular contact is better because it uses the shoulder to load the bearing ball against instead of the edge of the groove this allows the bearing to carry a higher side load rating and handles spikes in load better. Some people ask us about using a needle bearing instead of a ball and there was a time when someone gave it a try but soon found out that it would not work because it would not carry the loads that a birdcage is seeing. Now fast forward to today’s standard and we are loading bearing way higher than ever before.
Look at today’s Late Models and how hard they are turning those cars through the corners and how much tire that car has on the ground and you can see the loads on the birdcages are going up. This is why if you are running a small tire car it is really important to have a birdcage bearing that will perform while under load so the tire can make maximum traction in and through the corner, this is also true for bearing and birdcage maintenance during the year. The result is lack of forward DRIVE and lack of side bite as the bearing gives up it’s ability to hold load, it is very hard to feel this is in a small tire car like a modified and easier in a big tire car, but the results are the same. Lack of drive. Bearing replacement is very important to the out come of the race car and to the outcome of your season. Mid-season or later of the 2nd year on a bearing you will often see the car struggle to make side bite, this is directly related too the bearings or rod-ends on the car. Depending on the number of races and the maintenance on the car and even the hardest of water used to wash the car will determine the life of a bearing in a birdcage. This I feel is subject to all birdcages regardless the brand, so remember that when it comes to a bearing it is a matter of time not usage that determines the life of a bearing. So the next time when someone is talking about birdcages tell them if you don’t have a angular contact bearings, your not fast.
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