Ron Sledge, King’s performance and technical manager, presented "Race Engine Bearing Lubrication, Clearances & Tolerances" at both the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show (PRI) and International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) events.
The hour long presentation is now available to view, free-of-charge at www.kingbearings.com/tech_materials.php.
Sledge shared his knowledge of engine bearings and race engine technology accumulated over his 30-plus year industry career. He told the audience of race engine builders, "My goal is to help you produce engines with the most horsepower, torque, and durability."
His seminar looked at bearing performance considerations for racing applications, including: oil viscosity, oil type (synthetic vs. mineral), oil pressure and temperature, proper bearing clearances, proper surfaces finishes and bearing assembly tolerances.
Sledge talked about the importance of wall thickness. "Inconsistent shell-to-shell bearing wall thickness can have a negative impact on clearances between the bearing and the journal on main and connecting rod bearings," explained Sledge. He said that common tolerance for wall thickness at the crown varies by up to .0005? (.00025? per shell).
For more information on King Engine Bearings and the company’s complete line of performance engine bearings, visit www.kingbearings.com.
