As the make-up of the car parc shifts, including an increase in EVs, new bearings will be required to meet the varied demands being put on vehicles. With this in mind, Schaeffler has developed a wheel bearing specifically for EVs through its FAG brand. As Alistair Mason, Schaeffler REPXPERT Technical Manager for the UK and Ireland observed, this is necessary due to the nature of EVs: “Often heavier and with significantly increased torque transmission, EVs have put never-before seen stress on traditional wheel bearings, the TriFinity wheel bearing has been specifically developed by Schaeffler to meet the rigorous requirements of electric propulsion.” While conventional wheel bearings are made with two rows of balls, Schaeffler’s new TriFinity wheel bearing uses a three-row design, which the company says means they can offer greater rigidity, while experiencing up to 34% less friction. Schaeffler will make the TriFinity wheel bearing available to the independent aftermarket, which will also have access to all necessary accessories through Schaeffler’s complete FAG WheelSet repair solution. As Alistair observed, all relevant components should be replaced as part of a wheel bearing repair: “When replacing a worn wheel bearing, nuts, bolts and washers should always be replaced too. Every FAG WheelSet contains all the components specified by the vehicle manufacturer and, if our engineers deem it necessary, sometimes even more. “Workshops cannot guarantee reliability and durability unless they use the new ancillary parts designed specifically for each bearing and application. Fitting with these new fixings ensures a complete, professional repair. Some vehicle manufacturer systems feature locking devices which are destroyed when the wheel bearing is removed, making replacement absolutely necessary. However, even where ancillary components appear to be intact, technicians are advised to fit with new fixings.” For more information, visit: www.repxpert.co.uk Natural progression Commenting on FAI’s wheel bearing kits, which it launched in 2018, Mayur Chauhan, Senior Product Manager at FAI Automotive said: “The introduction of wheel bearings was a natural progression to complement our highly popular steering and suspension range. We’ve grown the range now to over 400 of the most popular wheel bearings, which covers over 42,000 applications for modern and relevant vehicles.” 48 AFTERMARKET MARCH 2024 BEARINGS www.aftermarketonline.net BEARING UP All the latest on bearings, including new products and fitment advice The range includes a both wheel bearings and hub bearings. Mayur continued: “Our range covers a broad variety of vehicles that extends to all conditions in which a bearing may fail, whether it be potholes and kerb contact or simply wear and tear due to high mileage. We understand that with any safety-critical item, if ignored, can result in the vehicle underperforming in times of extreme load. We wanted to ensure our wheel bearing range offers a strong product that exceeds everyday road conditions. This is why we ran each design through the most stringent of tests prior to distribution.” Mayur added: “To ensure the long life of an FAI bearing the brand advises lubrication at 25,000-mile intervals and replacement of seals, if necessary, to be aware of any friction noise on rotation or a reluctance to freely rotate whilst suspended and to ensure the right tools are used for fitment. We offer comprehensive warranty - 24 Month / 30,000 miles and a laser marking on every part to give technicians peace of mind that the product is a genuine FAI part. As with all our products, our development specialists are continually expanding our ranges to keep up with demand. Recently we’ve added some exciting wheel bearings to meet increased demand, such as the Vauxhall Astra K, Ford Focus III and Fiesta.” For more information visit: https://faiauto.com/ Above: TriFinity wheel bearing Right: FAI wheel bearings
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