Aaron Pfadt

Pfadt Racing is proud to offer the wheel bearings that are up to the challenge for your racing Corvette.



Replacing your wheel bearings two to three times a season is no longer necessary. These true race quality bearings from SKF solve many of the known issues with other wheel bearings on the market. These SKF Corvette Racing hubs offer the same technology as the ZR1 hub for the C5 and C6 Corvette.



Designed for durability and to maintain preload at sustained loading of 1.2g, these units were tested and proven on some of the European GT3 Corvettes for an entire race season.

Don't settle for a tapered roller design. Tapered rollers are relatively effective for handling load, but have high friction and generate heat and rolling resistance which can lead to premature failure.

SKF Asymmetric - Roll formed design benefits:

1. High camber stiffness compared to a symmetric ball design
2. Reduced brake judder and piston knock-back
3. Roll formed and self retained without need for a stub shaft
4. Increased stiffness for better brake performance under high loads, higher preloads, less than 10 micron run-out on flange face



The SKF hubs offered by Pfadt Racing have the appropriate speed sensors for 1997-2008 Corvettes. Our hubs eliminate the need for frequent replacement, reduce long pedal/brake pad knock back, poor pad wear, and reduce the potential for broken flanges. If you're going to race, Pfadt/SKF hubs are the only game in town!

Introductory price is $380 each.

Our hubs ship with high-strength stock length studs. ARP 2 1/2 inch studs are available for $25 for the set of 5, or we can install them for you for $35.

Don't take your chances with an inexpensive "AutoParts Store" brand bearing and end up spending your race weekends changing wheel bearings in the paddock. Buy race quality parts from the race quality line-up at Pfadt.

-Aaron

Mjolitor 68

Have the stock C6 Z06 bearings failed due to HPDE ?

Aaron Pfadt

The C6Z bearings are the same as the C5 and other C6 bearings. They certainly do not last very long in HPDE especially if you run R compound tires. I have not seen any flange failures except on full race cars.

The biggest complaint that I hear (other than short life) is the 'long pedal' phenomenon. Because of lack of bearing rigidity, the rotor runs out under G loading and pushes the pads back in the caliper. A couple of thousandths at the bearing flange is a lot of movement out at the rotor edge. That leads to a long pedal movement next time you apply the brakes. The pads have to move more than usual before they contact the rotor.

I find this phenomenom especially noticeable at Miller Motorsports Park in a section called the Attitudes. It is a left-right-left combo that leads to a short straight. In my race car, I always had to do a left foot 'pump' of the brakes to get the pads tight to the rotor again before the next braking zone, otherwise the pedal would be very low and soft. That is gone now that I run these SKF bearings on my car. It brings back your confidence in your brake system.

-Aaron

spazegun2213

Whats with you guys, now that its the end of the season you are flooding the market with more amazing parts. I'm serious when I say this, your contingency better pay out 2x as much next year or I'm not going to be able to afford all your stuff!!! haha!!

Very nice! as soon as 2009 comes to a close I'll probably pickup a set, since its not in the cards right now.

Everett Ogilvie

Hi Aaron, I have heard that some of the HD replacement hubs are heavier than the stock units. Do you know if this particular design is heavier or comparable in weight to the stock pieces? Thanks.

0JoshS

I just measured a factory wheel bearing at 8.2 lbs. The Pfadt Racing Wheel Bearing tips the scales at 8.5 lbs.

the blur

I use SKF bearings on my C4. It's the ONLY brand that holds up.

although 1 blew out the grease, and started to whine, it was still ZERO play until I removed it. And NAPA replaced it for free under the life tire warrenty.

Timken does not hold up to track usage.

Independent1

SLandstra_Z06

Will they work on the 2009 Z06? I know there have been changes to the brake system now utilizing Bosch ABS hardware. Do the connectors on these hubs work on the 09?

Thanks

Aaron Pfadt

I do not know right now, but I will confirm this. If they will not because of the 'Active ABS' then the ZR1 wheel bearings might. The ZR1 bearings are of the same basic mechanical design.

I'll do some research and report back.

-Aaron

Aaron Pfadt

These are a completely different part. Here is a picture showing some of the external differences. You can see the larger bearing area (compare the housing to where the studs are in the flange) and thicker flange (the studs have to be recessed in for clearance). It is pretty dramatic when you have two together. The old one in the picture is actually an SKF replacement part.



There is only one part number and it works on the front and rear, left and right. The internal spline is just left unused in the front.

-Aaron

Independent1

Aaron,

Couple more questions.

How well do the stock units hold up to HPDE use? (How many days or miles before replacing). How long are these units expected to last?

How do these compare to the other aftermarket HD units out there?

BrianCunningham

Are they going to be available for C4's?

Aaron Pfadt

The answer to the first question is the usual 'it depends'. It actually depends on a lot of factors. I would say that the major factor is tires. If you are running R compound tires, the G forces go from the 1.0 range to 1.2 or more very easily. That will impact stock bearing life. Another thing is driving style and aggressiveness. If you never touch a curb, you are in better shape than someone who touches the rumble strips on every trackout. Those rough track edges are very hard on wheel bearings.

These bearings have been proven to work for a whole season in a professional race environment (GT3 corvettes in Europe). That means G loads in the 1.4 and up range and drivers who do not own the cars they are driving and are consequently not very concerned about wear and tear.

The existing HD bearings on the market (from GM Performance for example) are just factory units with increased pre-load to limit deflection. These SKF units have been redesigned from the ground up to deal with a race environment. The bearing radii are larger than stock and the spread is wider between rows. My understanding from SKF (who obviously make both of these bearing styles) is that these 'race quality' bearings use a roll formed inner race that sets preload as opposed to a shimmed inner race retainer. The loosening of that inner race (and loss of pre-load) is generally the first point of failure of the stock style bearings.

Hope this clarifies things a bit.

-Aaron

Aaron Pfadt

Sorry Brian, I don't think SKF has any plans to incorporate this bearing into a C4 package. I'll talk to them about it though. I know the C4 bearings are more problematic than the C5/C6 ones.

-Aaron

Independent1

When my bearings wear out looks like I know what to buy.

FasterIsBetter

ttt for you! I just ordered a set for my '04 Z06. Toward the end of the season, I was having a lot of problems with long pedal and some vibration with the braking. Hoping that between new rotors, rebuild of the brake calipers and new front wheel bearings, those problems will be solved. I'll report back when I receive them and do the installation.