mikeurbas

my brother has a '96 base model with approx. 45,000 mi. he's been told by two different mechanics that he needs front wheel bearings. is this normal with just 45,000 mi., and if so should he opt for the more expensive timkin oem bearings? thanks for any and all help, a happy c5 owner!

GREGGPENN

Wouldn't consider it "normal" but the shop(s) should be able to show you play and/or grinding to confirm the necessity. Despite the mileage, you also have to consider the age... Did it sit for a long period of time?

I opted for the Timken's when I rebuilt mine because of all the posts with people using less expensive versions only to rebuild again in a few months. Timken's were high but were still less than half OEM.

c4cruiser

At 45K miles, the front hubs should be in pretty good condition unless the area roads are pretty rough or the car has seen some autocross events.

If he acces to a floor jack, the bearings can be tested easily. Jack up a front wheel and place your hands at the top and bottom of the tire. Then push and pull on the tire. If there is any in/out vertical movement, the hubs are toast.

Looks like Rockauto has Timken, Raybestos, MOOG, and Centric front hubs currently available but each brand will be around $200 and a little more for shipping. They also have the AC Delco "Advantage" front hub, but that hub is not as good as the AC Delco Professional Grade" hub. Amazon has the Raybestos "Professional Grade" hub for just under $200.

From posts I have read here, it seems like the C4 hubs currently available are considered to be a "medium-duty" unit which would be OK for street use. Those who use their C4 for autocross and HPDE Events, it sounds like the hubs that are now available may not last a long time.

gerardvg

No not normal, I replaced my wheel bearing hubs at 170,000 miles.
Slight noise in one of the rear wheel bearings, the others were still ok but replaced them anyway. To be sure I don't have wheel bearing troubles in future.

Purple92

Front hub problems are commonplace in cars that are tracked - the brakes are used hard and get hot - the brake rotors are sitting right on the hub - which causes the front hubs to also get hot, and that of course causes the lube in the hubs to thin out. So - the lube is getting thin (read that as less able to protect against wear) at the time when you're slamming the car into hard turns and loading the bearings aggressively.

While 50K miles is not exactly great life - it's not absurdely low either.

As other posters have said - don't trust the mechanic - get the car up in the air - and push pull at both 3 / 9 o'clock and at 12 / 6 o'clock, and see if you feel play. If the play is noticeable, and is present at both 3 /9 & 6 /12 then you get to change hubs. (It might be a good idea to do this with another C4 that you know to be in good shape first - just to get a point of reference). If the play is not present in both location - then look at either ball joints / bushings / tie rod ends etc.... The good news is that front hubs - while not cheap - aren't too bad a job to actually do - basically pull caliper , pull rotor - disconnect ABS sensor plug, remove four bolts & and hub is in your hands. If the brakes are getting older - consider changing pads while you're there....

If you do some searching on this forum - you might find that a front hub from a mid 90's GM "F" Body is nearly identical to the corvette hub - except that the "F" Body hub is tapped and is held in place by bolts - while the Vette hub is just drilled, and is held in place by nuts and bolts. So - if you can get the higher quality version of the "F" Body hub for less - 10 minutes with a drill press and you're in business.... (Please do the searching to confirm this - I'm just going by memory - and my memory ain't what it used to be).