tasdrouille, given your location (Great White North) and driving habits (modest trips) I'm 99% sure you'd be fine with the
slightly thinner wheel bearing grease ... even if it doesn't mention automotive applications.
I'm a charter member of BITOG and have dealt with lubrication topics for nearly a decade. The thinner stuff should be fine. If you are repacking these yourself, I would monitor them every couple months and look for signs of leaking. If the grease stays in place, I'd clean and inspect them in 25,000-35,000 miles just to be sure everything’s doing OK.
Just remember lithium is a soap and lithium-based greases WILL foam-up and wash out if allowed to come into contact with water spray. So, sealing is critical and even a minor leak will allow moisture into the bearing and degrade the grease quickly.
BDC, I would imagine sphere-shaped bearings would have less friction … as the contact surface would be a lot less than roller/needle bearings … but I’d be concerned about load and the spheres scoring the contact surfaces.
Frank Lee has got it right, though. I’ve seen systems for trailer bearings that allow you to use a bath of gear oil to lubricate the bearing unit (instead of grease). It’s supposed to reduce operating temps, increase unit life AND increase fuel economy.
Remember, grease is a lubricant mixed with a hard soap/paste to try to keep the lubricant in place. If you are able to keep lubes (such as gear oil) in place without resorting to drag, you are better off (regarding rolling resistance) without the solid compounds. Using Google quickly, I was unable to find one of these systems as an example.
My pick … if I could have any grease in the world? Schaeffer grease:
Schaeffer Lubricants | Heavy Duty Moly Grease
#274 Moly E.P. Synthetic Plus Grease – NLGI #0
Better low temp and high-temp performance. If Schaeffer prints it, I'm willing to believe it.
