I Want Warmer Bearings!

[wagonman76]

I would agree most with using synthetic grease in the bearings. Synthetic is usually rated better for both high and lower temperatures, so as long as you use wheel bearing grease, you won't have to worry about it running out when it gets to operating temperature or if it is a hot day.

[bgd73]

repack with synthetic. letting it sit anywhere wins, it may even EAT the first repack, if viscosity hasn't been content anyway (from your description, waiting for the suns seems to have the wax crap invented in the 1800s).I have learned as a service person, ALL oem grease packings are absolutely terrible, and even forgotten (subarus for example had drops of crappy stuff even in awd!)
A personal example of a win for me was grabbing the first top of the line stuff from advanced auto (other brands compete here as well), and it was valvoline synthetic for wheel bearings, cv joints, and if you could pack a grease gun with it, works there too. 420 degrees maximum, funny enough it lubed so good as to not even get warm after high speeds. As lubes and companies all follow rules, any brand labeled synthetic is better than what is oem.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by Shawn D.

Duh. It should have been obvious I was talking about in-operation temps.

Ambient is when they are coldest. Start with warmer bearings, have a small leg up.

I wonder if bearings just don't get hot enough in operation (unless the brakes are dragging) for the color to have an impact. I suspect the black color would make little to no difference in operating temp. But black is known to be one of the best colors to have on solar collectors. Who knows, would it help the hub be warmer from ambient if it was sitting in the sun?

Either way I'd wager it's one of those hair-splitting deals.

[Shawn D.]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I suspect the black color would make little to no difference in operating temp. But black is known to be one of the best colors to have on solar collectors. Who knows, would it help the hub be warmer from ambient if it was sitting in the sun?

Either way I'd wager it's one of those hair-splitting deals.

Black isn't "one of the best colors to have on solar collectors," it IS the best color to have on solar collectors (selective-surface coatings applied to black notwithstanding). I don't think we're debating whether black absorbs solar radiation -- that's a no-brainer. Black is also one of the best heat-radiating colors.

Yeah, this is probably one of those hair-splitting and meaningless debates that occur all to regularly on here, like folks who remove or drive with their dash lights off!