Recommended Front Wheel Bearing Grease?

[Ralph E.]

Just completed installing new trailing arms on my 67'. Now I'm onto the front wheels. I need to re-pack front wheel bearings.
What would be the recommended grease to use. Lubricants have changed a lot over the past 50 years.

[Dick W.]

Re: Recommended Front Wheel Bearing Grease?

Any good brand that is labeled for disc and drum brakes. I use Valvoline Special Moly EP

[Joe L.]

Re: Recommended Front Wheel Bearing Grease?

Just completed installing new trailing arms on my 67'. Now I'm onto the front wheels. I need to re-pack front wheel bearings.
What would be the recommended grease to use. Lubricants have changed a lot over the past 50 years.

Ralph------


GM #1051344. This is a premium, high melting point grease especially formulated for vehicles with disc brakes. This lubricant is supplied in a tub, not a tube. Many larger GM dealers will stock it. It is the current-day successor to the lubricant that GM originally specified for the Corvette front wheel bearings.

Curiously, while this is the grease GM specified for Corvette FRONT wheel bearings, they did not specify it for Corvette rear wheel bearings. For the rear they specified GM #1052497 which was replaced many years ago by GM #12377985. The latter remains available and is the grease I use and recommend for most Corvette chassis applications. However, I do not use it for the rear wheel bearings; I use the GM #1051344.

[Gene M.]

Re: Recommended Front Wheel Bearing Grease?

Any good brand that is labeled for disc and drum brakes. I use Valvoline Special Moly EP

Yes, Valvoline good stuff

[Mark E.]

Re: Recommended Front Wheel Bearing Grease?

Does anyone recommend a synthetic grease?

[Gene M.]

Re: Recommended Front Wheel Bearing Grease?

Mark, I have not looked at the can but the Valvoline might be synthetic.

I never mix it with any old stuff. I clean it up and start fresh.

Some old stuff does not mix well with the new lubes.

[Ralph E.]

Re: Recommended Front Wheel Bearing Grease?

I must be over thinking the subject of which wheel bearing grease to use.
My observations are that Ford has a recommended grease, GM has a recommended grease, European and Japanese vehicles have a recommended grease. Why are all different? I expected to use some Hi-Temp Synthetic Disc Brake Grease produced by either Valvoline or Carquest. Then I find out they have different wheel bearing grease for different cars. So again, what would be a recommend front wheel bearing grease to use on my 67' Corvette. Is Valvoline Special Moly EP suggested by Dick the only choice?
Just trying to keep it simple.

[Joe L.]

Re: Recommended Front Wheel Bearing Grease?

I must be over thinking the subject of which wheel bearing grease to use.
My observations are that Ford has a recommended grease, GM has a recommended grease, European and Japanese vehicles have a recommended grease. Why are all different? I expected to use some Hi-Temp Synthetic Disc Brake Grease produced by either Valvoline or Carquest. Then I find out they have different wheel bearing grease for different cars. So again, what would be a recommend front wheel bearing grease to use on my 67' Corvette. Is Valvoline Special Moly EP suggested by Dick the only choice?
Just trying to keep it simple.

Ralph------


There are many greases that likely meet the GM specification for your application. However, sometimes it's difficult determining, for sure, which ones actually do. If assurance of meeting the GM spec is important to you, simply use the GM #1051344. Then, you know it meets the spec. This grease is a little expensive compared to other greases but you'll probably only need to buy one container of it in your lifetime.

As has been mentioned above, you MUST remove all existing grease before re-packing wheel bearings. Mixing greases with different base types causes a phenomenon known as "bleeding" and significantly reduces the lubricating properties. That's something you definitely don't want in a high speed assembly like a wheel bearing.

[Joe R.]

Re: Recommended Front Wheel Bearing Grease?

Ralph,

Go to O'Rileys, Auto Zone, Pep Boys or any other parts house and ask for Valvoline Bearing, Synthetic Grease that is used for a Disc Brake car. You will be OK as this will far exceed the spec for a old Corvette or a new Corvette also.

JR