Some bearings are tough enough to survive 3000 horsepower, but that doesn’t mean you should use them in your street build.
Choosing the right bearing isn’t as simple as just picking the toughest option and sometimes what seems like a part from 'the top shelf' can do more harm than good. In this interview, Christian from Nitto Performance Engineering breaks down some small but key differences between OEM-style bearings, ACL Race Series bearings, and coated bearings like those treated by Calico. While high-end coatings offer increased durability for extreme horsepower builds, they come with trade-offs in embeddability and long-term street reliability.
This conversation clears up common misconceptions around bearing selection, including how coatings affect clearance, what embeddability actually does, and why some “race-spec” parts can do more harm than good in the wrong application. Christian explains that coatings like Calico are better suited to high-power engines with short service intervals, not long-life street builds.
If you're chasing reliability and performance, this video will help you make an informed decision and avoid common (and expensive) bearing mistakes. Whether you're building a 3000hp drag monster or a 1000hp weekend car, it’s about matching the component to your use case, not just chasing specs.
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TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - Bearing Failure
0:10 - Bearing Options
0:20 - Nitto Performance Engineering
0:30 - Race Bearing Vs OEM Bearing
1:10 - Oil Film
1:24 - Calico Bearings Vs ACL Bearings
2:00 - Harder Coatings Vs Higher Loads
2:10 - Coating Vs Bearing Clearance
2:34 - Embeddability
3:24 - Harder = Less Embeddability
4:04 - Street Vs Race Engines
4:37 - Build For YOUR Application
5:00 - Thanks Christian!
5:36 - BUILD.TUNE.DRIVE
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