# Bearing upgrade



## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

Academy is carrying a 2 bearing pack Labeled 'casting real bearing upgrade' or something of that nature. There are 5 ball bearings per set. They looked like they were black chromium plated and not stainless. It did not say if they would fit in a Curado either. 

Does anyone know about these bearings? 

Are they stainless?

Are they actually better than the stock bearings from shimano?

Personally, if they aren't stainless...I won't even give them a chance with the way I wade.


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## MattK (Feb 9, 2006)

They are ARB's (Anti Rust Bearings) by Shimano. They are more rust resistant than regular stainless bearings.


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## dbarham (Aug 13, 2005)

they rule!!!!!!!!! i got em in my 100b


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## Life Aquatic (Oct 24, 2006)

Yep, ARB upgrade. I'm going to try 'em out.

See my post on this Forum earlier titled ARB Bearings - similar discussion. Most all Shimano casting reels have a standard size of 3x10x4 bearings for the spool. Curado uses this size. I'm particularly intrigued with the unshielded design that will allow a more thorough flushing. Shimano advertises the ARBs as 10 times more corrosion resistant. This list is prior to the redesign and dates to the years of the green Curado:

3x7x3mmShimano Calcutta 50 & 51 Cast Cap



3x10x4mmSpool Bearings -- Most Shimanos



5x11x4mmShimano Spool Shaft -- Behind the pin (except Calcuttas & SFs)


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## Mike in Friendswood (May 21, 2004)

The ARB bearings are very corrosion resistant. I have only seen a couple that have actually coroded. However the unshielded design is not a very good idea. It allows junk to get inside the bearing and mess them up. You would think that without a shield, you could get stuff back out, but in most cases the bearing is shot.

My guess is tha Shimano is seeing some of the same failures as I am, because the newer reels are coming out with *shielded *ARB bearings.

Just my experience.


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## MattK (Feb 9, 2006)

I absolutely agree with you Mike and I hope the new shielded versions hold up better. I've never had many with corrosion issues but I have had a handful or two that have rusted. It just goes to show you that no matter how well it's made it will always fail if you don't take care of it and do the proper maintenance.


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## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

Update..., just found this out today from Academy, the bearing upgrade pack at Academy are ABEC 5 ball bearings....and the guys there say they are not ARB. Where can I get the ARB's in houston? How much are they? 

How good are the ABEC 5 bearings compared to the ARB's ?


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I believe Abec 5 to be a tolerance specification, and has nothing to do with the material.

*What Does ABEC Mean? 
*The ABEC scale is a system for rating the manufacturing tolerances of precision bearings. The system was developed by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee or Council (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). 
Bearings rated under the ABEC system are typically called "precision bearings", and they are rated with a number from 1 to 9, with the higher number assigned to bearings manufactured against a higher standard of precision (high number = tighter tolerances = more expensive bearing). 
*What Does Tolerance Mean? *
Tolerance is the amount of variation from an absolute exact measurement that is permitted during the manufacturing process.


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## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

Well thanks for that info...

I thought tolerance was how much beer you could drink while playing 52. 

The real question is how do I know if those bearings are / not ARB's?


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

The ABEC 5 bearings are stainless steel. The ARB bearings will have no sheild and are black in color.


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## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

Interesting. These are labeled ABEC 5...and they are black chrome in color, with no shield. 

At any rate, they are in and I will be ginving them a test run this evening. Undoubtedly they will perform better as I used to over oil/grease my bearings. 

Question. If not replacing the center shaft beearing...isn't the upgrade only as fast as the slowest bearing?


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## MattK (Feb 9, 2006)

sir_tob said:


> Question. If not replacing the center shaft beearing...isn't the upgrade only as fast as the slowest bearing?


That is an excellent question and I'm interested in hearing what Doug's response will be.

My opinion would be, if it's a spool shaft bearing like on a Cu-200b, yes it would only be as fast as that bearing. If it is a pinion bearing, like on most of the newer reels, then no because the spool shaft spins inside on the pinion gear; meaning the pinion gear and pinion bearing are not spinning at the same speed as the spool during casting. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


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## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

Test drive results. 

A slight improvement. I will throw some plastic tomorrow and see how that goes. I have to say that at least some of the improvement was because the reel and bearings were clean and not over oiled/ greased.


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