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OEM vs King Bearings


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I have read a few post on oem bearings and race bearings, but none of them really answered my questions. I am building and ej255 with the goal of 500hp, the crank, rods, pistons are all new and forged. I was told that race bearings, in general shouldn't be used on streetcars because they don't hold up to daily driving. The cost isn't really important, I just want to get the correct part for my application. It just seems weird to me to be running oem bearings on a 500hp engine. What is the best choice for my application? What is the pros and cons to both?
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Or call King Bearings and talk with one of the Engineers there.

 

Or call one of the Subaru performance shops, talk with them, and buy what they recommend, from them. The customer service you will get will be priceless. Have them guide you during the process. Support those that support the Forum.

 

 

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305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD).  CHECK your oil, these cars use it.

 

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What’s the pricing like between king and OEM stateside? Down these ways King are more commonly used on cheaper builds due to them being considerably cheaper than sourcing the correct factory ones. Quite a few shops doing big power builds will only use OEM ones as the tolerances are apparently much better.

This is all for 2.0 engines but cant see there being any reason why this wouldn’t apply other than the longer stroke adding slightly different loading conditions.

Edited by Andy_Mac

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  • 3 weeks later...
What’s the pricing like between king and OEM stateside? Down these ways King are more commonly used on cheaper builds due to them being considerably cheaper than sourcing the correct factory ones. Quite a few shops doing big power builds will only use OEM ones as the tolerances are apparently much better.

This is all for 2.0 engines but cant see there being any reason why this wouldn’t apply other than the longer stroke adding slightly different loading conditions.

 

Oem bearings are alot more expensive than king bearings. up to 100 dollars more depending on the type of king bearing you get. Ive heard that kings tolerances are the best in the business, if you vist there website they brag about it alot. The shop i called said they only use king bearings. I think it has something to do with the material in the kings being softer and more forgiving than the oem bearings. They also told me that they run +.001 oil clearence on the rod bearings on higher power levels with an 11mm oil pump.

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Oem bearings are alot more expensive than king bearings. up to 100 dollars more depending on the type of king bearing you get. Ive heard that kings tolerances are the best in the business, if you vist there website they brag about it alot. The shop i called said they only use king bearings. I think it has something to do with the material in the kings being softer and more forgiving than the oem bearings. They also told me that they run +.001 oil clearence on the rod bearings on higher power levels with an 11mm oil pump.

The metallurgy behind this makes oem bearings better with oem cranks. Forged cranks should be used with softer bearings like kings. Just as important when matching pads and rotors. Mis match will lead to premature wear of the softer component.

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The metallurgy behind this makes oem bearings better with oem cranks. Forged cranks should be used with softer bearings like kings. Just as important when matching pads and rotors. Mis match will lead to premature wear of the softer component.

 

I am running the nitrited oem Subaru crankshaft which is forged, I wonder what bearings are recommend for those. I know they were never available in our cars or if they were available in any factory cars at all. I know for sure I will be running Kings. It's probably a good idea to have an oil pressure gauge when doing upgrades like that so you can hopefully pull the motor before you throw a rod through the block if anything were to go wrong

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