Bearing Grease, Multi-Purpose Grease and Red Rubber Grease, what is the difference? Midas Bredasdorp offers you this comprehensive guide, that will provide you with all the information you will need, to distinguish between these different types of grease.
Wheel Bearing Grease
Why do you need Wheel Bearing Grease?
Wheel bearings turn at high speed, wheel bearing grease is needed to prevent friction, ensures that the wheel is turning freely, provides lubrication and prevents corrosion. Over time the grease starts to break down and without wheel bearing grease, the increased friction will eventually cause your wheel to seize, and the areas around it can rust.
What Does Wheel Bearing Grease Consist of?
Wheel bearing grease is not just oil, but a combination of different ingredients:
Oil such as: Vegetable oil, Synthetic oil, or Mineral oil.
Additives such as: Anti-wear, Anti-corrosion, and Water-resistant additives.
Soap: The soap is a non-detergent soap, made from fatty acids with anti-corrosive properties, this thickens the oil enough to give it a grease-like consistency.
How do you grease the wheel Bearing?
Grease should be packed into the wheel bearing, the housing and on the wheel ends inside surfaces where the bearing sits, as well as the cavity surrounding the bearing, but it should not be filled.
Did you know that you can over grease a wheel bearing?
Too much grease in a bearing cavity will cause the rotating bearing to churn the grease, pushing it away, resulting in rising temperatures and energy loss.
Wheel Bearing Grease Rating on How Soft or Firm It Is
Softer greases are easier to pump with a grease gun, while very stiff greases cannot be pumped. The rating will tell you about the type of wheel bearing grease, and what it’s used for, let’s take a look at what the letters stand for:
The G means that it’s certified for use in automotive wheel bearings.
- A means good
- B means better
- C means best
The L means that it is certified for use in automotive chassis.
- A means good
- B means best
The best letter rating for wheel bearing grease is GC-LB, but if you are looking for grease for the chassis, look for the LA or LB rating.
Grease also has a numerical rating:
Bearing grease comes in a wide variety of thicknesses, so each type of bearing grease comes with a numerical rating that indicates its thickness.
Numerical rating normally ranges between 0 and 6. The 0 rating indicates that the grease is soft, in an almost liquid-like consistency, while the 6 rating indicates that the grease is quite firm. Most wheel bearing formulas come with a rating of 2, indicating that the consistency is similar to that of a smooth peanut butter.
Can You Mix Different Types of Wheel Bearing Grease Together?
Plant-based oil and petroleum-based oil can mix freely with each other, but by mixing together two incompatible types of grease, your wheel bearings can fail, so do some research first.
If you are not sure about the compatibility, it is best to remove the old grease properly before packing the new grease into the wheel bearings.The best liquids to clean out old grease are Paint thinners, Kerosene, Turpentine, Brake cleaner and Hot soapy water.
Red Rubber Grease
What Is Red Rubber Grease Used For?
Red Rubber Grease is used in the automotive industry, on rubber components, hydraulic components and braking assemblies to protect & lubricate rubber bushes, seals and O-rings.
Red Rubber Grease is also suitable for gland packing and seals because of its resistance to lubricating oil, as well as for use on brake calliper rebuild jobs. This grease has been designed to preserve rubber by preventing it from cracking and deteriorating over time.
Can Red Rubber Grease Handle High Temperatures?
This Grease can retain its consistency even at high temperatures, it does not change materially under working conditions or temperature fluctuations and resists leakage and dripping.
Features and Benefits of Red Rubber Grease:
- Vegetable Oil Base.
- Anti-Corrosion Additives.
- Compatible With Plastics / Natural and Synthetic Rubbers.
- Lubricates Components Such as Brake / Clutch and Suspension Rubbers.
- Prevents Swelling and Hardening of Rubber Components.
- Works Well with All Rubbers and Seals.
- This product has a shelf life of 3 years from date of manufacture, if stored sealed in a cool, dry place.
General Multi-Purpose Grease
This is the most commonly used type of grease in the automotive industry, made from calcium sulfonate and has high water resistance, however it doesn’t perform well under high temperatures.
Application
General-Purpose Grease has been designed to meet a broad range of requirements, manufactured to a medium consistency with a medium viscosity base oil, medium wear washout, and oxidation resistance properties.
You can use multi-purpose grease on a variety of applications, like disc brake wheel bearings and chassis components, it’s used to protect against water ingress and provides rust protection, while reducing friction.
Features and Benefits of Multi-Purpose Grease:
- Good Lubrication in Adverse Conditions
- Resistant to High Temperatures
- Protection Against Rust and Corrosion
- Resistance to water wash-out
All of the above products are stocked by Midas Bredasdorp, so pop in-store for all your Grease requirements.
Midas Bredasdorp, for all the automotive parts, trailer, and wheel accessories you could need, and if we do not have it, we will source it for you. Please follow us on social media to stay up to date with our latest sizzling specials and promotional offers. (There are currently over 300 franchised outlets across Southern Africa, including Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.)
