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The eBearing News
November 10, 2005


SKF Wins Cadillac Hub Bearing Contract
copyright © 2005 eBearing Inc.

SKF AB (Sweden) said it has won a high-profile contract with General Motors to supply Cadillac's high-performance STS-V with advanced X-Tracker 3rd-generation wheel bearing hub units.

The X-Tracker was introduced to the OEM market in early 2004 as standard equipment on the Dodge Durango.

article: SKF supplying hub assemblies for Durango

X-Trackers, initially intended for light truck and SUV applications, are wheel bearing hub assembly units with asymmetric angular contact ball bearings. In this design, the outer race has a larger diameter and carries more balls than the inner race.

2006 Cadillac STS-V
2006 Cadillac STS-V
The larger bearing pitch diameter not only increases load capacity without significantly altering the hub's envelope dimensions or rotating weight, but also improves the unit's resistance to deflection ("hub stiffness") by 50% over a similar tapered bearing unit. The X-Tracker is considered part of the 3rd-generation hub unit (HBU3) product line.

Because the front wheel outer race carries more load during cornering, the larger pitch diameter aids steering precision handling by virtue of its rigidity. At the same time, the differing pitch diameters reduce NVH by altering the bearing's inherent vibration frequencies. And because they were able to implement it as a ball bearing unit, X-Tracker offers less drag and slightly better fuel economy than a similar tapered bearing unit.

By holding the hub face and rotor in position relative to the caliper under cornering and braking, SKF says the X-Tracker hub unit also improves braking responsiveness while reducing front brake wear and warranty costs.

While X-Tracker hubs for the Durango come from SKF's hub plant in Glasgow, Kentucky, the Cadillac's X-Tracker units will be produced in Airasca, Italy.

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- by Bruce A. Carr
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eBearing.com ... for everything that moves™
Entire contents Copyright © 1999-2008, eBearing Inc. All rights reserved.
eBearing.com and "... for everything that moves" are registered trademarks of eBearing Inc.