2007 Mazda 3 wheel bearing brands

[SilentType]

The rear wheel bearings/hubs are roaring going down the road, and when I did brakes last you could hear and feel them crunch when turned by hand. Any brands from Rockauto any good? SKF might be okay from what I've seen.

 

[charbaby]

The rear wheel bearings/hubs are roaring going down the road, and when I did brakes last you could hear and feel them crunch when turned by hand. Any brands from Rockauto any good? SKF might be okay from what I've seen.

SKF is what I also understand to be the better brand as well but I really don’t know.

 

[Kira]

How many miles did the originals last?
The Timken wears "FoMoCo".

 

[SilentType]

How many miles did the originals last?
The Timken wears "FoMoCo".

The sound has slowly developed over time, the car is now at 175K. Do you have experience with the Timkens? I saw that too in the pictures FoMoCo but there's no guarantee that's what you'll get.

 

[Trav]

SKF are excellent, if I need one that is what I get.

 

[Kira]

I bought one F-A-G front for my Volvo years ago. The SKF comes up positively on Volvo fora.

A rellie bought a 2012 Mazda3. A front bearing went out @60k. 1 week, hum to howl. The dealership replaced both.

 

[oil pan 4]

After working heavy industry, where bearings are often way bigger than car and pickup truck wheel bearings my favorite were FAG.
I'd bet they make pretty good automotive bearings too.

 

[Kira]

It was a premium selection from FCP or Eeuroparts.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

BCA is a good choice

 

[Mainia]

SKF , F-A-G, or Koyo

 

[jsean]

I always get SKF if I can. I’ve had good luck with them over the years.

 

[bdcardinal]

SKF , F-A-G, or Koyo

Koyo is usually factory on the Japan built Mazdas.

 

[Mainia]

Koyo is usually factory on the Japan built Mazdas.

I use Koyo's at work when I need quality Japanese bearings. For our Komori printing presses, Chinese die cutter, and German stitcher and multiple cutters. Stuff that is low rpm or older thrashed equipment I use Chinese bearings.

 

[mazdamonky]

The rear wheel bearings/hubs are roaring going down the road, and when I did brakes last you could hear and feel them crunch when turned by hand. Any brands from Rockauto any good? SKF might be okay from what I've seen.

not sure if yours has ABS or not, but I have had good luck with WJB bearings on a couple of my other cars. They were made in japan even on the one i recently used for my protege. for some reason I have better luck with even cheap japanese made parts than even "higher end" made in taiwan or china parts. Also I belive my GMB branded water pumps for the rx7's i have worked on have all come from japan and none of them have failed. I have installed 8 or so of them in the past 10 years and all have been great.

 

[PandaBear]

In theory I typically recommend OEM but it seems like Mazda of those era (Ford) have problem already at such a low mile. I would go on the Mazda owner forum to ask around who has good luck with what brand. I suspect that could be a factory spec problem and usually the owner forums would know the best what works for the particular models.

 

[zzyzzx]

Rock Auto link to the ones that you are considering.
Also, how hard is this to replace?

 

[johnmyster]

I did my mazda last fall. On the front I ordered Timken but was pleasantly surprised when Koyos came out of the box despite the online RA photo which showed a FAG marking.

For the rear I got a good deal on one Timken from ebay and ordered a Dorman from RA (lifetime warranty) for the other side. Unlikely that Timken or Dorman make the actual bearing but difficult to tell what bearing is in there without disassembly. They're doing fine so far but I'd order SKF if doing it again and same price.

Given the age of the car it's hard not to use cheap parts with a LT warranty...likely mevotech, etc.

Note, if the car is even mildly rusty, you'll spend some time with penetrant, a chisel, and sledge getting the unit out of the knuckle. You'll probably destroy the brake shields in the process so if you can grab a pair of those for cheap, get them. Wobble extensions and impact to get the bolts out from the rear.

 

[dogememe]

After working heavy industry, where bearings are often way bigger than car and pickup truck wheel bearings my favorite were FAG.
I'd bet they make pretty good automotive bearings too.

I would for sure buy this brand of bearing for literally any application I needed it for if it was readily available. The name really resonates with me! Haha

That said, in seriousness, I'd shop for wheel bearings based on price, availability, and warranty. Pretty much everything on Rockauto, Amazon, or your "local" auto parts store is going to be the same stuff, just in a different color box.

 

[SilentType]

Ok I pulled the trigger on the SKF's 76.79 each. Will post pics and COO if anybody cares!