Is an GC-LB rating absolutely required for Automotive/Light Truck wheel bearing grease??

[Bob69]

This may have been discussed but maybe I missed it in a search. There was a short discussion of this grease in the past but it didn't address this topic specifically.

Either way I've been looking specifically at Mobilith SHC 220 grease which uses synthetic PAO oil in a lithium base. It appears to be a very close cousin to Mobil 1 Synthetic grease. They both are NLGI #2 grade regarding overall thickness/viscosity.

The main difference I can find is the viscosity of the base oil is a bit higher (220 vs ~175) in the SHC 220. The four ball weld test however is higher with the Mobil 1, 315kgf versus 250kgf with the Mobilith SHC 220.

This seems contradictory as the Mobilith SHC 220 grease is recommended for heavy duty large off-road mine vehicles, so IDK how important the four ball weld test is regarding wheel bearings.

If you do a search online or youtube you'll find the SHC 220 grease is used mostly for Industrial applications like large bearings in very heavy duty equipment, but also in wheel bearings for large Open Pit Mine trucks, delivery vans, and even race cars.

The issue however is the Mobil has not sent the SHC 220 grease in for GC-LB approval/certification but looking at the specs I would assume it would pass.

I know there're dozens and dozens of good greases to choose from, that's not the question, I'm not looking for suggestions which other grease is "better" or "best", we all have our own preferences, just like
which beer is "best". HA!

And also knowing that a grease manufacturer can chose whether (or not) to send in their grease to be approved by the NLGI and pay the ~$2000 annual fee for the GC-LB certification.

So the question is, if a grease is not certified by NLGI for GC (wheel bearings) does that mean it can't or shouldn't be used in wheel bearings ??

I'm really not looking for opinions from armchair grease experts (aren't we all), just trying to find someone who's actually used a grease that does not have the NLGI GC-LB stamp of approval and how that worked out for you. Or, if there're any actual lubrication engineers (Tribologists) by trade reading this, please jump in.

Thanks

 

[Bob69]

If anyone wants to read up on the Mobilith SHC 220 here's a link:
Scroll down to read examples of where it's being used:

https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/for-businesses/industrial/lubricants/products/products/mobilith-shc-220

One from youtubby:



And for those who speak Russian (point of showing this
one is that the SHC 220 is being used on bus and van wheel bearings)



Van wheel bearings:



And the last video just covers a few applications of the Mobilith SHC grease line for bearings:

 

[Cujet]

I can’t answer your questions. I was involved in shc100 testing in aircraft wheel bearings that required MIL G 81322. Generally requiring Mobil 28 which at the time was considered superb in high speed applications.. In essence, a lithium based grease SHC 100 was replacing a clay based grease 28. The performance of SHC 100 was superior, with less washout and lower wear rates.

As to how they compare to a grease with a higher viscosity base oil in your application, I don’t know.

 

[Bob69]

Cujet: Thanks for the information.

What I found odd is that the Mobilth SHC had a four ball weld of 250kgf (same as the Mobilith SHC 100 grease) but Mobil 1 Synthetic grease has a four ball weld of 315kgf. So if the Mobilith SHC 100 shows less wear in aircraft wheel bearings than other greases that seems to say 250kgf is good enough??

 

[Bob69]

Found a typo above but it's too late to edit it (why can't we edit things?). Either way, I'll rewrite it all here hopefully without typos

So in the first line above I meant to write: Mobilith SHC 220 has a four ball extreme pressure test results of 250kgf which is the same as the Mobilith SHC 100, and that grease is used for commercial aircraft wheel bearings. The wear scar is the same (0.5mm) for both but Mobil does not list a Timken Load for any of their SHC greases, so the question is, is the Timken Load result just not important for wheel bearings??

Note the other specs comparing the SHC 100 (which is good enough for Aircraft wheel bearings) to the SHC 220 which is used for heavy duty trucks but which Mobil hasn't submitted it's specs for GC-LB certification?

Point is, if the SHC 100 grease is good enough for Boeing 777 wheel bearings and the SHC 220 grease which is approved for multi-ton carrying Open Pit Mine trucks, shouldn't it be good enough for a light duty truck, even without the GC-LB approval??

Keeping in mind the GC-LB approval for Automotive wheel bearing grease is a voluntary process that grease manufacturers can choose to submit their specs to NLGI, or not.

Here's the link to the Mobilith SHC grease specifications if the attachments are too small to read:

PdsDetailsPage

Mobilith SHC™ Series greases are superior performance products designed for a wide variety of applications at extremes of temperature.

www.mobil.com

 

[Yolo]

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[Yolo]

Delete found answer

 

[ripcord]

Yolo, if you live in an area where they salt the roads, I'd spend the effort and money on rust treatment instead.

 

[facility1]

there is many good greases on the market that will work fine, Mobil is a ok grease ,,one grease for this application that would be great ia Kendall L-427 lithium complex NLGI-GC-LB certified (recommended) ,napa has or can get it in cans for hand packing,its a old favorite among seasoned mechanics ,,, and no i dont like beer (or drink),,and have wore out a few chairs.