Bearing technology leader King Bearings continues to push the horsepower limits of modern engines. Their new Alpha line of high performance bearings could not have come at a better time, as we are getting ready to beef up the VR38 in our own Project R35. We’ve been hearing great things about them and can’t wait to use them in our 2,000 horsepower capable build. The new Alpha line was developed in collaboration with AMS Performance and applications are available for the Nissan VR38DETT, VR30DETT, Audi CTY, and Lamborgini CSJ engines. The Alpha bearings feature King’s newest bearing material, P-Max Black with P-Max kote.,
P-Max kote is applied over the P-Max Black tri metal bearing material at the King factory as part of the bearing manufacturing process. P-Max kote enhances wear and seizure resistance thus protecting against the effects of oil starvation without changing the bearing’s original precision wall thickness dimension
With the new bearing, the proven tri-metal pMax-Black lead-based intermediate layer has had its tin content (which provides hardness) increased from 3% to 4.5% which makes it 22% harder for greater load-bearing capability. The new p-Max Black formulation is fortified with an overlay of P-Max kote, a coating that is more like a 4th layer of the bearing. p-Max kote is infused with copper nanoparticles which take up about 5% of its structure.
These changes improve the bearing’s load-bearing capacity by 24% and the fatigue resistance is improved by 17% over the prior bearing material. In addition, King’s ElliptiX oil transfer hole design provides improved oil ingress to the bearings hydrodynamic zone. In addition, some applications have a hole for the dowel of drag racing aluminum rods. These changes make an already great bearing much better.
In this King video you get a peek at the development of the Alpha Line of bearings with King and AMS,
