Best Bearing Oil, Grease, Lube For Your RC Cars

Discover the oil, grease, and lube for your RC car’s ball bearing. Learn maintenance tips and find the right lubricant for optimal performance.

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List	Notes
Oils	Best Oils for RC Ball Bearing – Liberty Oil RC – Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant
Greases	Best Greases for RC Ball Bearing – Cow RC Udder Butter – ProTek RC Premier Blue – Mobil 1 Synthetic
Cleaning	For Cleaning the bearing before adding oil – Brake Cleaner (WD-40 will also work but only use it as a cleaner)
Tips	When you are done reinstalling your bearings, lightly coat using a “dry” silicone lubricant spray (like MOO-Slick silicone spray) on the outside of the bearing, this will help stop dirt and water from getting in. Note: MOO-Slick silicone spray can be used on the whole car to repel dirt and water.

Various bottles and containers of lubricants and oils for RC cars, including bearing oils and greases, displayed on a table.

Grease vs Oil for RC Bearings

Oil may offer better performance for high-speed applications but requires more frequent application. Grease provides less maintenance as it stays in place longer and a better protection barrier between metal components (also better in higher temp) but it may not offer the same level of performance in high-speed scenarios.

Our Reconamadation – Genareal any light synthetic grease will give you the best balance between speed and longevity but if you need more performance oil is what most racers use.
Our Oil Picks – Liberty Oil RC – Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant
Our Grease Picks – Cow RC Udder Butter – ProTek RC Premier Blue – Mobil 1 Synthetic

How do I replace the oil in RC bearings?

Remove the bearings from the RC
- If you have a rubber-sealed ball-bearing we recommend only taking the seal off one side
- The reason – in case you can’t properly fit the seal back on you can leave it off and run it on the side that gets less dirt
- For most other bearings you can do the process without taking the bearing apart
Clean the bearings thoroughly to remove any existing oil or grease – brake cleaner (works best) but any solvent that beaks down oil will work (like WD40)
Allow the bearings to dry completely before proceeding.
Apply a thin layer of bearing oil or grease
Spin the bearings to distribute the oil evenly and check for smooth rotation.

Tip – When you are done reinstalling your bearings, lightly coat using a drying lubricant (like MOO-Slick silicone spray) on the outside of the bearing, this will help stop dirt and water from getting in.

FAQs Frequently Asked Question(s)

What are the drawbacks of using dry lube on RC bearings?
- Dry lube’s main drawback is its ability to corrosion protect when it gets wet or humid.
- Dry lube around the o-ring (diff o-ring, shock o-ring) can get in between the o-ring, this can disrupt the seal and cause leakage.
Is it good to use WD-40 on RC ball bearings?
- No, and Yes, WD-40 has low lubricating properties so it’s generally not recommended to use as a lubricant, but is good (at removing dirt and water) to clean bearings with WD-40 before you add the oil or grease.