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why is it that mazda 323 turbos, and possibly the non turbos from around 1987, why do they ruin wheel bearings with slightly bigger wheels on them from stock? I went 2" bigger and put 17" mags on my car, and it has ruined the front wheel bearings 3 times now, have taken bearings out and they have been stuffed after only around 10,000kms. is this a well known common problem?

The biggest problem with fitting aftermarket wheel rims is moving away from the original offset of the rims. This will put more load on the wheel bearings and reduce their life. If the vehicle is fitted with taper roller bearings you should ensure they are being installed correctly as incorrect adjustment can also cause early failure. Another possibility is a problem with the wheel alignment, if the camber setting (if it is adjustable or something is bent) is not correct then it will put unnecessary load on the bearing.

You should take your vehicle to w/a specialists to have the suspension checked and a mechanic to ensure the bearings are installed correctly.

hi again,

yeah so i used to have 17" mags on my car, but after i ran 2 wheel bearings we took them off and put the standard 14" on. But now my car has run another wheel bearing, the drivers side again. my partner is an apprentice mechanic and has replaced it a few times now, but it still doesnt last long and his boss said theres nothing wrong with the installation. the bearings didnt move in the hubs, werent too tight or too loose. they were all greased up good. if they need adjusting you have to take the bearing out and you risk damaging it so its a whole new bearing set again... surely theres an easier way to adjust them? hes checked the hubs and seems nothing is wrong. only done maybe 1500kms on this new bearing and noticed a small noise again and when you spin the wheel it feels slightly rough and theres vibration in the spring, but the passenger side is fine.

any ideas why my car keeps running bearings on the same side? or do you know of an easy way to adjust them without damaging the bearing? its a 87 turbo 323 hatch, the front hubs are the 4 wheel drive ones tho. car is only front wheel.

A wheel alignment problem can cause the bearing to fail prematurely due to the extra load on the bearing. You need to get the w/a checked.

The most common cause of premature bearing failure is incorrect installation of the new bearings. If it has tapered wheel bearings then the inner and outer bearing races needs replacing and it is important not to damage the races when installing them. It is also important to grease the bearings correctly and without contamination and ensure the correct pre-load on the bearing has been applied.
Inspection of the CV shaft and the hub and knuckle for damage is also important.

I suggest you take the vehicle to another garage for a second opinion as there could be something your mechanic is overlooking.