Bearings & Rod Ends

At Raceparts we stock a wide range of rod ends and spherical bearings. This article will guide you through the options available. When designing you’re vehicle it is important to families yourself with the range and options available. This will make it easier for you when it comes to building the vehicle (there’s no point using an awkward rod end which is difficult to get hold of unless you have too).

Metric/Imperial

Modern motorsport uses a mix of metric and imperial sizes. Most specialist options though are only available in Imperial sizes. All of the Imperial size rod ends stocked at Raceparts have UNF thread. Metric threaded rod ends are usually only available in ‘standard’ pitch but some alternatives are available.

Angularity

Most rod ends and spherical bearings come in a ‘standard’ angularity. However some sizes are also available in high angularity. The means that they can work to a higher angle, which can be useful on suspension components for example.

Quality

The biggest factor for determining price is the quality of rod end or spherical that you require. At Raceparts we regularly stock FK and NMB rod ends & sphericals. Both of these manufacturers make high quality parts that we supply to the Motorsport industry. However the NMB rod ends are usually selected for high end motorsport or for load bearing applications such as suspension. FK components are more normally selected for lower load applications such as anti-roll bar linkages. However this split is normally made due to expected life of the components. Most Formula Student cars are only used for a very short amount of time/miles. You may find it beneficial to use the FK components even for load bearing applications.

Male/Female

Most of the rod end options that Raceparts have available can be in a male or female.

The Range

To view the range o rod ends and spherical bearings available please look in our current catalogue by clicking here.

When Ordering

When making an enquiry about sphericals and rod ends if you do not have the part number we will need the following information:

  • Bore diameter
  • Outside diameter
  • Thread type including size, handed and male/female (if applicable)
  • Angularity

Raceparts offers a wide variety of Formula Student and Formula SAE related products. For more details on the sort of products we offer please click here. If you would like general advice and information on competing in Formula Student or other motorsport activities then please click here.