SKF develops new grease; claims reduces friction

SKF has introduced a new lubrication solution for hub bearing units (HBUs) that reduces friction by as much as 9 per cent compared to standard solutions while maintaining the same bearing performance. According to the company the low-friction grease reduces friction in wheel bearing units, cutting both CO2 emissions and fuel consumption to improve total vehicle efficiency.

The low friction grease has been developed using a new chemical formula, which optimises the ratio between friction modifier and anti-wear additives thus making it compatible with the bearing components. SKF claims that the newly developed grease contributes to reduce the friction maintaining the same bearing performance in terms of life, stiffness, sealing, false brinelling. 

This new low friction grease reduces the absorbed energy by up to 9.5 per cent, as compared to the standard grease. Using the SKF Vehicle Environmental Performance Simulator (VEPS), and based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), it has been calculated that a car with four hub bearing units using the low friction grease saves 0.15g CO2 per km. When based on an annual mileage of 14,500km, the saving is 2.9kg CO2 per year.

SKF claims that this newly developed grease is applicable to all generations of hub bearing units and is suitable for both new designs and retrofit.