By comparison, many older style release bearings aren’t designed for constant contact applications. Instead, they are engineered to work in conjunction with mechanical actuation systems because the release bearing thrust face is in contact with the pressure plate fingers only during clutch actuation. Contact time is so short that slight misalignment isn’t a factor, therefore, these bearings don’t utilize a self-centering feature.

The most recent change in release bearing technology is to integrate the clutch actuation systems and released bearing into one component. This system is referred to as a concentric slave cylinder (see slave cylinder section for more details). It eliminates the need for several additional components including the fork, bearing retainer, pivot ball, and traditional style release bearing.

Because release bearing compatibility plays such an important role in the service life of the clutch system, we insist on using only the highest quality products, produced by select O.E. manufacturers such as BCA, Koyo, Nachi, and NSK.

Some of the latest style O.E.M. release bearings now utilize a composite plastic assembly. We insist, however, on using the O.E.M. steel design in older applications, rather than the less expensive composite plastic retrofit bearings that are now available. Although these composite replacements may meet dimensional requirements, they can’t withstand the temperatures commonly encountered under moderate to heavy use like snow removal, towing, hauling heavy loads, or street performance.

In some instances, we may offer multiple manufacturers’ bearings for the same application, when two or more manufacturers have split O.E. production. What’s more, AMS cataloging reflects O.E. standards by listing the specific style bearing used in that application when it was new. Replacing a more expensive self-centering bearing with an older style bearing will dramatically shorten the operational life of the clutch system.

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