Axlevara · category range
Wheel bearings: first-generation cartridge bearings
Gen 1 wheel bearings supplied by OE cross-reference: single and double row angular contact ball bearings, tapered roller bearings and the DAC series.
- Range
- First-generation cartridge bearings
- Catalogue
- 442 listings in the published catalogue
- Reference
- DAC codes and OE numbers read directly
What a first-generation wheel bearing is
A first-generation wheel bearing is a self-contained cartridge: an inner ring, an outer ring, a cage and the rolling elements, pressed into the steering knuckle or hub carrier rather than bolted on as a unit. It is the bearing a workshop presses out and presses in, and it is identified by its dimensions and its OE number rather than by a flange pattern.
The published catalogue carries 442 listings in this family. The range is published in three type groups — angular contact ball bearings, tapered roller bearings and the DAC series — and each group has its own page, because the three are ordered differently and confused with each other constantly.
The three type groups
Angular contact bearings carry combined radial and axial load and are the common car fitment, in single-row and double-row forms. Tapered roller bearings use conical rollers and appear where the hub design calls for a separable cone-and-cup set. The DAC series is the double-row angular contact family the catalogue codes directly, in numbers such as DAC39720037.
| Type group | Construction | Series page |
|---|---|---|
| Angular contact | Single-row and double-row ball bearings | Angular contact wheel bearings |
| Tapered roller | Single-row and double-row tapered rollers | Tapered roller wheel bearings |
| DAC series | Double-row angular contact, DAC-coded | DAC series wheel bearings |
Ordering a cartridge bearing correctly
A cartridge bearing is ordered by the OE number first and the vehicle application second. Two bearings can share a vehicle and differ by a millimetre of bore or width, and the difference is invisible until the press. Where the old unit carries a DAC code, quote the code: it resolves the type group and the size in one string.
Buyers replacing a hub unit should not order from this page: if the old part unbolts as a flanged unit, it belongs to the wheel hub bearing family, and the comparison guide works through the difference.
Stocking notes for distributors
Gen 1 bearings move steadily for older vehicle parc and for markets where press-in repair is still the default workshop practice. Distributors usually stock this family by DAC code groups rather than by vehicle, because one code serves several applications and the cross-reference does the rest.
Type groups in the wheel bearing family
Angular Contact Wheel Bearings
Single-row and double-row angular contact types
Tapered Roller Wheel Bearings
Tapered roller types, single and double row
DAC Series Wheel Bearings
DAC-coded double-row bearings