I see bearings upgrades for reels I own and curious if they can improve performance. Has anyone done this ?

I had DVT replace bearings on a Curado 200E and 50E.

However, I did not like the noise. I oiled them lightly which

probably reduced their maximum performance, but I'm a

happy camper!

As long as your at it, replace the brakes with Carbontex drag

washers, too.

I upgrade to ABEC-7 spec spool bearings from the typical ABEC 3-5 factory bearings when I need bearings replaced. You can buy ABEC-7's for less than OEM replacements. I've also tried ceramic bearings. Is there a performance gain? Yes, but it's usually incremental, a modest tweak, not a revolution. There are guys who are perfectly happy to "hot rod" a $200 reel with $200 worth of after-market goodies. Will it catch more fish? No, but if it's a source of pleasure, no harm, no foul.

I would go a good Abec7 bearing, and carbon drag.

A good bearing and drag upgrade always makes for some happy happy happy reels.

One stop and shop....drag upgrades, ABEC 5 and 7 Ceramic Hybrids, Grease, Oil, and any tools you need:

http://www.smoothdrag.com/price.html

One stop and shop....drag upgrades, ABEC 5 and 7 Ceramic Hybrids, Grease, Oil, and any tools you need:

http://www.smoothdrag.com/price.html

I second this suggestion, Dawn is great to do business with.

Thanks for the response!

Ghoti posted an excellent article on this subject. Here ya go.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/supertune-baitcaster.html

Long Mike, thanks for that article !

The benefits of upgraded bearings vary depending on the model, age and condition of the reel and stock bearing as well as casting ability. From an enthusiast standpoint, why not? From a purely practical standpoint, upgrades are best done after flushing and proper lube of the stock bearings fails to yield results.