Highlighting it cutting edge innovation and strong OE links with vehicle manufacturers, one of the highlights of the NTN-SNR stand at Automechanika was the unveiling of a new ceramic ball wheel bearing, which was specially developed for Jaguar-Land-Rover.

NTN-SNR says that R&D is the spearhead of its competitiveness and in the present automotive market, its primary objective is to reduce CO2 emissions through solutions which make it possible to lower energy consumption and through the development of intelligent bearings with mechatronic enhancements. The new ceramic ball wheel bearing is the latest example of this. It has been developed for the limited edition Jaguar XE SV Project 8 and its cutting edge design secured a place in the top 5 of the Automechanika Innovation Awards.

NTN-SNR was selected by Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operation to participate in the new XE SV Project 8. This new Jaguar is a high-performance sports version of the XE saloon. Jaguar developed this new version of the XE, so owners may drive the car on both road and track.

Drawing from its expertise in aeronautics and competitive motorsport, NTN-SNR used ceramic ball technology in the wheel bearings for the Jaguar XE SV Project 8. The main benefit of this technology is the considerable weight savings of 210g per bearing. This equates to an overall saving of 840g and contributes to the performance the car. In addition, ceramic ball bearings allow for better rigidity of the bearing when it is fitted to the vehicle. That extra rigidity helps reduce deformation of the bearing when the vehicle is being used on the race track. This helps, in turn, to ensure the excellent dynamics required in the chassis of a vehicle.

The ceramic balls used in the bearing also generate far less friction than a normal steel ball, allowing the bearing to rotate much easier. The reduced friction improves both performance and fuel consumption.

This project has been added to NTN-SNR's research plan and has helped to accelerate the development of ceramic wheel bearing technology, which will soon be used on other, series production vehicles.