What are the pro's and con's of each? The guy at Jegs says the roller bearing requires periodic lube while the bronze is meant to last a long period without maintenance. I don't plan on taking mine apart for a while after I do the clutch. I bought one of each so it's not a question of cost (bronze is a lot cheaper). Any advice or opinions welcome.

Bearing is better. It's designed to last, without lube, as long as the clutch. The bronze is designed to wear. As it wears, the runout increases.

I would use a roller bearing. Bronze does wear, but better that than your input shaft. No needle bearing...

I have a bronze in mine.

i have had better luck with the bronze than the rooler. i have had new rooler bearings lock up witin 10,000 miles where as the bronze merely reqiures you to properly install it!

andy

use a bronze. if the bearing seazed; the trans would be damaged. the bronze works fine. its easy to put in and take out.

Bronze is the low performance end of the pilot bearings. Bearings have been around a while and they aren't scary and they don't fail all the time if they are installed properly and lubed when you change the clutch. It's not like bearings are touchy and bushings are easy. You can mess up a bushing real easy too.

Crap. Strong arguments on both sides. Maybe I'll flip a coin. If I use the roller, I assume I load it up with bearing grease?

They are pregreased. If it throws any weight with you, Q is my back-up on this one.

And they actually aren't 'roller' bearings. It is a ball bearing type with one end open and the other shielded. It's what they came with as I have always understood. BCA part #7109

Looks like rollers to me.

BCA 7109
roller

i would use that or the bronze. Don't use the ford style needle bearing type from jegs in the above pics.

...though this one lasted about 130Kmiles on a Ranger before it exploded and destroyed the input shaft:

click for bigger

Bob,
That looks like a bow tie pilot set up to me.

I may be wrong , but I beleive the only time the pilot bearing spins is when the clutch is in, so its not constantly working! Anyway-bushings are most definatly low-tech, go with the bearing!-MIK

Got mine at Advanced. Looks just like the ball bearing in the picture above. They are not very thick.

The packages say Chevy. Did Jegs hose me? Do ponchos use a different bearing?

I know for a fact the dimensions on that bearing are wrong.

My clutch kit came with the bronze last winter, but after alot of research I found and installed the bearing-type instead.

Roll the dice. Plenty of folks that are happy with either type.

Ya think chebby and poncho bearings are different? Jegs lost some credibility with me - now I have to send the darn things back.

I appreciate the input, guys. Thanks. I would have been cussing with my car torn apart realizing I have the wrong part.