New Wheel Bearing Question

[bmwman91]

I replaced all four wheel bearings as part of my suspension & drivetrain overhaul. In doing so, I have noticed something odd, which is hopefully not a big deal.

In the front, once I got the axle nut torqued down, one side spins a little more easily than the other. Both spin smoothly and without any noises, but one is definitely a little stiffer than the other. The torque spec is 210 ft-lbs, and I may have applied up to ~240 ft-lbs since I don't have a torque wrench that goes that high (so I weighed myself and stepped on a breaker bar at the right distance). Is there a wear-in period or anything for the bearings?

The rear is sort of a similar story. The trailing arms are off of the car, with nice new wheel bearings all pressed in. There are no half-shafts installed yet or anything. Again, one spins a little more easily than the other. There are no noises and things spin smoothly.

So, did I mess something up in the front, and/or did the shop press something wrong in the rear? Has anyone else observed this?

[AndrewBird]

All of the torque is applied to the inner race one, so having too much/little torque won't affect how it spins. It's likely just the amount of grease or the type of grease or even the finished dimensions of the bearing components in the bearing. Unless one is significantly harder to turn, I wouldn't worry about it.

[bmwman91]

Thanks. That makes sense. Subjectively, the stiff ones feel like they take 2x the torque to spin than their twins, but they still spin quietly and smoothly by hand.