Super tuning baitcasters

[VMAXX]

Found an interesting article on baitcaster tuning aimed at Curados,check it out if interested.

http://super-tuning.home.mindspring.com/index%20page.html

[woodsac]

I know a couple of guys that know that guy

They all swear by his 'supertuning' technique! They say they will outcast the Scorpion hands down. I threw a friends Curado and it casted way better then my Curado with Abec 7's in it. :!:

I haven't taken the time to do it yet, but I'm going to do it to one of my Curado's.

[Delw]

Be careful buying so called abec 7 bearings, there is really no abec 7 bearings for the bearings in those reels, even the so called abec 5s are not really abec 5s.

What they are , are generic bearings that are made similar to abec 7 and 5. they are not really tested or even the same specs.

The bearings that people do sell and claim to be abec 7s and abec 5s are in most cases better than what you have in your curado.

Theres a switzerland company that makes and abec 7( a true abec 7 for the size you need for a shimano and that bearing alone(just for one) caost $85 plus shipping

I did alot of research on this issue trying to buy abec 7s and abec 5s in quanity and learned a great deal.

Also when you add these new bearings then drop a few drops of regualr reel oil in them you might as well not bought the bearings. make sure you use hotsauce(at a bare min.) and try to get rocket fuel if you can get it.

You can buy the next upgrade bearing from shimano which they clasify as a abec 3-4 direct from them. and your curados will cast and be alot more smoother than they were.

there is also alot more than just adding bearings. its best to just send the reels back to shimano and let them rebuild the reel and have them add the next step bearing while they are at it. its faster and easier than doing it yourself plus it only cost about $20 including shipping. They also put in all new parts when and where needed and in some cases will just give you a new reel instead.

I got 8 years + on my curados I have over 10 of them and the only 2 I have had problems with are ones that I have cleaned. I never grease them take them apart or anything. they get used quite heavily and sit in my rod lockers 24-7 or out on the deck in the rain 24-7 while fishing.

I did find one thing that did help the 2 curados I cleaned, and that was to take all the bearings and clean them very good with keroseen.( keroseen is a good lubricant also) if I would have dropped some rocket fuel in them once a year at least they would be working perfectly today. but I have never oiled them for 4+ years.

Anyway those 2 that I did clean the bearings in outcasted my others by a long shot until they ran dry of greese/oil

if you want to try a reel that will smoke a curado or even a super free curado get a $69 bass pro shops rick clunn reel, they are twice as good as a curado and will cast 50% more and pitch and easy 50% more than a curado. I got a few of those also and I am very impressed.

Delw

Delw

[woodsac]

Thanks for the info Del.

I do brake down my Curado's. Usually 2 times a year. I thoroughly soak all the bearings in lighter fluid. I don't use grease anywhere in the reel. All of my bearings receive 1 drop of Yellow Rocket Fuel or Quantam Hot Sauce. I don't own Rocket Fuel so they usually get Hot Sauce.

I have a Cardiff in for repair right now from the same place I got the ABEC 7's from. I'll let you know how it compares when I get it back.

I can honestly say, with the bearing upgrades that I put in my Curado's, I probably received a 20% increase in overall performance.

[Skeeter]

I have emptied my spool on my Scorpions throwing a DBIII. That is over 80 yrds. I did not have to heave the bait when I did it. I have been throwing baitcasters of all brands for over 18 yrs. Nothing that I have used in the past compares to my Scorpions. They are effortless. Personally, I will never need more for bass fishing than the Scorpion delivers. But my opinion is just my own personal one. Many people have bought Scorpion 1000s and then turned around and sold them saying that they were not what they expected. I believe they sold them because they were too hot for them. High performance reels take practice to throw them well consistantly. It took me weeks to really get it down. If I don't throw them for awhile then I have my troubles when I first get back into them. The reel is high maintenance if you keep up with it correctly. This is the only way that maximum performance can be consistant with these reels. I will check out this guys site and get back to you guys.

Skeeter

[VMAXX]

Ok unless im confused and usually am Del, ABEC (Annular Bearing Engineering Committee) is not a brand but a rating system designed by manufactuers to rate the tolerances of bearings

1-7 with 7 being the tightest tolerances, what Im getting at is any bearing manufactuer can produce a abec 1-7 assuming he is within tolerance,Im just trying to understand what you meant by their not real abec's ? Also has anybody tried the ceramic bearings ?

[VMAXX]

Sorry Del I reread your post and understand what you meant

[Skeeter]

Well I read the whole thing tonight. He has good points about the corosion and dirt build up. He is basically cleaning and polishing everything up. This usually improves anything that is mechanical. He said to sand the shims until they look even. Yeah, right, I am sure we can do that. By messing with anything on the spool or spool shaft is asking for trouble. I promise that the spool in my Scorpion is worth more than 28 bucks. You will never be assured of your tollerances. Polishing the inside of the pinion really requires a light hand.

If you have an old or misused real then I would try to super tune the reel. But if you keep up with the maintenance on your equipment then you should never need this type of work done. The one thing that I think he did wrong was to soak the bearings in Kerosene. Kerosene leaves a heavy residue. He then soaked them again in something else to clean of the residue. Soaking in lighter fluid or naptha will clean off the lubrication the first time. Also, not every reel will throw a heavy bait a long way. My serviced Lews, Abu, and Quantum reels can't begin to compete with my 1000s.

Skeeter

[Delw]

Vmaxx.

No problem. I dont type very clearly anyhow LOL

I have some friends that tried the ceramic bearings and they say they are about the same as the good ones that shimano puts in them as an upgrade

I couldnt tell you for sure.

Delw

[IslandBass]

Skeeter,

What brand of lighter fluid do you use to soak your bearings or does it matter? Thanks!

--Alex aka IslandBass

[Skeeter]

It doesn't matter. Just make sure that the bearings are completely dry before you lube them. If fluid is left behind then the oil will not adhere to the bearings.

Skeeter

[woodsac]

Alex, Skeeter is right the brand doesn't matter. What you're looking for is naptha. I use regular old Zippo lighter fluid. It's usually the easiest to find. Wal-Mart usually has it.

Let your bearing soak in the fluid for about 30 minutes. Take them out and let air dry for a minimum of 15 minutes. Lightly tap both sides face down on a papertowel to make sure there is no fluid left inside. Then, place each bearing on the tip of a regular old lead pencil. Spin the bearing with your fingers and make sure it spins freely.

When you reapply the oil, carefully apply only 1 drop of oil where the outer race meets the shield.

Check out this tutorial.

http://www.heartlandtackleservice.com/curadobrgservice.htm

[IslandBass]

Woodsac,

Thanks! I guess I'll be stopping by the local Walmart on the way home to get some. I also apprectiate your tips!

--Alex

[Delw]

One thing about lighter fluid and keroseen

You MUST add a drop every 2-3 months if you dont you will destroy your bearings, it doesnt last as long as the rocket fuel or good reel oil

Ive done this on a few curados

Delw

[woodsac]

Sorry Del, I'm confused on what you're saying

I only use the lighter fluid to flush out the bearings, then I add a drop of Rocket Fuel or Hot Sauce. Now I add the oil every couple of months if that's what you mean.

But, I figure if I have to open up the reel to put oil in it, I might as well clean it

[Skeeter]

I worry about this one drop of oil stuff. I have read it all like some of you in this post have. If you don't use a reel that much then a drop every 6 to 8 weeks is ok. But if you throw a particular reel most of the time like the one I use on my crankbait rod, then I like to put about 2 drops on each bearing every 4 trips. It is not uncommon for me to throw that reel 8hrs. a day. There are different grades of rocket fuel. But the bottom line is that it is very light oil. It is a thin viscosity. That is the reason for oiling more often. I do use Hot Sauce grease. I am impressed with it. I would not hesitate to use the oil. But for now I use the manufacturers oil. Shimano and ABU make some excellent oil.

Skeeter

[VMAXX]

Ok I did the "super tuning " on one of my Curado's and it did in my opinion make a substantial difference on casting, I had no problems using the directions given no noise or chatter coming from the reel but the only test ive got so far is outside for about half an hour so until spring when I can get some "real world testing" I'll hold off on the rest. Skeeter most people who I've talked about rocket fuel with recommend 2 drops on factory bearings compared to the one drop for abec 7 type bearings, this is for the yellow rf the red rf is for people who use their reels in distance contest , however I fished the full season last year using it only applying 1 drop every 3 months on my reels (factory) and never had a problem, over lubrication just slows your bearing down

[Skeeter]

VMAXX,

I am glad that the tuning went well. If it works well in the yard then it should work well on the water. I understand about the grades of RF. I guess that since I paid the money that I did for my reels that I am going to make sure that everything is well lubricated. Since I have to go to Japan for parts, I don't want to take chances. I have found that 1 drop of Shimano factory oil does last longer than I thought it would. I checked one of my reels the other night and the oil was still there in good form. I used this reel on three trips before I put it up in December. Every thing still looked good. Even with 2 drops of oil my Scorpions perform better than anything else that I have ever owned. But you are probably right that 1 drop would be enough.

Skeeter