[JThiessen]

From an engineering design standpoint, ceramics usually only come into play when heat and the resulting thermal expansion are an issue, or if you are on the cutting edge with weight or rolling resistance. IMHO, the bearings in RC's are not subject to high enough heat levels to succumb to heat issues. Most of our failures are due to outside elements (dirt and rust) being introduced inside the bearing. That being said, if you look at one of Ryu's first posts, he spoke of a rating on the bearings. In all likelyhood, most ceramic bearings are made to a higher standard than your standard Traxxas rubber "sealed" bearings due to manufacturing costs (ceramic being more expensive to machine). If you can find steel bearings made to the same spec level, and at significantly lower price you'll be just fine. Those "standard" kits that Bocca sells are an excellent bearing that will likely outlast the RC flavor of the month!