Water pump bearings do not have an inner ring but instead hace racewaysdirectly machined into the shaft. There is more space available for the rolling elements, giving a higher load carrying capacity than in solutions with conventional single bearings. In water pump bearings, rows of balls and rollers can be economically combined with each other. This gives a broad range of load carrying capacity values.

In water pump bearings, the ends of the shaft normally extend beyond the outer ring on both sides. The length and diameter of these extended sections can be matched to the specific application. The ready-to-fit bearing unit is predominantly used in coolant pumps for road vehicles.