Modeling of the dynamic performance of a high-speed ball bearing is carried out as a function of the visco-elastic behavior of the lubricant. For a given bearing geometry and a set of operating conditions, the cage motion becomes relatively unstable as the lubricant shear modulus and critical shear stress values are varied to introduce increased elastic effects and lower traction coefficients. A potential for correlation of bearing instabilities to fundamental properties of the lubricant is thereby demonstrated.Presented at the 46th Annual Meeting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 29–May 2, 1991