Bearings are essential components of a gear mechanism, playing a critical role in enabling the operation of shafts and various moving elements by eliminating friction between them and ensuring smooth motion. The optimization of these components involves a detailed understanding of their mechanical behavior, and recent studies have revealed that bearings considered functional and within the permissible limits of axial and radial play can exhibit abnormal acoustic behavior during operation. This observation highlights the need for a more complex analysis than the conventional approach, which focuses separately on axial and radial play. The paper proposes the introduction of an extended analytical concept based on the notion of “running clearance,” which combines axial and radial play into a unified model. This approach facilitates a more precise evaluation of the impact of total clearance on bearing performance by accounting for the combined effects of both types of play. The analysis of running clearance holds significant implications for mechanical engineering, offering a fresh perspective for diagnosing acoustic and structural issues in bearings. Through such a methodology, latent defects or abnormal behaviors that are undetectable through conventional inspection methods can be identified. From a technical standpoint, the proposed approach involves the use of advanced measurement and modeling techniques, along with complex experimental analyses, to correlate clearance variations with the acoustic and dynamic behavior of bearings. Academically, this work opens new research perspectives in the optimized design of bearings and the reduction of noise and vibrations in mechanical systems. The concept of running clearance represents a valuable contribution to the understanding and optimization of bearing performance, with extensive practical applications in both industry and research.