Premature failure of polymeric self-lubricating bearings is a limiting factor in the sustainable and continued operation of hydropower plants. In this work, the tribological performance of two novel polymer composites was studied with respect to commercially available materials. The materials were evaluated under dry and lubricated conditions, using water and an environmentally adaptive lubricant (EAL). The two tested commercial materials yielded a low dry sliding friction and wear. Under water lubricated conditions, the in-house developed polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) based composite provided an exceptionally low friction and a wear rate of a factor of 3 lower than the best performing commercial material. Using the EAL wear was reduced for most materials by up to 85%.