Manual Hubs and Fuel Economy

[39Ronin]

I think Jfarsang ran manual hubs on his Pajero so maybe he can chime in. I was wondering the how much better fuel economy you get from the manual hubs. If the hubs are $200 would it take me 10 years to make that back?

[jessef]

The manual superwinch hubs don't affect the mileage. Not as far as I could tell. Maybe by a .0001%.

Pro's =

Only thing that rotates is the hub and not the entire CV/axle (extending life)
Turn it on. It's on.
Turn it off. It's off. No moving back or forward to engage/disengage.
Fewer parts/stronger than the auto hub/flange.
Hubs turned off x 4Low = 4Low with only rear wheel drive = no binding (tight full wheel lock turns are easy)

Con's =

Price. $100
You have to get out of your vehicle to engage them.

Jesse

[hasid33]

Hi, I have the '92 4-door Pajero, when I jack up the front end in 2wd and spin a front wheel, the other one spins in the opposite direction, I'm pretty sure my hubs are permanently engaged... Wouldn't this be the strongest possible option (at the sacrifice of longevity)? Or are the manual locks better for chewing hard... Also have you heard of limited slip front diffs for the Pajero? Silly idea? I finally found a hole too deep to drive out of and thought it would've made a DIFFerence.
Thanks

[zissou]

When I had the front end of my van jacked up the other day to change the oil I spun the wheel in the air and noticed that the front axles did not turn.

I take that to mean that when the autohubs are dissengaged that the axles do not spin... so no extra wear on the system. How are the manual hubs different in this regard? Am I missing something?

Steve

[bae146]

Hi, I have the '92 4-door Pajero, when I jack up the front end in 2wd and spin a front wheel, the other one spins in the opposite direction, I'm pretty sure my hubs are permanently engaged... Wouldn't this be the strongest possible option (at the sacrifice of longevity)? Or are the manual locks better for chewing hard... Also have you heard of limited slip front diffs for the Pajero? Silly idea? I finally found a hole too deep to drive out of and thought it would've made a DIFFerence.
Thanks

The front ends of Pajero's 1991 and up do not have hubs, they have a drive flange. This is stronger than any hub. If you were to tweek the front suspension for additional lift and wanted to prolong the life of your cv shafts then I think it is a good idea. I may get a set for mine and I have altered my pajero for more height.