Can i leave my hubs locked????

[pietro_vs_zook]

hey guys i going away this week end and i am doing some off road tracks...
can i leave my hubs locked all the time while driving on the tarmak..also around CBD???... the reason i ask is if i see something that interests me, such as ROCKs etc on the side of the road can i just put into 4x4 and away i go???..... i have a 90 model vitara.,......


thanks in advance fellazzzzzzz....

[mysterioussasvit]

only if you want to use more petrol and thats kinda not cheap any more even if you do drive a zook

[grimbo]

yes you can leave your hubs locked but make sure it is in 2wd, don't put it into 4wd on a sealed road or for that matter a very well packed dirt road. As mentioned it will increase fuel usage slightly and wear and tear as all the components are moving

[pietro_vs_zook]

so with my hubs locked and in 2wd on raod there is no problem.....?

[lay80n]

so with my hubs locked and in 2wd on raod there is no problem.....?

Not a problem at all, as long as its in 2wd there is no drive going to the front anyway, and the front and rear driveshafts are not locked together so no chance of driveline windup. You will notice a bit extra noise possible, any your wear and tear and fuel consup. might go up, but mechanically its fine. Though if you have an auto locker in the front diff (ez locker, lockright, detroit etc) dont do this, as they will have spastic).

Layto....

[pietro_vs_zook]

thanks buddy i dont have the front locked altho rear has a mini spool......




thanks for your help fellazz

[Vineboy]

From what I heard everyone should lock their hubs every once and a while to get the oil and grease moving to keep the diff etc lubricated. I lock mine in every couple of weeks for a day or two. Esp' in a drought!

[alien]

i lost around 20-50km to a tank leaving the hubs locked on mine... although there was the added convenience of not having to lock the hubs when i randomly found something good to drive on...

[HotAe92]

From what I heard everyone should lock their hubs every once and a while to get the oil and grease moving to keep the diff etc lubricated. I lock mine in every couple of weeks for a day or two. Esp' in a drought!

Everyone should engage 4L at least once a day! Keeps the 4x4 bug away.

*hides in corner

[bushpig59]

I had this problem a few weeks ago...went for a night drive...sorry my missus was driving...I was drinking...And then after getting home I looked at the hubs and noticed we drove with them locked in.....
And I'm still a novice in 4x4 so I kinda was in a slight panic thinking that I may have damaged the front lockers.
And Yes we drove in 2WD on the tar.................
I am curious though ,the petrol consumption goes up why is this so???
Cheers
John

[nickw86au]

I am curious though ,the petrol consumption goes up why is this so???
Cheers
John

Locking the hubs connects the wheels to the front half of the driveline - the cv's, Front diff, front driveshaft... It is only when you put the transfer case into 4H or 4L that the drive from the engine goes through to these components and then turns the front wheels as well as the back. Putting the transfer into 2H dissconnects the front half of the driveline from the engine side, however as you drive along, the front wheels are still connected (via the hubs) and so there is increased friction - the wheels turn the front half of the driveline, which means that the engine has to work harder to keep the car moving, resulting in a slight increase in fuel consumption.

As mentioned previously however, it is good to connect the hubs and drive around for a while to keep the front half of the driveline lubricated.

Hope that helps, anyone else feel free to add something if my explanation could be improved

Cheers

Nick

[Vineboy]

Kind of related to this topic is the fact that cars can have two horsepower figures. Flywheel and at the wheels. It can be as high as 30% power loss from the back of the engine to the wheels where you need it, maybe drawing a long bow you need more revs from the engine with hubs locked to get the same power to overcome the extra friction loss. 4WDs lose out extra because they (we) have two gearboxes.