Manual Hub Locks - real difference?

littlefish · Jul 5th, 2006, 09:19 PM

1990 Pathy, manual, 265/75/16 tires, stock motor, LSD 4.625 in diffs. What is the REAL difference between Warn, Warn Premium, SuperWinch, Mile Marker, and Street Master hubs? I have used the factory autolocks for 3 years now with no real problem. However front axle does not engage when going down hill and you can hear it switch when going from 1st and reverse, even after normal grease is applied as per the maintence manual. I would expect this clicking to be normal in the direction switch. Any recommendations since I run Black Bear Pass, Engineer Pass, and 4X roads in the Sawtooth range, and southeast Oklahoma logging roads ? I keep slip/spin to a minumum when possible and go slow to keep from tearing up the truck and make the ride nicer. Is the Warn Premium worth the extra spend or is it good marketing?

**Asleep** · Jul 5th, 2006, 09:21 PM

hubs are made to be your breaking point. you dont want the system so bullet proof that your drivetrain dies first. your u-joints and hubs are usually what go first with hopefully the hubs going first. the differences are usually build quality and whether you want 1/4 turn, 1/2 or full turn hubs. im going with milemarker on my truck. warn makes a good set though and are usually pretty affordable.

**88pathoffroad** · Jul 5th, 2006, 11:14 PM

Um, no. Not in this case.

That line of reasoning comes from a long line of solid front axle V8 trucks with enough power to break front end driveline parts in stock form. Making the hubs the weak point is a good idea for those kind of trucks because the front drivetrain parts are generally expensive, heavy and can be broken in so many different interesting ways!

Warn actually makes a kit called "Hub Fuses" that will break intentionally under a preset amount of torque to prevent that kind of carnage. If hubs were really made to break so easily, you'd have to spend $135 on a set of hubs just to break them on the trail and have to get new ones.

The only u-joints on a Pathfinder are on the driveshafts(not the axles). Sure, you can break a CV axle from spinning the tires and suddenly gaining traction, but you can do that with stock hubs just as easily and it's on the verge of abuse anyway. It's not that common of a problem, usually. The steering setup is the main problem.

The main reason people upgrade to the manual locking hubs is that the stock auto-locking hubs suck and tend to fail with little to no notice. They require backing up or rolling forward to unlock and re-lock, which also makes them prone to sudden torque take-up due to the wheelspin that is needed to relock the hub after it unlocks(ie, when attempting to rock yourself forward-reverse from a stuck situation). With manual hubs, your front end will stay locked regardless of rocking or wheelspin and they're stronger than stock hubs. The only detracting factor is simply that you have to manually lock them when you want to use 4WD.

Warn Premium hubs are the best and strongest. I'm not sure how the regular Warn hubs would compare(not even sure they still offer them, actually), I've never heard of anyone using them on a Pathfinder. Milemarkers and Superwinch hubs break(often), and I've never heard of Street Master.

**Asleep** · Jul 5th, 2006, 11:40 PM

so let me ask you something... would you rather fix a broken hub or a broken cv joint? i know which one id rather fix. it doesnt take gobs of torque to break a hub, cv joint, or steering part anyways. it only takes that one situation that your drivetrain isnt ready to deal with. true, auto hubs are weak and cause many problems but thats only part of the reason - not the main reason. i used to deal with ifs and auto locking hubs on my s15. i went straight axle and did away with that problem. i still dont want to be under my truck fixing a u-joint though because my hub was too strong. we can actually argue this point till we are both blue in the face - you know it and i know it. there are several different camps when it comes to hubs and we just happen to be sitting in different ones.

**88pathoffroad** · Jul 13th, 2006, 09:59 PM

Just saying...I've wheeled mine for years and haven't broken EITHER part with Warn manual hubs. I've had CV's eat the cage up internally, but that's from overextension, not general breakage. If someone wants to install shitty manual hubs just so they break sometime and require replacement on the trail, hey, that's their bag. Personally I don't think it'll happen unless you're running 33x15.50's or 35's, so the point is moot.

Don't S-series Chevys just have drive flanges and a diff lock? My brother's '85 S10 Blazer does...

**Asleep** · Jul 13th, 2006, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 88pathoffroad

Just saying...I've wheeled mine for years and haven't broken EITHER part with Warn manual hubs. I've had CV's eat the cage up internally, but that's from overextension, not general breakage. If someone wants to install shitty manual hubs just so they break sometime and require replacement on the trail, hey, that's their bag. Personally I don't think it'll happen unless you're running 33x15.50's or 35's, so the point is moot.

Don't S-series Chevys just have drive flanges and a diff lock? My brother's '85 S10 Blazer does...

its got that shitty vacuum actuator. i broke the ifs badly when i overextended one day and pulled the cv out of the diff. so i decided to install a dana44 from a 74 bronco i bartered for.

dvdswanson · Jul 14th, 2006, 08:51 AM

any part on the d-line can break at anytime. there really isnt a weak point. I had an 86 720 KC and had the LF tire in the wheelwell (not knowing it, of course) gave some gas to get out and blew the spiders in the diff, not the hub. you just have to wheel smart not balls out unless you've got gobs of money and trying to win a race.