[samb0rg]

I've got some auto hubs on my vitara at the moment, and I've got the opportunity to swap to manual...

Just wondering what people think the pro's and con's are for each?

[alien]

manual are more reliable, auto are more convenient - however you need to get out to air down anyway, so its not as convenient as it appears to have autos.

[Fatzook]

alien wrote:

manual are more reliable, auto are more convenient - however you need to get out to air down anyway, so its not as convenient as it appears to have autos.

Never had an issue with autos before. And manuals still break springs etc, so I wouldn't say they are more reliable.

You DO get 2wd low with manuals though.....

[alien]

good point on 2wd low... i tried a hill last weekend in 2wd low (unlocked hubs manually) - got half way up and the rear started sliding and put me on a bad angle where i needed 4wd and i had to ask a bystander to lock my hubs for me, so i had semi-automatic hubs in that instance =) lol

[monley]

My auto hubs have not let me down yet....they go through ALOT of mud and water...just service them every now and then and you shouldn't have a issue

[mike.knew]

Do auto locking hubs work properly in reverse? I didn't think they did so plz correct if I am wrong

[atari4x4]

i found they were terrible in the type of sand driving i do... they would lock & unlock rolling a track.

[mike.knew]

I thought I could hear 'em unlocking too when I rolled back occasionally, like on a hill. Another plus is you don't look like a goose reversing back a meter to unlock the hubs.

[atari4x4]

at the top of this dune, the auto hubs would have been locking & unlocking in that distance that i was rolling & it's a pain in the arse as the don't always lock instantly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCKXFC8q ... age#t=579s

[Fatzook]

Well I can only comment on mine, but They work very well in reverse LOW. I use it almost every day to get down and up my dirt driveway ( 27 degree slope)

Same with sand. Never had an issue with unlocking, although I have never done any sand hill/ dune driving though.

[atari4x4]

drewmouli wrote:

atari4x4 wrote:

at the top of this dune, the auto hubs would have been locking & unlocking in that distance that i was rolling & it's a pain in the arse as the don't always lock instantly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCKXFC8q ... age#t=579s

Mine Lock first time every time, stay in and never come out. I also dont have to reverse a meter to get them out also you can use them as skid recovery up to 100kmph when the back end starts overtaking the front

the vacuum hubs on the jimny are completely different to automatic free wheeling hubs.

[samb0rg]

Well it looks like I'm down to convenience of not having to get out of the car in the dark/rain/mud/heat to lock the hubs in versus the reliability, definitely having them locked until you personally unlock them, 2wd low and etc.

Not sure which way to go. The swap isn't costing me anything as I have a wreck with manuals

[atari4x4]

manuals hands down, i lock my hubs in when i air down... it never felt like real 4wding having auto hubs & not getting out to lock them in.

[SierraDan]

atari4x4 wrote:

manuals hands down, i lock my hubs in when i air down... it never felt like real 4wding having auto hubs & not getting out to lock them in.

i lock them when i air down too.
I had auto hubs on my old pajero and it got annoying when you went to reverse and unlock them and your mate is right behind you.
manual x2

[dave91]

If you can hear them 'snap' in sometimes, I'm guessing that means that they are due for a service??

[krat]

Doing a search on auto hubs and auto gearbox and found this thread.
I do a lot of beach driving and usually use a hilux turbo diesel with manual gearbox. Over the years, I have found that 3rd gear low range gets me to where I want to go.
My next trip is with my new toy, a stock standard 95/96 vitara with auto hubs and auto gearbox.
My question now is what gear (D,2, or L) and what transfer case ratio (H or L ) do I use to get the best results. Most of my driving is around Robe, Beachport S.A. where the sand can be pretty soft and deep.

Thanks,
Kev.

[atari4x4]

for Beachport/Robe i'd use Low Range & jam it in "D" for Dunes, let the auto do the work...

it will change down/up when it wants to. the bonus with the auto there is no real loss of drive/momentum when it changes gear unlike when clutching in & changing with a manual gearbox

some of the hard pack inland sections you could got back to Hi Range, but realistically i'll spend all weekend in Lo Range when we're down there as it takes a fair amount of load off the drivetrain.

[MacDaddy]

While Auto Hubs are very handy, you can just shift the transfer into 4wd, and go... i prefer manual hubs, it saves wear on the front drive assembly when not in 4wd, and makes steering easier, and not so heavy...

I had autos on my GV, that was until i wore a diff drive shaft seal out and it dropped all the oil, now have manual hubs, no more moving parts till in 4wd, it only takes 10secs to lock the hubs in when airing down...

[krat]

Thanks guys,

"D" for Dunes it is.
I will give the auto hubs a try and if they cause any grief, I will swap them over for manual hubs. My previous 97 Hilux had the manual hubs and the locking and unlocking was easy to live with.

Kev.

[Derzky]

Most auto hubs need a small amount of rotation to engage ie push the button while stationary and they will not engage, but roll forward and they will lock in.

This is not a problem whilst driving forward but when you reverse they will go through an "unlock" stage before re-locking, leaving you temperarily in 2wd.

If you ever try to rock a car with auto hubs back and forth to get out of a hole you may find that you end up trying to do it in 2wd as the hubs will not have time to engage between the forward and reverse motion. I know that a winch etc can help here.

Not a big help when you get hung up on something and need to reverse back off and end up in 2wd. More winching, snatch work.

When you turn manual hubs to lock, they are, until you unlock them.

I have had both autos and manuals and I think it all depends on the driving you are planing on doing, if you only want to picnic on the beach or need a bit more traction on some crappy dirt road (plenty of them up here) then go the autos for the convienience of not having to get out and shooting off the black top at 80k's and hitting the dirt with your diffs locked but if you want to know that they are always engaged then I would only use a manual hub.