Locking hubs why

An often overlooked draw back is that hubs stick out and can get damaged when off-road. Hub components are usually cast aluminum that break easily. A broken hub could leave you stranded in the back country.

So, what should you do? I would recommend that you leave your locking hubs disconnected when there is no need for 4WD in sight. You'll achieve a quieter ride on pavement with less vibrations with hubs unlocked. Lock them as needed for 4WD operation doesn't matter whether you lock them before you shift into 4WD or right after and unlock them when going back to 2WD again, doesn't matter whether you unlock them before shifting out of 4WD or right after.

Leaving them locked while in 2WD will have no negative effects. Fuel economy may improve as much as one mile per gallon, depending on the vehicle, by disconnecting the front wheels. A one mpg difference may not sound like much, but every little bit helps. The automatic locking hub does it automatically on the fly. The locking mechanism inside an automatic locking hub is sort of like a one-way clutch. When torque is applied by the driveshaft, it forces the hub to slide in and lock. The hub then remains in the locked position as long as the transfer case remains in four-wheel drive.

When the driver shifts to two-wheel drive, the clutch mechanism inside the hub slides back out and releases the hub, allowing the wheel to turn independent of its axle shaft. There are a number of automatic locking hub designs, and not all are capable of engaging while the vehicle is in motion. Some of the older types require the vehicle to stop and back up a short distance to engage the locking mechanism. There are also aftermarket hub conversions for changing manual locking hubs to automatic hubs, or replacing troublesome OEM automatic locking hubs with heavy-duty manual locking hubs to improve traction and durability for serious off-road use.

On some applications, only one side unlocks when in the 2WD mode. With this setup, the hub on the opposite side remains locked and the axle continues to turn with the wheel. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search.

Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Blog Can you leave hubs locked in all the time? Ben Davis April 24, Can you leave hubs locked in all the time? How do I know if my locking hubs are bad? Is it OK to drive with hubs locked?

Should my hubs be locked or free? What is the benefit of locking hubs? Should my hubs be in auto or lock? How do you lock and unlock a 4X4 Hub? What is the difference between automatic and manual locking hubs? They will spin freely together, ready for you to engage the 4x4 which will send drive power to them via a differential from the transfer case. Modern vehicles have automatic locking hubs that require little to no manual operation from the user.

However, some of these newer vehicles still allow for manual operation as a backup in case the automatic locking hubs fail. Older 4WD vehicles had manual locking hubs and were referred to as "part-time" 4x4 because the half axles moved freely of each other like a 2WD car. On these models you had to exit your vehicle to turn a dial on the hub of each front wheel from "free" to "lock" and then get back in and set your transmission into the "neutral" position before engaging 4x4.

It is not uncommon to "lock in" the hubs during winter snowfall and drive around until you need to put the vehicle into 4x4 mode. Some models were made as "full-time" 4x4.