warn hubs, best investment ever

[fleurys]

Okay...call me new. Cause I am. But what are the "warns" used for? Doesn't 4wd vehicles already have lockers installed or am I still thinking like its 1989?

As a kid we had a mits Montero that had the lockers from the factory. I just assumed that technology caught up and now external lockers weren't necessary. Im pretty new to pathfinders, so Im sure I sound like a moron, but someone please explain the pros and cons.

 

You seem to be mixing hubs and lockers.... they are different animals all together....

 

Let's start with the lockers....

 

Any 4x4 is actually really a 2x4... It usually means that only 1 wheel in front and 1 wheel in rear will get power from the transmission/transfer case. The 4x4 refers to the fact that it can be either 1 of the 2 front wheel or either 1 of the 2 rear wheels... This is why when you get a wheel off the ground, it is usually this one that will turn and not send power to the other on the ground. This is the general explanation... There is variants like lsd (limited slip diff and smart systems like in the h1...but you get the picture...)

 

A locker is installed in the differential itself. It is a system (either electrically, manually or air pressure activated) that will force both side (both wheels) to turn together. So the power is sent to both wheels no matter if they are off the ground or not. So if you install 2 lockers (front and rear) you get a real 4x4 per se.

 

 

 

Hubs now...

 

on our pathfinders (96-2004), the front wheels are directly connected to the the front diff using a flange on the axle. This means, that even if you are in 2wd, your whole front powertrain (cv axles, ring gear in diff, front driveshaft) is turning. There is just no power being sent to it, but it is turning. This gives you the ability to shift on the fly in 4wd because everything is turning at the same speed. The connection only has to be made in the transfer case. Now since everything in front is turning and it is not coming from the transfer case, you understand that it is coming from the wheels themselves. If the front wheel turns, then your front powertrain is also turning.

 

 

This is where the hubs come handy. They enable you to dis-engage the frontwheels from the powertrain. This means when your hubs are unlocked, your axles, ring gear and front driveshaft are not turning. Therefore this greatly helps in prolonging the life of all these items. It also help on gas since the drag of the front powertrain is eliminated.

 

If you use your pathfinder like the majority of us (daily driver and occasional trails), then you would simply unlock during normal day to day drives and lock when you know you might need the 4x4 (like in offroad or winter time (for us canuck !)..

 

It is simply a cheap and great way to prolong the life of major components and save on gas, while maintaining the ability to shift to 4x4 in a matter of 1 minute.

 

Hopefully you understand better now what the difference is between the 2.

 

Cheers.

 

 

https://youtu.be/8M_Vzn7Ugs4 (lockers)

 

https://youtu.be/Vxy4n2bzcvo (hubs)

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2015 by fleurys

[wickedss85]

 

You seem to be mixing hubs and lockers.... they are different animals all together....

 

Let's start with the lockers....

 

Any 4x4 is actually really a 2x4... It usually means that only 1 wheel in front and 1 wheel in rear will get power from the transmission/transfer case. The 4x4 refers to the fact that it can be either 1 of the 2 front wheel or either 1 of the 2 rear wheels... This is why when you get a wheel off the ground, it is usually this one that will turn and not send power to the other on the ground. This is the general explanation... There is variants like lsd (limited slip diff and smart systems like in the h1...but you get the picture...)

 

A locker is installed in the differential itself. It is a system (either electrically, manually or air pressure activated) that will force both side (both wheels) to turn together. So the power is sent to both wheels no matter if they are off the ground or not. So if you install 2 lockers (front and rear) you get a real 4x4 per se.

 

 

 

Hubs now...

 

on our pathfinders (96-2004), the front wheels are directly connected to the the front diff using a flange on the axle. This means, that even if you are in 2wd, your whole front powertrain (cv axles, ring gear in diff, front driveshaft) is turning. There is just no power being sent to it, but it is turning. This gives you the ability to shift on the fly in 4wd because everything is turning at the same speed. The connection only has to be made in the transfer case. Now since everything in front is turning and it is not coming from the transfer case, you understand that it is coming from the wheels themselves. If the front wheel turns, then your front powertrain is also turning.

 

 

This is where the hubs come handy. They enable you to dis-engage the frontwheels from the powertrain. This means when your hubs are unlocked, your axles, ring gear and front driveshaft are not turning. Therefore this greatly helps in prolonging the life of all these items. It also help on gas since the drag of the front powertrain is eliminated.

 

If you use your pathfinder like the majority of us (daily driver and occasional trails), then you would simply unlock during normal day to day drives and lock when you know you might need the 4x4 (like in offroad or winter time (for us canuck !)..

 

It is simply a cheap and great way to prolong the life of major components and save on gas, while maintaining the ability to shift to 4x4 in a matter of 1 minute.

 

Hopefully you understand better now what the difference is between the 2.

 

Cheers.

 

 

https://youtu.be/8M_Vzn7Ugs4 (lockers)

 

https://youtu.be/Vxy4n2bzcvo (hubs)

 

 

 

 

 

Very well explained !

[Slartibartfast]

I went with the MileMarkers on my rig a year or so ago. I haven't thrashed them over logs and boulders but they've been great in the snow. My only complaint is that the chrome is peeling a bit off the rings around the dials.

[kane]

Thank you Fleurys. Well explained. I feel like a total newbie, but in one well explained post, I now feel like a better educated newbie.

I'm going to be commuting 100 miles a day in my pithy, so i'll be looking into some hubs to prolong the life of the front drive components.

Thanks again.