Do free wheeling hubs save fuel? (1 Viewer)

[CurtB]

Andrew St. Pierre White, in a recent video , says that the premise of free wheeling hubs is false. They neither save fuel nor reduce wear. Does anyone have any real-world data to support or refute? I know they reduce noise in my 30-year old FJ60, but I've never measured the difference in fuel economy and I don't know how you'd measure the wear & tear piece...

I usually agree with ASW, but I think he gets out over his skis on occasion... what do you think?

 

[Code Red]

I enjoy his videos, but he "gets out over his skis" a lot in my opinion.

Fuel consumption differences may be small, but saying that they don't reduce wear sounds like the words of someone who hasn't done a knuckle rebuild or replaced that inner seal lately. I am buying parts for mine now, and regretting a long trip where I forgot to unlock the driver's side hub.

I don't notice it as much on the Landcruiser, but I know that on my old CJ5, you can actually feel a difference in the way it drives and steers on the road. I figure anything you can feel in the seat of your pants while driving would have to be significant enough to increase wear over time. Lord knows that it if makes a difference on a nice, simple, open-to-the air, u-joint, then it has to make a difference to that practical joke from hell called a birfield.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Nice to be sponsored? Look at a set of birfields from a full time 80 compared to part time 60 and it’s pretty obvious. Heavy wear fairly evident on the full time set. The comment about grease and maintenance and they should be engaged regularly makes sense and isn’t an issue with regular use.
As far as it doesn’t save fuel - he’s completely full of s***.

 

[lcwizard]

That was a stupid statement. Pull apart a front end of an FJ60 with hubs and compare it to the rear end. Most front diffs on
a 200,000 mile 60 look like they were assembled last week

 

[Willard]

Free wheeling hubs do not save fuel, or tires, and the front diff components do not wear as hard. BS.

They should go over to the Land Rover forums and see the complaints there on exactly the opposite.

 

[hygge]

Anyone who puts the words "fuel saving" and "Land Cruiser" in the same sentence has a great sense for irony.

 

[Hojack]

Anyone who puts the words "fuel saving" and "Land Cruiser" in the same sentence has a great sense for irony.

Agree unless you convert to diesel

 

[Spook50]

Nice to be sponsored? Look at a set of birfields from a full time 80 compared to part time 60 and it’s pretty obvious. Heavy wear fairly evident on the full time set. The comment about grease and maintenance and they should be engaged regularly makes sense and isn’t an issue with regular use.
As far as it doesn’t save fuel - he’s completely full of s***.

Bingo. Less resistance against the drivetrain translates to less power needed to get moving translates to less fuel burned to do it. Simple math. And less moving components means less wear on them. I can tell you from experience that in winter driving even on clear pavement when I keep my hubs locked my fuel economy drops 2-3 MPG. I would NOT trust this dude to even touch my 62.

 

[Seth S]

In my truck if I leave the hubs locked in and drive in 2wd I am very aware of the increased drag, slower acceleration, impact to speed etc. I can’t put a number on it but it will surely impact my fuel mileage if it’s that apparent to drive ability.

 

[duncanrm]

Was this for real? He honestly said that freewheeling hubs don't reduce wear because the front propshaft is left sitting in one place? Probably one of the dumber statements made in this video.

 

[Freewheel]

Agreed that the having the hubs locked makes about 2 MPG difference, without a doubt.
I've been tracking my mileage continuously for the last nine years, and I always notice the mileage change when I've been driving with the hubs locked.

 

[Spike Strip]

Does Free-Balling save wear on shorts?

 

[Spook50]

Does Free-Balling save wear on shorts?

Yeah but my jeans chafe like all hell...

 

[MarkBC]

Was this for real? He honestly said that freewheeling hubs don't reduce wear because the front propshaft is left sitting in one place? Probably one of the dumber statements made in this video.

I understood his argument to be that the full time transfer case for the 105 wears out without the front shaft spinning because of some internal thing going on in there. I don't know anything about the full time transfer case so I could just be talking out my a$$ which I have been know to do.

 

[MarkBC]

So I want to get an 80 front axle. Can I just take the manual hubs off my 60 and put them on the 80 axle?