is it ok to leave hubs locked

[NerdNoise]

Now that winter is coming, is it a carnal sin to leave the hubs locked in so the four wheel drive system is available when needed without having to get out? I understand that fuel economy will suffer a bit because more gears are spinning but besides that, is there a good reason not to leave them locked in for the season? I drive about 30 to 40 mixed miles each day.

 

[4rnr]

lock em. It doesn't hurt anything, including your gas mileage.

 

[NorCalBorn]

I'll ditto 4Rnr's reply. The only caveat I ever give is keep an eye on the shaft joints if it's an IFS front. The IFS shafts on mine have been up to freeway speeds coming out of a Sierra Storm without any visible damage because I forgot to unlock them after fueling up. YMMV.

 

[ms018kmf]

I have them locked from fall until spring for the last three years, no problems. For summer time or road trips (100+mi) I will unlock them.

 

[Combat Chuck]

I'd check to make sure all your CV joints are good, but that's all.
If you start getting bad vibes up front, unlock 'em!

 

[85+92]

89-95 4runners came locked...so according to TOYOTA you should be fine

the down side is extra stress on CV's and those expensive brass bushings in your spindle

 

[Tommy the Cat]

The CV joints, brass trunion bushings, spider and side gears and all bearings will see additional wear. The 4Runners were indeed locked at the hub end but used a disconnect on the driver's side shaft to save the diff internals, front driveline and help fuel mileage. If you think you aren't going to lose fuel mileage by adding the drag of two CV shafts, the front driveline and the differential that is immersed in cold gear oil with an already under-powered and inefficient vehicle then you are naive. It may be a negligible amount depending upon how far you drive, how fast you drive, how much you like repairing undo wear and how much those costs relate to the convenience of not taking the 30 seconds to get out and lock your hubs in.

That being said, I do drive with mine in if I know there is a high probability I will need the added traction on a trip. I will then unlock when I don't need them anymore. It should also be noted that my truck is locked in the front and causes steering issues when locked and I drive several hundred miles one way on the interstate. If you are traveling at low speeds and short distances you will probably be fine though I recommend not being lazy and saving yourself POTENTIAL repair costs.

It cost Toyota extra money to add the ability to unlock the front. They would not have done that had they not deemed it a good idea. Just my humble opinion.

 

[KLF]

The CV joints, brass trunion bushings, spider and side gears, pinion gear and bearings, pinion seal, front driveshaft, t-case output shaft and seal and all bearings will see additional wear.

Fixed.

I only lock mine when necessary.

 

[4rnr]

The CV joints, brass trunion bushings, spider and side gears and all bearings will see additional wear. The 4Runners were indeed locked at the hub end but used a disconnect on the driver's side shaft to save the diff internals, front driveline and help fuel mileage. If you think you aren't going to lose fuel mileage by adding the drag of two CV shafts, the front driveline and the differential that is immersed in cold gear oil with an already under-powered and inefficient vehicle then you are naive.

That makes sense in theory, but I have never seen ANY kind of difference in my experience, nor have I ever heard of any reported difference. And this has been discussed countless times on forums like yotatech.

Spinning the front end will wear it out? Again, nice theory, but are you serious?

 

[Combat Chuck]

The CV joints, brass trunion bushings, spider and side gears and all bearings will see additional wear. The 4Runners were indeed locked at the hub end but used a disconnect on the driver's side shaft to save the diff internals, front driveline and help fuel mileage. If you think you aren't going to lose fuel mileage by adding the drag of two CV shafts, the front driveline and the differential that is immersed in cold gear oil with an already under-powered and inefficient vehicle then you are naive. It may be a negligible amount depending upon how far you drive, how fast you drive, how much you like repairing undo wear and how much those costs relate to the convenience of not taking the 30 seconds to get out and lock your hubs in.

That being said, I do drive with mine in if I know there is a high probability I will need the added traction on a trip. I will then unlock when I don't need them anymore. It should also be noted that my truck is locked in the front and causes steering issues when locked and I drive several hundred miles one way on the interstate. If you are traveling at low speeds and short distances you will probably be fine though I recommend not being lazy and saving yourself POTENTIAL repair costs.

It cost Toyota extra money to add the ability to unlock the front. They would not have done that had they not deemed it a good idea. Just my humble opinion.

I often leave my hubs locked, and the difference in fuel economy has thus far been negligible enough that it's incomparable to pulling a hill with a heavy foot.
I do notice the loss of finesse while steering, but that's it.
As for wear, everything gets wear, comes with the territory, that's why we do maintenance.

 

[80t0ylc]

I have mixed feelings about leaving 'em locked. No doubt there is addional wear and mileage/performance will be affected, but on a well designed system, the negatives should be minimized. I don't agree with just leaving 'em locked, I mean how much time does it take to lock or unlock them? It's kind of a gut call, anticipating the weather & the trip. That's part of the attraction to a part time setup: CHOICE.

 

[Tommy the Cat]

Spinning the front end will wear it out? Again, nice theory, but are you serious?

Absolutely I am serious. Are you seriously thinking that a bearing that is being used will not show use compared to a bearing that is sitting idle? Of course it will. On a long enough timeline it will show considerable wear. Is that wear appreciable to you? Maybe not. However I put down enough miles at enough speed that I think it is an unnecessary strain. I do in fact notice a fuel mileage difference in my truck, albeit a small one. Before the front locker it was around 1-1.5 MPG depending on the temperature. When you drive the miles I do and are only getting around 16 MPG on average that's a sizable difference.

But are you seriously trying to tell me that I'm an over-achiever because I take the extra 30 seconds to lock and unlock my hubs as needed instead of risking the wear and fuel mileage difference? Sounds like you are just trying to pick a fight...

 

[ms018kmf]

Leaving them locked does add drag, unlocking the hubs will reduce overall wear on any driven component.

If I stopped to lock my hubs at every mudhole, large puddle, snow patch, ice patch or rocky section and then stop to unlock them I would go mad. I am not a hardcore wheeler but I drive in a diverse environment.

I don't think we are all talking apples to apples for our use. I'm unlocked pretty much all summer, however this time of year I see a lot of random terrain with zero freeway miles.

 

[4rnr]

This thread needs some MAJOR perspective.

 

[axed existence]

i feel this is on subject:

is it ok to drop the tcase to a lower gearing if the front hubs are UNLOCKED? Sometimes i feel i could use the extra umph when going up a steep street. what are the dangers of doing this at higher speeds, if any.

 

[Combat Chuck]

It's okay to use 4lo without the hubs locked, but make sure the lockout hubs are all the way unlocked, or you'll eat a hub gear.
Starting on an uphill incline is one situation where I often used low range to assist. Often I have to do this on the steep incline outside my lane if the idiot behind me had parked on my bumper, and I don't want to roll back into them.

Also, it's best to come to a stop, and shift into low range while in neutral. Trying to drop into a compound gear at street speeds is like going from fourth straight to first in one shift, and you'll likely eat your motor and some other things.

 

[Bogo]

That makes sense in theory, but I have never seen ANY kind of difference in my experience, nor have I ever heard of any reported difference. And this has been discussed countless times on forums like yotatech.

I saw around a 1 MPG drop on my '94 pickup with 22RE engine. The colder the weather, the greater the drop. I was living up in Minneapolis at the time. On really cold days you could easily feel the extra drag caused by the front differential. I still left them locked most of the winter. If I knew I was going to go many highway miles and didn't think there would be snow or ice, I'd unlock them for the fuel economy gains.

 

[snobdds]

I always leave them locked before, durning and after a big snow storm. I might not need it, but it's there if I do. Then once the snow melts, I unlock them. I always leave them locked in if I am in the mountains, then when I hit pavement again I unlock them.

There is more drag on the system and a loss of MPG's for me, but not having to get out of the truck in snow and slush is worth it for me.

 

[Combat Chuck]

It's also worth mentioning that the FJ25s and early FJ40s all arrived on the lot with direct drive plates.
I consider this evidence that, with as much maintenance as a rear axle, the front axle is perfectly valid to allow to run.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

1) Anyone driving a Toyota 4x4 for fuel economy needs to reevaluate their life plan.

2) Yes hubs locked equals more wear and more drag, which means less gas mileage (see #1)

3) Toyota's are incredibly overbuilt, you will not break anything by driving around with the hubs locked. All 2nd gen 4Runners have drive plates and not locking hubs, so the CV debate is moot. The ADD system only unlocks one side of the front axle, so the spider gears are getting a work out anyway. I'm not really sure what the reasoning was for the ADD system, probably only to make shift on the fly possible while making an attempt to lessen the drag by having some of the front end turning...

4) I use 2wd low all the time, it's very handy for going down steep mountain roads.

5) There is no right answer to any of this, it's all relative. When I lived in Indiana I left them locked all winter, cause you never knew when some black ice was going to try and ruin your day. Now that I'm in northern CA, I only lock them when I think I'm gonna need them, but they may stay locked for a few weeks at a time during storms...

6) Tommy, do what you want.

7) Everyone else, do what you want.

8)