Manual locking hubs....any difference in MPG?

[LaOutbackTrail]

Extraordinary claims you know require.... I can't disprove it of course but neat picking

You're right, its not what I average, but what I observed on one trip. And regarding the waiting till the light comes on routine, thats for around town... not on a road trip with family in the car. No sense walking to the next gas station....

[4D55 Performance]

Throwing some number around air density at say Salt Lake City is about 20% (0.0745 lbf^3 v 0.0632 lbf^3) less than at sea level you get less horse power, accelerate slower, have less air resistance, lower pumping losses in engine, etc. You might expect corresponding 15% improvement in mileage even 20% I suppose. Give or take. Which lines up nicely with stock 17-18 mpg at sea level.

Yeah, I am certain it has something to do with it. We are at 4300ft above sea level. Nicest part is, I can see the Great Salt Lake right out the front window. So it is kinda like living by the ocean. I try to make it to Yellowstone (9000 ft above sea level, 60-70 degrees, and 45 mph everywhere you go) a few times a year and in Yellowstone the MPG's go through the roof. Most vehicles I have owned with the exception of my 2009 tdi, will see a 30-40% increase in MPG in Yellowstone. The lowest octane you can buy in Yellowston is 87-89. Surpeme is like 95 octane in at that altitude. My 1996 FJ80 went from getting 13 to 20 mpg. My V6 2wd Dakota was getting almost 30mpg on one trip a few years ago. I think the TDI sees very little improvement because it's a turbo diesel. Last trip the Jetta only got 54mpg, which is only 10% increase. I am interested to see how well the Montero will do when we go up there later this year. I doubt a Montero could achieve 30mpg, but you never know. It currently gets 24 on the open road, so a 30-40% increase would put it right around 31-34mpg.

[RichardT]

There a 4 brands currently 'available'...
Aisin made the OE units and are highly regarded over all others due to their reliability and simplicity.
Tuffpans sells what look like aisin knock offs from china. So far they've been reliable.
Rugged Ridge also make a set
Superwinch also makes a manual hub set although I'm not sure they're still in production.

Have you heard anything about how reliable the Rugged Ridge hubs are? So far they're the cheaper ones I've seen at $125ish

[off-roader]

Have you heard anything about how reliable the Rugged Ridge hubs are? So far they're the cheaper ones I've seen at $125ish

No although I recall some mitsu owners are using them. Aisins can be had for as little as $50 for a pair when bought at a pick n pull..

[RichardT]

No although I recall some mitsu owners are using them. Aisins can be had for as little as $50 for a pair when bought at a pick n pull..

From what I've read those Aisins are awesome, it's just too difficult to find Monty's around here in the junk yards, so I'm sure it'll be even more rare to spot one with locking hubs

[off-roader]

...it's just too difficult to find Monty's around here in the junk yards

car-part.com

[RichardT]

car-part.com

Thanks I bet I'll be spending some time on that site

Just curious, which years will work on my 95? Like 86-99 or something?

[eurosonic]

Ok, so moving this thread to Gen Vehicle Modification. Want to hear some more feedback on this topic from other members..

[reece146]

I put locking hubs on my built XJ. If there is a difference in mpgs it is so small that it can't be measured from tank to tank.

[Crenshaw]

Recently put a set on my gen 2 4runner. I had been looking to get rid of the ADD drive flanges for some time now. With even a mild lift (I have BJ spacers and backed off the torsion bars, so no more than ~1 inch over stock), the cvs are at a pretty bad angle just sitting stationary without a diff drop.
I haven't seen any appreciable increase in mileage, but mostly was looking to go easy on the wear and tear on the already semi-fragile cv axles on these trucks. It seems a little silly to be spinning both axles all the time when a lot of the miles on this thing are highway and 2wd.
I'm not really familiar with the setup on Monteros, but the Toyota ADD system disconnects one axle when in 2wd so the front driveshaft isn't spinning. I'm sure if it was hooked up all the time the increase in MPG's would be more significant when switching to manual hubs.

My .02