Offroad-Express

Hi guys. just wondering if its possible to change the auto hub on my 95 vitara to a Manaul Hub??

Hey there,

Yup I had a Suzuki Vitara 1600cc, And its easy... just buy some manual hubs, swap them over and she should be all gravy!

Where did you get yours mate?

Ummm mine were stock, But you should be able to get some AVM ones from BNT, otherwise mudbits in tauranga will most prob have them or te puke partsworld

Manual hubs from a 413 will fit a vitara also .

Chris

May need to do some modifications to get the older model ones to fit a vitara though (remove a split ring and a spacer washer)

Got a price for a set of manual hubs.. $340 for the set.. was a bit more expensive then i thought.. Is the stock auto hub good enough or do people prefer manual hubs??

I put some Super Winch manual hubs on my Vitara because the old auto hubs would let go just when you really needed them, always going down a steep slope which was exciting. I got mine from G guys motors in Welliington and have had them for 4 years and they have been sweet.

on the other hand I have Autos in mine and they have been really reliable, they don't click or make any noises and are silky smooth. I don't treat them all that nice and have done heaps of runs with them, When they do break I will replace with manuals, but why fix something that isn't broken?

Cheers
Lincoln

I run manuals on both my 3-doors. Daughter's boyfriend ran autos but they did fail eventually and he went to manuals also.

$340 for a new set is pretty good buying, as most second hand pairs on Tardme go for $200-$250.

Can you tell if the auto hub actually fails or u only find out at the worst possible moment ??

If your not doing hard offroading autos will be fine. I think they pop out in reverse so thats often not helpful if your stuck and they are weaker cos if they disengage and you dump the clutch its real hard on em when they re engage, you'll hear anything from a slight clunk to a big bang. I would think its not too good on cvs either doing that but yeah, never owned an ifs truck. I've also heard stories about autos popping out on hill descents but never had it happen to me. If you have the option/ or the cash I'd go manual but its just preference. Sell the autos on trademe before they break and make a bit back.

Ginzu8 wrote:Can you tell if the auto hub actually fails or u only find out at the worst possible moment ??

The ones we've had fail, we never knew exactly when they failed. We just found out when we needed 4WD and found we had no drive on the front end due to the hubs not engaging.

I have heard of them dropping out in reverse as well and, while I haven't experienced it, decided not to take the chance and stuck with manual hubs. When ever they've given me grief it's been a very simple matter of a track-side minor dis-assembly and clean/lube, then straight back into action.

Mine used to always disengage while going forwards down a steep slope, in first low trying to slowly idle down. never happened with power on or in reverse. they would let go with a bang and away you went at speed.

sure i may have been able to fix them but i prefer manual hubs anyway.

thx heaps guys. Something on the shopping list i think ..