manual locking hubs?

[fed454]

I own a 1991 toyota pickup and am looking to upgrade to a 2000-2003 tacoma. Did toyota make any trucks with manual locking hubs in these years? Any feedback or comments welcome, thanks

[MarkC]

no the 95.5-97 Tacoma's has locking hubs but 98- present is all on the fly

[fed454]

Thanks for the info, I guess I'll look into the Downey manual hub conversion.

[DakotaTacoma]

Get ready to shell out alot of $$$. The Downey kit is expensive.

I

[Dave]

Originally Posted by MarkC

no the 95.5-97 Tacoma's has locking hubs but 98- present is all on the fly

Wrong, I have a 00 and it has manual locking hubs.

[navyat]

No, thats not true. I have a 2000 SR5 and it has Manual locking hubs.

[MarkC]

well it looks like you guys made a lier out of me!!!! my 99 is shift on the fly. I wish i had manual hubs

[thenrie]

I just bought a shift-on-the-fly 00 (2.7, 5sp man, SR5,TRD, locking rear) and I was impressed with the utility of the ability to shift in and out of 4wd while moving. Why do you prefer manual locking hubs?

[maverick491]

Originally Posted by thenrie

I just bought a shift-on-the-fly 00 (2.7, 5sp man, SR5,TRD, locking rear) and I was impressed with the utility of the ability to shift in and out of 4wd while moving. Why do you prefer manual locking hubs?

Manual locking hubs are generally prefered by the hard core off road set as it is possible to lift the truck higher without having to do a front diff drop or damaging the cv joints in the front. I believe it is because with unlocked hubs the front diff and cv joints do not spin so are not damaged by the high angle driveline, where as with a shift on the fly set-up those parts are spinning when the truck is moving, and there is a series of automatic clutches that put power to them when you engage the 4wd system. Just my theory though so don't take it as fact unless someone else confirms it.

[thenrie]

I wonder what effect manual locking hubs has on gas mileage compared to shift-on-the-fly. Anybody know?

[DakotaTacoma]

You get slightly better mileage with manual hubs....as you are not having to always spin the front end components.

Plus, lots less wear and tear on the CV joints when having a 3"+ lift.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by DakotaTacoma

You get slightly better mileage with manual hubs....as you are not having to always spin the front end components.

Plus, lots less wear and tear on the CV joints when having a 3"+ lift.

I bought my 00 because it had the locking hubs.

I average 27 mpg on highway.

It's like having a 2 wheel drive until I need the 4 x 4.

Which is only in winter in the heavy snow when have here.

[thenrie]

followup question: About how much is a kit to convert to manual hubs? Most of my driving is going to be highway miles. I'm looking at all possible tweaks to eek out another mpg or two.

[350TacoZilla]

i had a 96 V6 with ADD lol...my gf's dad has a 2000 with manuals... btw its best to actually have the add truck then convert to manual...since you will still have the bearings in axles instead of bushings like a factory manual hub truck... (last longer and better fuel enconomy in 4wd)