Twistedtat

Changed out the front hub assembly this past weekend. Super simple about 45 minutes per side. But my question is how much of a difference did other members see in their mpg? Did several test, full tank ran through and such but I have gain 6 mpg. Any others get this gain? And yes I understand the friction of a bad hub etc...

fastsuv

I changed out both hubs but didn't notice any mileage improvement. The only gain I got was peace and quiet as the worn hubs were roaring loudly over 40mph.

I would think that the bad hub would have had to be almost locked up to drag down mileage by 6 mpg. Was the wheel even turning before?

Steve

843de

I'd almost suspect a frozen or jammed caliper on one corner which became unstuck or unjammed on its slides, thereby leading to the mileage improvement.

Sometimes you can accidentally "cure" an unknown issue while fixing the main problem.

Check your wheel temps over the next few days, if it was a frozen caliper, that corner will grow warmer than its opposite companion as the caliper gets hung up again.

It may sound like a screwy theory, but it happened to me.

spacer

Mine were roaring pretty good by the time I replaced both sides up front, but there wasn't any noticeable mpg difference.

2005HHRauto

It's unbelievable, how cheap you can get these wheel bearing hubs on Ebay.
I just paid $35 each, the other day...

Twistedtat

Fastsuv, yes the wheel was turning, lol, I went about two months on the bad ones because it passed all the typical bearing test. Play in the wheel etc.. The only way I knew they were bad is when I made turns at a slow speed and you could hear the bearings once they were off the car.
843de, will keep an eye on the wheel temp. Checked all the sliders on the calipers and they seemed fine, but you never know. Had a explorer before the HHR and I had to fix the sliders on it. Simple but a pita.
Thanks for the input guys. Will keep posted if it develops an issue.

donbrew

Keep an ear on the rear hubs.

voigtsga

I have 133k on my '08. Since I have a lengthy trip I have to go on in a week out of state for several weeks, I recently went ahead and replaced the front hubs (new Timkens) a month or so ago when I put new rotors and brakes on the front, and just put new Timkens on the rear along with new shoes. Its hard to know how much longer they would have lasted as they weren't acting up at the moment, but I would rather change them at my house rather than potentially deal with it on the Interstate somewhere. A plus note was that I caught a rear wheel cylinder just beginning to leak.

There is no way I would put cheap Ebay hubs on the car as they aren't going to last.

donbrew

Oh? Got proof?

Oh, wait mine must be ready to fail after only 60,000 miles (this time) and counting. They went at least 100K the last time, the junkyard has the car now.

How many complaint are there about the OE "made in USA" hubs? LOTS.

BTW, the NAPA hubs are "made in China" the cheaper ones anyway (employee price $70, retail $120), the premium ones are "hecho en Mexico" (employee price $100, retail $180).

EBay $40, that's 2 for one if they fail. Replace while rotating the tires and checking the brake pads, an extra 15 minutes.

2005HHRauto

Let me know if you find any USA made hubs...
Hubs are now considered throw away items, like rotors...

Cheap Ebay Chinese made hubs, are already on your car...
Even the most expensive hubs like Timken, are now being made in China...

It's all about cheap labor costs anyway…
When I grew up in the 60's, Made-In-Japan, was "cheap-jap-crap"
The world has changed, engineering is super now, & my 9.5lb Enkei wheels, made in Japan, still amaze me…
The best rotors today, are by Centric, & are made in China, & can be had on Ebay, & Amazon, for cheap prices...

Hay, even our "buggys", are made in Mexico...