What exactly is a Spooled Rear Differential? -----Thanks

Happy

WOW!!--Thanks for the link---I read the whole thing---man that's pretty exhaustive--But I learned something---One of the advertised 4dr Kicks said it had Spooled rear diff---So I would now ask him was it a spool insert or a welded job and how long ago---Right

I know this is going backwards----but if you had the choice between one having manual hub locks and factory oem auto locking, which would be preferred by most?--Thanks

Happy

I prefer the manual hubs.  That way you know they are in or they are not.  Plus if your going to flat tow it you really want the manual hubs.

you can weld the rear but in the end the spool is not expensive and not worth having to worry about if the weld breaks. You might want to look into a locker if you are going to running on road....a spool or welded R&P doesn't have great road hangling issues. A locker will open and let you turn but still needs some adjustements in driving styles.

Manual hubs are alot better than auto locks. I've ony had an issue with one hub in the 10+ years of zukin. IT would unlock itself after I took the power off the front end. I never did find out what was causing this issue.

So what does that mean exactly---If you have manual locking hubs, you have to get out of the vehicle and turn the locks to engage the 4 wheel drive?---

And don't the later model Kicks with auto trans come with auto locking hubs anyway?---Thnaks

Happy

Yes, with the manual hubs you need to get out and lock them in manually if you want to run in 4 wheel drive mode.

Auto hubs work fine, but you need to roll forward 1/4 or 1/2 a turn before they can engage.  And if you back up they may un-engage.  So if your wheeling it's nice to have the reliability of knowing if your hubs are locked in.

X2 on Drones reply, but... provided they are working properly, auto hubs will only unlock when you reverse after shifting into 2wd from 4wd. They will stay locked in reverse as long as you're still in 4wd. I can see how this could be an issue if you shift in & out of 4wd alot while wheeling. While it's true that most serious offroaders prefer manuals, autos work well as long as they are properly maintained. Personally I love my auto hubs, I don't have to get out in the snow to lock/unlock them. That said, I don't do much hard offroading, mostly mild trails & backroads... at least atm.
Manual hubs were a standard item on trackicks, the auto hubs were an option. Transmission doesn't matter, they were an option on both manual & auto tranny models.
Suppose it's possible they were offered as a standard item on some models, but I don't know if that's the case. hth

Fuzz

I dont know I ran my old sammy with the hubs locked 24 7. for like 2 years before the transmission blew. I just put in to 4 wheel or 2 wheel from inside the cab. I never had a problem. also never worried bout jammed or frozen hubs

So if your wheeling it's nice to have the reliability of knowing if your hubs are locked in.

Thats why I converted mine.  It's not a matter of whether or not your rig is an auto/manual trans, it was just a factory option.  My 2dr Tracker with a 5spd came with Auto Hubs, and it was also an LSi model, which was an upgraded standard feature for LSi's (so i hear)

I dont know I ran my old sammy with the hubs locked 24 7. for like 2 years before the transmission blew. I just put in to 4 wheel or 2 wheel from inside the cab. I never had a problem. also never worried bout jammed or frozen hubs

If it's a daily driver you might not want to do this, as it causes unnecessary wear on the front axle & tires as well as increased fuel consumption.

Auto hubs work fine, but you need to roll forward 1/4 or 1/2 a turn before they can engage.  And if you back up they may un-engage.  So if your wheeling it's nice to have the reliability of knowing if your hubs are locked in.

X2 on Drones reply, but... provided they are working properly, auto hubs will only unlock when you reverse after shifting into 2wd from 4wd. They will stay locked in reverse as long as you're still in 4wd.

I think you guys are saying the same thing, but just to clear things up......
If you have the transfer case in 4wd, then reverse directions with the vehicle, the auto hubs will unlock, then relock.
If you have the transfer case in 4wd, then shift it into 2wd, when you reverse directions the auto hubs will unlock and stay unlocked until the transfer case is put into 4wd mode again.

The benefit of manual hubs are once you turn the dial to lock them in, they stay locked 100% of the time, no matter if you change directions or not (no unlocking and relocking with a direction change)...........that is, until you turn the dial to unlock them.

I prefer the auto hubs on my GF Nissan Xterra. It's 99%+ of the time on-road, and when she goes off road, it's almost always fire roads. We've taken it out in sand & rocks out at King Of The Hammers a few months ago. They performed just fine, and it was nice not having to get in / out of the vehicle every time we wanted to use 4WD (both the Xterra and Tracker will shift between 2 & 4WD hi-range on the fly). In crazy-bad weather I've shifted (on the fly) into 4WD for stability (and shifted out to make sharp turns). Given the weather conditions - it was nice to be able to stay in the cab & shift in / out of 4WD while driving (yes, I could shift in / out of 4WD in the tracker too, but I'd have to get out at least once in mercyless rain / wind to get the hubs locked in).

For heavier trails, I like the manual hubs. In crazy rock gardens, or more technical trails, it's important to have 100% predictability. It's also bad to allow the drivetrain to gain momentum before something "locks up" and creates a shock load... even if for only a partial rotation.

Either way - the hubs themselves rarely come into consideration for me when buying. There's far more important things to me when buying (condition, engine size / type, transmission type, air conditioning etc), and the hubs are easy to swap out.

I converted my LSi's auto hubs to a Warn manual hub. 

I dont know I ran my old sammy with the hubs locked 24 7. for like 2 years before the transmission blew. I just put in to 4 wheel or 2 wheel from inside the cab. I never had a problem. also never worried bout jammed or frozen hubs

For low-speed trail stuff (and not long-term like fieroboy_gt did), is it safe to leave my hubs locked and drive in 2wd?  And shift between 2hi and 4hi without getting out to lock/unlock hubs every time?

For low-speed trail stuff (and not long-term like fieroboy_gt did), is it safe to leave my hubs locked and drive in 2wd?  And shift between 2hi and 4hi without getting out to lock/unlock hubs every time?

Oh yea.  Once I hit a trail system I never unlock my hubs.  During the winter when going up for snow boarding I'll lock the hubs in and leave them that way until I get home just in case I need 4wd.  No issues other then putting a bit more wear on my front end hardware then if everything is left unlocked.