My 07 tralblazer has over 170k miles and this is the first time ill be replacing the wheel hubs. I know they both bad cause ive had several mechanics tell me so. In fact ill be replacing one tomorrow (only one due to budget restraints). Is it unusual to have wheel hubs/bearings last this long? I've read alot on this forum and other forums (trailvoy to be exact) I particularly liked the info that roadie gives. Anything else i should change while under there? I know that outer tie rods need changing.
Wheel hubs
- Thread starter gw17252009
- Start date
Change whatever is bad. No more. No less. Simple sort of rule.
HARDTRAILZ
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- Nov 18, 2011
- 49,665
I just did both wheel bearing son mine. One was shot at 135k but you really need to do both at the same time.
HARDTRAILZ
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- Nov 18, 2011
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I've always done suspension parts as a set. What you do on the left you should do on the right. The components have the same wear on them and from my experience when one goes bad the other isn't far behind. Shocks, brakes, ball joints, end links everything gets replaced in sets.HARDTRAILZ said:
HARDTRAILZ
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- Nov 18, 2011
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HARDTRAILZ
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- Nov 18, 2011
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And CV shafts and hubs are easy trail-side repairs anyway that don't affect alignment.
HARDTRAILZ
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- Nov 18, 2011
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well changed the hub this afternoon after car had cooled off. It was easier than i thought. boy that hub had alot of play in it. I also found that my lower BJ's have zerks (never replaced need to soon) and i need new sway bar end links. That will be done real soon. Thx all for the insight, if i had more money available to me i would do it all at once but im not.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Timkens have been the gold standard for a while. Use them if you are paying somebody else labor to install them or if it's a pain for you to do the job. Offroaders like Kyle change them often, and sometimes by the side of a trail, so cheapies from eBay fit his needs.
HARDTRAILZ
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- Nov 18, 2011
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Yep. And several people in the past couple years report early Timken failures so research n evaluate what will fit your needs...however your demands of saving and lasting are kinda in conflict
devalkk
Member
- Sep 25, 2014
- 42
The_Roadie said:
I would be doing it myself and I'm not beating my TB up offroad. I drive on road 98% of the time in the south where the roads are pretty smooth. All I'm asking for is a hub that won't fail in a year under normal conditions and I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for them. I've never seen so much uncertainty with hub quality for any vehicle until I got my TB. Is there something about the vehicle itself that just eats hubs?HARDTRAILZ said:
HARDTRAILZ
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But the market's just large enough to attract unscrupulous Chinese vendors with criminally low quality, and also some counterfeiting.
IllogicTC
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- Dec 30, 2013
- 3,452
This is true. While overall, the suspension as a whole has seen the same wear, there are variations - maybe that small pothole you keep forgetting about that hits the left wheels, or you've done a curb check with the right side a few times by accident. There are differences, and when it comes to wear and tear, the "tear" seems to really help things that are a bit worn make the jump to replacement territory a lot quicker than "wear."HARDTRAILZ said:
But, I do also see merit in the symmetrical-replacement scenario, for those who are willing to invest the time and money. If a part was showing excessive wear from age or rust, etc., it does also make sense.
I suppose it's what fits your needs.
My daughters right side wheel hub was replaced at 130k, I told the dude dont touch the left side its not making noise....
now at 190k the left side is roaring, so I will replace that this weekend...
I cant remember why I didnt do the other side myself.
I bought TImkin, but I really wanted to get the MOOG at 10$ cheaper on amazon but oh well...
1 year warranty instead of 3
now at 190k the left side is roaring, so I will replace that this weekend...
I cant remember why I didnt do the other side myself.
I bought TImkin, but I really wanted to get the MOOG at 10$ cheaper on amazon but oh well...
1 year warranty instead of 3
Just bought 1 Moog this week for the drivers side at 130k. Hope to install this weekend. I like that it has the 3yr warranty over Timkin's 1yr.
Mooseman
Moderator
Warranty is a crapshoot that manufacturers throw out there. They hope that more people will buy theirs because of that warranty, people thinking that they will last longer. But the reality is that even if they do fail, the majority will not be returned because either the vehicle changed hands or the original bill of sale was lost. And even if one is returned, their cost is minimal compared to the increased sales from that warranty.
Timken has lasted me so far 2+ years. Just prior to installing those, I had tried Raybestos which were THE WORST, lasting barely 2 months with a catastrophic instant failure. All the balls were gone and the truck was not drivable. Luckily I was close to home. The other one sounded like it was on its way out too. Sent them back to RockAuto and got the Timkens. I also had experience with cheap Chinese hubs with my 00 Jimmy which made my ABS go whacky and then the bearing failed within a year.
I have no experience with the Moogs but odd thing is that they are slightly more expensive than the Timkens at RA. Would be good to get a longevity report on these if possible.
If you change hubs like you do oil filters, then CCC hubs will fit your bill. But if you have a daily driver and need the longevity, get a good name brand (not Raybestos). Even though I can change hubs easily myself, I don't have the time or sometimes the place (outside in winter) to do it. Warranty is nice if you plan on keeping the truck but if you're getting it done by a shop, you might still get stuck paying the labour.
Oh, and the Raybestos had a 3 year warranty and were made in China. Looking on RA, the cheapest hubs, the Pro brand, have a 2 year warranty and are under $50.
Timken has lasted me so far 2+ years. Just prior to installing those, I had tried Raybestos which were THE WORST, lasting barely 2 months with a catastrophic instant failure. All the balls were gone and the truck was not drivable. Luckily I was close to home. The other one sounded like it was on its way out too. Sent them back to RockAuto and got the Timkens. I also had experience with cheap Chinese hubs with my 00 Jimmy which made my ABS go whacky and then the bearing failed within a year.
I have no experience with the Moogs but odd thing is that they are slightly more expensive than the Timkens at RA. Would be good to get a longevity report on these if possible.
If you change hubs like you do oil filters, then CCC hubs will fit your bill. But if you have a daily driver and need the longevity, get a good name brand (not Raybestos). Even though I can change hubs easily myself, I don't have the time or sometimes the place (outside in winter) to do it. Warranty is nice if you plan on keeping the truck but if you're getting it done by a shop, you might still get stuck paying the labour.
Oh, and the Raybestos had a 3 year warranty and were made in China. Looking on RA, the cheapest hubs, the Pro brand, have a 2 year warranty and are under $50.
IllogicTC
Member
- Dec 30, 2013
- 3,452
Harbor Freight does lifetime warranties... so as has been stated, sometimes warranty is a crap shoot, rather than a guarantee in quality. It seems that generally price is a lot bigger factor in trying to determine quality, but this can lie to you, also. Customer opinions are king on this front.
HARDTRAILZ
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- Nov 18, 2011
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