"So I was doing research on putting manual hubs onto my 99 Grand Vitara and could not find much on the net. I went to a local wrecker and experimented because they had both trackers, sidekicks, and vitaras on the lot. For those interested, the manual hubs for the 98 tracker (at least) bolt right onto the 99 Grand Vitara and engage the axles properly. Less wear on the front drivetrain components and better fuel economy will result since less moving parts and rotating mass. CV boots last forever too because they are not being used. I know that my old 82 toyota truck bogged right down with the hubs locked, so i have a good idea as to how much additional drag there is from the extra moving parts. Why any manufacturer makes them this way is beyond me. I will update later with change in fuel economy."
Maybe I should have specified what Grand Vitara I am driving. 1999 2.5L V6 4Door, and I am running 235-65-R16 (28" according to math but reality is 26" tall) tires at 30psi, with factory gearing of 4.30, for a total of 2800 rpm at 65mph. For clarification, my mileage in MIles Per Gallon is based on the Canadian Gallon which has 4.54 Litres in it. The U.S. Gallon is 3.78, so the conversion works out to 21.6mpg U.S. before mods and 24.6mpg after. Just so we are all comparing apple to apples since the gallon sizes are so different. Some Americans may look at my figures and call bullshit but the difference is in the math.
I post this information since I will be upszing my tires to 31" and posting the resultant change in economy (which is likely to drop since the gearing change and higher rotating mass will require more energy) and then depending on that result I will likely re-gear the diffs with 5.12's to bring highway rpm back to factory, which should bring the economy back up closer to the before figures. Plus the power will be noticeably higher and off-roading in Low range will be improved by the gear swap as well. I post this info for anyone who is thinking of doing the same. I track my fuel economy religiously because that is usually the first indicator of problems in the engine or powertrain. The prospect of having an offroad vehicle that gets 25+ mpg (Canadian) with bigger tires and suspension lift is awesome.