Swivel Filled With Grease - Removing Excess

helijohn wrote:
A blessing for me though maybe not for mudplugging, rockclimbing, deep water waders would be IFS as on Vitaras.

IFS wears the tyres out.

All my Landrovers and RangeRover wore the front tyres dead flat across, so does the Jimny.

Everything I've had with this new fangled "independent suspension" has taken the edges off the tyres. Somehow I think there is a fundamental flaw with the whole idea.

Busta wrote: Given that the only real difference between a Vit and a Jimny is the IFS, why even bother with a Jimny then?

Easy, engine size. So with a pre 2001 the tax is cheap which, as a plaything which this is to me, keeps the cost down.

facade wrote:
Everything I've had with this new fangled "independent suspension" has taken the edges off the tyres. Somehow I think there is a fundamental flaw with the whole idea.

Now that is an interesting thought. :ohmy: I am now thinking what tyre wear I have had over the years.

helijohn wrote:

Busta wrote: Given that the only real difference between a Vit and a Jimny is the IFS, why even bother with a Jimny then?

Easy, engine size. So with a pre 2001 the tax is cheap which, as a plaything which this is to me, keeps the cost down.

Also physical size, weight, I found a Jimny nicer to drive instead of my mates IFS Vitara. But it is also comes down to personal preference as the 2 vehicles are much alike.

hunter1084 wrote:
Also physical size, weight,

+1

After almost a year of using the car with dry swivel hubs (as everyone on this forum says that they should not be greased), I noticed that the swivel hubs get very rusty.

I removed the rust from the hubs on two occasions with wet micro-granular sandpaper, and I did not grease the swivel hubs after that, and the rust reappears again after a short time.

The rust itself would not bother me in the visual sense, but rusty swivel hubs have very rough (coarse) surface to the touch. Since the swivel seals presumably rub on the swivel hubs when the front wheels turn, I am afraid that the coarse surface of the swivel hubs will accelerate the wear of the swivel seals.

What is yours' practical experience with this situation? Do others' swivel hubs get rusty, and what do you do about that?

Every mechanic or off-road veteran that I have ever encountered in my country says that I should regularly grease my swivel hubs no matter what the vehicle manufacturer says about its seals, as that is mandatory with solid front axle vehicles - "it's a fundamental part of the solid front axle design". They say that the coarse rusty hubs will accelerate the wear of swivel seals, and that the rust will also eat out the swivel hubs in the long term.

Any opinions please?
Is there a way to have the swivel hubs dry and to coat them while clean with something that will stop the rust from forming again? Is that rust such a large issue?