'98 Front wheel hubs

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Feb 3, 2016 | 12:12 PM

Mr Rich

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From: Santa Maria, Calif.

'98 Front wheel hubs

I've been wondering; how long is the life of the front hubs? I replaced the engine and trans over four years ago. Those parts will be good for life at this rate. I've got 150K on the chassis and hubs and 25K on the engine and trans. I'm thinking about replacing them as PM and just wonder if anyone has additional thoughts. I recently replaced the gear oil in the rear diff and it was remarkably clear for the miles. It did make a difference with the clutches in the rear since I don't hear noises during parking now.

Feb 3, 2016 | 06:02 PM

blue09rocket

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well my car is 15 yrs old and only 81000 miles, and right before I put the car away in my garage for the winter, I started hearing a hum coming from the front end, you guessed it front left wheel hub. Knowing me just like you in doing preventative maintenance, Ill probably replace both driver and passenger sides at the same time. Only thing that sucks is AdvanceAuto and the like has them for around or just under $100 per while GM has some for over $200 per! Im always a little worried when it comes to the quality of Advance parts over OEM.

Feb 3, 2016 | 08:49 PM

wssix99

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The front hubs can be variable. It's not uncommon for them to start making noise at 75K miles. Any distance beyond that on the OEM hubs is gravy.

Feb 3, 2016 | 11:10 PM

RPM WS6

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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317

The highest mileage 4th gen I've had was ~110k miles, and there was nothing wrong at all with the original hubs. I wouldn't replace them unless there is an issue.

Feb 4, 2016 | 12:59 PM

Cpt.Derrek

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What I have learned is that with stock Offset tires the hubs will last a long time well over 100k but if you run offsets that put the load uneven on the hubs the bearings life is significantly reduced.

Feb 5, 2016 | 10:39 AM

blue09rocket

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also forgot to add that if I let go of the steering wheel, car pulls slightly to the left.

Feb 5, 2016 | 01:49 PM

wssix99

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Quote:

Originally Posted by blue09rocket

also forgot to add that if I let go of the steering wheel, car pulls slightly to the left.

That's an alignment issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue09rocket

Im always a little worried when it comes to the quality of Advance parts over OEM.

No worries with this part. GM doesn't make them. They wrap their box around someone else's part. As long as you get a well known bearing manufacturer, you can ride with comfort and confidence. SKF, Timken, NTN are all top names. One of those companies likely made the parts on your car when it rolled out of the factory.

BTW - (I found out the hard way!) If you aren't aware, AC Delco is not always "GM" and GM may offer a different part than Delco these days.