trust me you nee the hardware.. you won't make it out the driveway before you hear "crack".. and that's your 4wd hub trying to spin your bearing nut tighter/looser.. and then breaking. been there done that.. had a miscommunication at the shop for hubs on a bronco.. thought we were doing just a straight auto hub swap to auto hub... we were converting to manual.. oops. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />

Sorry guys, missing my camera. As soon as possible I'll get the install posted. I've already done it, I'll just have to pull it apart again to get pics.

there's one problem with that. on a sportage the hubs don't even touch the bearing hardware. only the axle and the hub assembly. i haven't taken a very close look at the mazda bearings because when i went to LKQ a while back the hubs had already been removed from the only mazda B2600 4x4 pickup that they had but i'd imagine that it can't be much different.

Pix or it never happened. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Sorry guys, been a while since I've been on here...or owned a Sportage. I just did this swap again to my second '97, and spent less than $50. I posted a few of the details in the Micro Monsters group over on FB if you want to take a look, but I will try to get the pics and details moved over here in the next few days.

All the parts needed for the swap. Manual hubs from an '86-'88 Mazda B2600 and all the wheel bearing hardware. Missing a few factory bolts, but that's easy to solve.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617256181708208&l=db47be05be

Cut the dowels off the backs of each hub, flush it up without gouging the hub body too bad. I got in a bit of a hurry here, but billet steel hub bodies don't flex, and you need to use a bit of RTV here anyway. Mazda hubs lack the o-ring that Kia hubs use.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617252655041894&l=5dd35e8aef

Bam! Installed... 8x70 Grade 12.9 socket head cap screws with a flat washer under the head of each (will be adding a split washer as the stock Mazda setup uses). Warn hubs-almost $300, and garbage. Cast aluminum bodies and garbage hardware. Aisin-billet steel bodies, aluminum faces, giant hub gears, and pretty much bombproof. These hubs came off a severely abused Mazda and showed next to no wear on the internals. Grease 'em and go. That I know of, I am the only one to find this combination, and it doesn't surprise me. Takes a guy that has owned both to know that a Sportage and the Mazda trucks are distant cousins at the most.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617252658375227&l=de213f85b8

Awesome, I just sent the $$ for used hubs off a guy here on another 4x4 wire board. Oh well, maybe I'll get some of these too and keep the warns as spares. This is really cool by the way.

Lol, isn't that how it always works? I tried to get the word out a few years back (this thread), but it seems nobody was willing to take a gamble due to my thread not having pics... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />

Now that I once again have Aisins on my rig I will go pick up a set of the '89-'93 drive flanges to go in the tool box. They are lighter, smaller and easier to fit as a spare, and you KNOW you'll have 4wd to get home.

I got a ? though... Now that you're back in the Kia game again, are we gonna see some more of your RSG products? By the time I learned of your stuff it was long gone. Had it not been for finding a lot of you and Everett's older posts when Google searching what I had assumed was a POS eco-4wd, I probably wouldn't have bought my first.

Now I'm on my second, on a hunt for a third for my GF, and a frame and body to land on top of a FJ80 front axle, IFS Toy rear, Toy trans and case, and a VW turbo diesel. Lol, you guys were a HUGE motivating factor in all this. Good or bad? I don't know yet...

In short, yes. I will be making parts again, but, not till I have a garage to work in. Probably around October. I will let everyone know. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. Did you happen to snap a shot of the aisins next to the warns? Would be nice to see the difference.

I didn't because I haven't owned a set in 5 years, lol. The only reason I bought the set I did have was because they were a good deal from a buddy at the time. They never got installed on my personal rig, and instead got sold after looking at the differences. I probably won't buy another set considering wrecking yards are littered with these, they're pretty close to indestructible, Mazda dealers can get replacement parts cheaper than parts for Warns', and they end up being like $200 cheaper than Warn buying them at the wrecking yard.

I'm done trying to "convince" people that this works, and will continue to enjoy Aisins on my own rigs. Go pick a set up and compare them for yourself. It's not like you'll be out a lot of cash...

Watch for a build thread on my current rig soon.