Zipp 188 Freehub Lubrication

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Sep 9, 2020
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Location
Scottsdale, AZ
Hi All,

not sure how many people race here. Last year was kind of wash I did a handful of crits and 2 road races and then pretty much everything got cancelled oddly enough after 12 months of just focused solo training my FTP is through the roof. I have two sets of race wheels some light tubulars laced up to DT Swiss 180s and a Zipp 404 FC set which have the zipp 188 hub.

Freehub on my Zipps is getting quite dry sounding. I know Zipp warns against Phil’s tenacious grease. I’m not really eager to order Freehub lube from Dumonde just for a set of wheels that only get race miles as I’ll probably break them in a crash long before I get through most of the bottle. My thoughts are mixing my old 5w30 sitting in my drain container + some 75w90 gear oil 9:1 with the 9 being engine oil.

Anyone try this? Zipps concerns with heavier oil is the pawls sticking and not fully engaging, is this a good ratio of motor oil to gear oil to provide low drag lubrication without the issue of having thin oil seep out of the Freehub?
 
I use Shimano Freehub grease on my Campy Shamals. It's noticeably less viscous than their "Special" grease for bearings.

I service my freehubs every year. I am always amazed at how contaminated the grease looks. And I live in a dry climate and never ride in the rain.

Scott
 

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If Zipp follows the same recommendation as SRAM, I think it calls for SKF LGHP #2 grease. That’s a NLGI #2 polyurea grease, similar to Chevron SRI or XOM’s Polyrex EM grease.

Supposedly, Dumonde recommends their grease. Chris King sells a lube for their hubs that could work too.
 
Agree with the grease recommendation. You're in AZ, it's not going to bind in your temperatures. The Shimano grease is really good (haven't found anything else with that low of viscosity elsewhere). Tenacious Oil would be fine, too. I've only had that cause issue in a hub with that pawl design in crazy cold weather (like under 20F). I think it's a bit of CYA of SRAM's part with the recommendation to avoid it.
 
Hi All,

not sure how many people race here. Last year was kind of wash I did a handful of crits and 2 road races and then pretty much everything got cancelled oddly enough after 12 months of just focused solo training my FTP is through the roof. I have two sets of race wheels some light tubulars laced up to DT Swiss 180s and a Zipp 404 FC set which have the zipp 188 hub.

Freehub on my Zipps is getting quite dry sounding. I know Zipp warns against Phil’s tenacious grease. I’m not really eager to order Freehub lube from Dumonde just for a set of wheels that only get race miles as I’ll probably break them in a crash long before I get through most of the bottle. My thoughts are mixing my old 5w30 sitting in my drain container + some 75w90 gear oil 9:1 with the 9 being engine oil.

Anyone try this? Zipps concerns with heavier oil is the pawls sticking and not fully engaging, is this a good ratio of motor oil to gear oil to provide low drag lubrication without the issue of having thin oil seep out of the Freehub?
Try outboard motor lower unit lube.
 
One advantage (depending on your tastes) to oil over grease is less freehub noise.
Grease will quiet down the freehub initially but quickly gets pushed out of the way leaving only a thin film that doesn't quiet much.
Oil flows back and seems to lead to a quieter freehub long-term.
That's been my experience anyway.
 
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