Quiet hub driver grease options?
 

Hey there fellow quiet hub fans, I'm wondering if anyone has had a chance to compare the viscosity, adhesion, and sound damping properties between aftermarket/ proprietary greases?

The three that occur to me as best candidates are DT Swiss star ratchet grease, Chris King Ring Lube, and Dumonde Tech ProX Grease (not their oil).

Application will probably be either a DT Swiss Star ratchet hub or I-9 Solix (outside chance I might cheap out with a novatec or bitex). Being a lightweight rider I'm not particularly worried about my paltry horsepower causing engagement issues with the drive mechanism with grease moderately thicker than recommended. (Though that does raise a 'stickier' side question - I am conveniently assuming that interference with driver engagement is less likely when propelling my lighter weight 125# mass up steep hills, compared to the slipping you hear about under heavier, more powerful riders... However I'm not actually sure that's true?)

I'm not concerned with a little more resistance either - Just enjoying the ride, not going for any KOMs.
Any comparison experience out there, or with other greases? TIA!

I use the Dumonde Tech Pro X freehub grease in all my hubs that require grease for the ratchet mechanisms. The viscosity of the grease is definitely less than traditional bike-specific greases, ensuring that the pawls move freely in colder temps. The hubs seem as quiet as they were before using the Dumonde Tech grease. No issues or problems noted to date.

Greg

As a rule of thumb the thicker the grease the quieter, but of course thicker grease causes other issues. I'm a big fan of slick honey for most freehub mechanisms.

I am a Luddite and use chainsaw bar oil for freehub pawls.

I would be very hesitant to use any grease other than DT's special grease for their ratchets. Too thick can definitely cause engagement issues.

i use hypoid gear oil myself, and they are indeed quiet.

That stuff stinks so bad I cant imagine using it anywhere I didnt have to.

So as quiet, not necessarily quieter? Are any of those hubs on the louder end of the spectrum?
Thanks Greg

Thanks for reminding me about slick honey, always hear about it but never tried it myself. Do you have any experience comparing its viscosity and longevity to DT Swiss Grease?

I had a Mavic freehub fail last weekend due to old grease. Low miles but a few years old. Internals were DT Swiss style star ratchet. A good cleaning and reassembly with some nfs lube has it quiet and functioning again.

Interesting. What was the failure mode? Did the ratchets stick together due to the grease hardening or...?

On my DT 240 and 180 EXP hubs, I switched from the DT Special grease to the Dumonde Tech. Have been using this grease since the past two years with nary any issues.

The freehub sound with the Dumonde Tech is significantly quieter. However, after a couple of hundred miles, the sound is back to "normal" loud -- similar to DT Swiss grease. But I do enjoy the silence while it lasts.

At the risk of starting an argument, and purely in the spirit of trying to help out... I'm pretty sure using anything other than the special DT red grease in a DT hub voids the warranty.

https://www.dtswiss.com/en/support/faq

Notably:

Important! DT Swiss is not liable for damages caused by improper product maintenance. Always use original spare parts and tools to avoid damaging the product. The warranty right expires if the operating instructions have not been observed.

The manual is very explicit that you have to use their grease.

I use the Dumonde grease in four different sets of Bitex freehubs. I find Bitex freehubs to be a bit noisy. They are as quiet with Dumonde grease as with the OEM grease. Definitely not quieter. As madcow noted, thicker grease will be quieter at the risk of sticky pawls.

Greg

Usually the best route is to follow what a manufacturer recommends - If you want to play around a little using Dumonde tech's free hub grease and free hub oil to get the consistency you want is a nice option. Usually people who are into their hubs have a large variety of products that are used. A few common go to products are Phil wood tenacious oil, Finish line synthetic lube, Mobil Xhp 220, and Maxima waterproof grease - The list goes on an on- I would agree about just using DT Swiss' special grease on their ratchet system. Be careful using grease as well.

The opposite. The ratchets wouldn't reengage after free wheeling. The dried grease was causing more friction than the spring could overcome to make them reengage.