what the best way to drive braking in gears the first 500 miles
hey whats the meaning on (quote un quote) normal driving the first 500 miles as my mecanic said i dont think he meant my normal driving.i think a lot of people on here are geting gears right now it seems.can somebody lay out dos and donts of braking gears in.and if it is a good enough answer i almost think it should be a sticky.i am scared to death i am going to do somthing wroung like should i try to pass this guy or should i take that road thats mountainy etc.thanks i think this will help a lot of memebers out here.
hey whats the meaning on (quote un quote) normal driving the first 500 miles as my mecanic said i dont think he meant my normal driving.i think a lot of people on here are geting gears right now it seems.can somebody lay out dos and donts of braking gears in.and if it is a good enough answer i almost think it should be a sticky.i am scared to death i am going to do somthing wroung like should i try to pass this guy or should i take that road thats mountainy etc.thanks i think this will help a lot of memebers out here.
Supposed to take it easy but I drove mine "normal" & I had no problems. I pulled tha cover at 500 & it looked all good inside! I think as long as its installed correct there shouldn't be much of a problem.
I had some 3.73's installed yesterday by a performance shop that has several cars they race & he said that no break-in was really required.
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2007 Redfire GT, "Scarlett"- it's got stuff. "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”- Edmond Burke
um i think we have decided that normal is it! but what is normal? my normal and your normal and the next guys normal could all be different.i was hoping for a more technicall answer from maybe like some mechnics we have on here.example you should not go over 60 mph,you should not go over 3k rpms.you should only drive on flat roads etc.i taught it was a great question but guese not.
and i know for sure ther is a break in thats no question and just because somebody races does not make them qualifield.i would be scared to death if i was you if he told you there was no brake in on new gears run reall fast from him now i mean it!
When I had gears installed I was told to go through a few heat cycles. Drive for 30 min. and let it cool overnight, then go for 30 more and let it cool. I was just told no burnouts for a couple hundred miles. All has been good with them.
When I had gears installed I was told to go through a few heat cycles. Drive for 30 min. and let it cool overnight, then go for 30 more and let it cool. I was just told no burnouts for a couple hundred miles. All has been good with them.
Mark
I agree with this, not speaking from experience, but MANY of the posts I have read indicated the "heat cycles" and taking it easy on the new gears for at least the first 500 miles. Seems excessive to me. I am waiting to get my 3.73s installed next month.
When I got my gears, I was pissed when my mechanic showed me the manufacturers instructions saying to drive normal with no highway use for 500 miles.. I put about 500 miles per year on my mustang and there was no way I was going to drive it like a grocery getter for a whole year.. !
So I did some research, and many brands say to do 4 or 5 heat up cycles, about 20 miles each.. Drive "normally" with lots of stop and goes for 20 miles without stopping, then stop and let it cool for an hour or two. Do this 4 or 5 times and you have sufficiently "broken in" the gears.
Why do you have to do this? Basically you are tempering the steel in the gears, but if you want to get more technical, it has something to do with the grain of the steel and how cylcling the heat under actual driving conditions strengthens the metal exactly where it needs it.
What happens if you don't break in properly? When I researched it, I couldn't find a definitive answer other than "they won't last as long". However, some people claim the gears will be noisy, but then others claim that as long as they are installed correctly, this will never happen. I don't know the real consequences.
In my case, I went with Motive gears. It was my first mod and I didn't research it properly, trusting that Brenspeed wouldn't sell junk. The mechanic used a standard Ford install kit with all the shims and crush sleeve and stuff, and used Royal Purple. I had noise from day one and I am now at 650 miles on the gears. I didn't notice the noise until the first time I had the top up, which was almost two months later. We pulled it open at 500 miles and the wear pattern was perfect, every spec was dead on. The noise only happens under load (quiet as can be on the rack), so I suspect the main axel bearings to be the culprit, and there are some TSB's that suggest this can happen.
Side Note: I plan to change to 3.73's just before the supercharger goes in, and when I do I will put a full kit in, with bearings and all, and I will be very careful to heat cycle before I get on it. I am confident that the noise is coming from the bearings, not from the gears, and I hope this fixes it.
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2006 GT Premium Vert, 5 spd, Tungsten Grey Show: Painted gloss black stripes, Street Scene Gen 1 body kit, side and hood scoops, CDC light bar, sequential tails, purple underglow, 8" shorty antenna, redline hood struts, Steeda Ultralights, 20" Chrome Killers, S.O.S. pillar & 3 gauges. Go: J&M LCA's & Adj. UCA, J&M Adj. Panhard, CHE LCA reloc brackets & torque limiters, 3.73 gears, Kenne Bell Stage 1 2.6l supercharger.
...440rwhp/401rwtq
The heat cycles are more important to condition the bearings than the gears. But you are correct about the metal. The gear face needs to harden under pressure and heat or you can actually wear away the gear and expose softer metal underneath.
I always do 15 mins and a complete cooldown and then 30 mins and another complete cooldown. That'll heat treat the bearings.
I agree...I did this three times, and kept the rpms/speed low for the first 500mi. This will set everything and establish a wear pattern. You should then change the gear oil for any shavings that may be in there.
what the best way to drive braking in gears the first 500 miles 
.i think a lot of people on here are geting gears right now it seems.can somebody lay out dos and donts of braking gears in.and if it is a good enough answer i almost think it should be a sticky.i am scared to death i am going to do somthing wroung like should i try to pass this guy or should i take that road thats mountainy etc.thanks i think this will help a lot of memebers out here.
