GEAR DRIVE? YES OR NO YOUR THOUGHS
- Thread starter af62cobra
- Start date
Roland69
Sergeant Tangnet
alot of different opinions on this subject. I myself am unsure but have 1 thought.....Were does the noise come from.....friction or just the way the gears sound.
Chains make noise too, people are just used to hearing them, also belts. There is a friction but again, it's going to be there regardless. The issue is harmonics through the crank. I did some research on this myself and i got pros and cons, mostly about the harmonics through the crank though. Most said they would definitely run them on a race engine but not on a street engine. I'm considering going with one on my next engine, since it's only driven on the weekends anyways.
The thing about friction and about the overall use of the gears is that you have to remember it's not going to last forever...you're more than likely going to have to replace the gears in/about/around the same time that a chain would wear out...and since it's WAY more expensive you just have to be willing to spend that on something that isn't going to last 100k miles or whatever.
gears arent very expensive..I had gear drive on my last windsor motor it was pete jackson quite and honestly my stock ford power steering pump made more noise. gears are good for accurate cam timing if setup correct the first time but I had a set fail in a mopar motor and it was not nice. The front end of block was lunch meat when it was done....witht hat being said I think it comes into preference. I run heavy duty true double roller chain like a rollmaster or Cloyes. Next motor will get milodon belt drive....
What are you trying to accomplish first off. Gears are more accurate so if that is your goal then get them. Understand that the gears come along with harmonics which aren't that friendly to the engine. If it were a race engine or a weekend car I don't see an issue with it. A chain will last 100k+ so longevity really isnt an issue with modern double rollers. A chain will be cheaper... I wouldn't touch a cheap gear set. Depending on the block some gears take some machining so look into that first. I am sure there has to be a bolt on kit for the 302 somewhere though.
Kevin
Kevin
Flavadave4
Active Member
personally, on an efi motor id stick with a chain so as not to potentially upset any knock sensors. the 6 cylinder in my truck gear-driven, and it has a phenolic (or some other plastic material) gear just for that reason (though i know of some people who switched to the older steel gear and had no problems so 
).
).
