sspower23

01 Camaro SS, 6 speed, Swapping 3.42s for better 4.11s. How many break-in miles need to go on the new gears before Tuning can be done? I found it out to be 500 miles, is this accurate? Thanks

theguyulove2hate

iTrader: (5)

depends on what brand. My new Richmond gears are 5 heat cycles.

lemons12

iTrader: (71)

I was WOT the second I pulled out on the street...

BlackScreaminMachine

iTrader: (17)

It's all about heat cycles for the gears

Tune- you can do immediately.

Just let the rear end fully cool which can take a while.

alamantia

iTrader: (10)

If you ever bought a new rear wheel drive car and had no issues with the rear, just do teh same break in as you did when you drove the car home from the dealer.

The gears are already heat treated at the manufacturer. Typically new gears get installed with new bearings. Bearings need to be broken in. Thats why they are installed with a higher reccomended preload than used bearings. The higher preload generates more friction on the bearing, in turn, heating up the Gear Lube more than normal. When low quality Gear Lube gets too hot it doesnt lubricate properly, this could cause damage to the gears. With a high quality lube this is not as much of an issue. I have had several gear sets installed and I just drive normally and/or go to the track right after each install and have never encountered a problem.

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

I heat cylced mine twice and put about 30 miles on them and they howl on the hwy. My buddy ran 400 miles and his is quiet as a mouse. I was the installer on both sets.

BlackScreaminMachine

iTrader: (17)

On both accounts, Factory gears and after markets are made of different meterials and the said manufacture of gears have different issues with noise. Richmond above all tend to be the noisiest.

As for breaking in, I follow Moser's proceedure which is included w/ every new rear which is forward and reverse on jack stands for like 10-15 mins. Let cool, drive about 20 miles varying the speed, let cool. Then done.

Gears often get noisy for 3 reasons....

Installer error.
Ring and Pinion manufacture and the metal used.
Abuse/Racing.

In the same Moser documentation they included proceedures for circle track and rail car which are shorter but they are desiged specifically for racing so road noise and durability requirements are quite different.

Spend the time to do it right once.

In the end though, unless your putting in GM (Factory) gearing, do not expect it to be like factory.

n20kid

iTrader: (6)

I recommend to my customers to take it a little bit easy on them for the first 75 miles, dont hop on the freeway right off, do some city driving for 50-75 miles with moderate to normal accelerations... and like they said above the cool down is key too.. As far as racing applications, there is no "Break in" period really, kinda hard to break in a car that is not streetable what so ever for putting around... Like stated above as well, treat it like a brand new car... If u are going to get any noise out of it, it will prolly b around 50-60 mph when letting off and letting it coast and decelerate on its own is where u will here most of the noise if there is gonna b any..

koolaid_kid

iTrader: (21)

Here is a writeup I found somewhere else, take it as you will:
"Originally Posted by chevystyle
Just had my gears replaced. The shop gave me a Break-In Procedure paper. I decided to post it in case somebody wanted to know. My gears were replaces with AAM OEM GM 7.625 4.10 ring and pinion set from UNITRAX.

Ring and pinion sets require a break-in period to prevent damage from overheating. Overloading or overheating will cause the lubrication to fail resulting in damage to the ring and pinion. In order to maximize the life of you differential, please follow this break-in procedure.

1. After installation, fill the differential with only premium national brand 80w90 or 85w140 GL-5 gear oil. Also add 4-8 ounces of Dane Spicer friction modifier to the oil if your differential contains a limited-slip or posi unit. Alert: Verify that the drain and fill plugs are properly secured.

2. Drive your vehicle easy for 30 minutes or approximately 20 miles. Avoid aggressive starts, hard stops and long distances at a steady speed.

3. Let the differential cool for at least 45 minutes.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 once.

5. It is not recommended to tow during the first 500 miles. Also avoid wide-open throttle acceleration for the first 300 miles.

6. When towing for the first time, drive easy for 20 miles let the differential cool for 45 minutes.

7. It is recommended to change the differential fluid between 2,500 and 5,000 miles. Use the lubricant specified in step 1. Subsequent oil changes should be performed every 20,000-30,000 miles.

Many differentials have been damaged by overheating, overloading, inadequate or improper lubrication. The above procedures may be a minor inconvenience, but if followed, your differential should prove to be one of the most dependable devices in your vehicles.

Again, this was a list given to me by the shop.


1. Agreed
2. Agreed
3. 15-20 minutes is adequate
4. We reccomend proces for the 1st 100 miles
5. Agreed but 500 miles for all towing and heavy acceleration
6. Agreed but 15 to 20 minutes adequate
7. Change oil at the 500 mile mark, then every 10,000-15,000 miles. Differential will last longer.

No additive needed for a Torsen Differential but does not hurt it if you use it.

Jeff"

therobman

iTrader: (39)

exactly what i did