PokerRun388

hey guys.... was wondering if the IMCO extreme sc drive is better equipped to run 700 to 900hp on a 25/26 eliminator daytona.... Or is a Bravo XR drive ok.... also what is the purpose of a standoff box? they look great but what does it do and is it worth the money?

Philm

The Imco SC is a beefier case using XR gears. It will be a little more stable, but the gears are the weak point. It also has a built in drive shower and a much more efficient lower than the sportmaster lower. So it will work as well or better than an XR, but neither will work that well if you have 900hp.

A standoff box puts the drive back in cleaner water and increases the lever arm of the drive. It also allows you to run higher X dimensions.

fireboatpilot

Well said Phil. If I might add, the built in shower is crap and I would recommend the addition of an add on shower of some sort. Lowers seem to last and uppers steel tower is replaceable where the XR isn't. Popped an upper this summer and had to replace the tower sleve. An XR would have been trashed. Cheap azz XR gears.

offshorexcursion

iTrader: (5)

I feel a Imco Sc is junk over 600hp. I used to have a pair of them and they broke more ways then not. I currently have no drives and researching drives a ton for this spring.

Imco sc, teague platnium, and B max lower only all use junk merc xr gears. cryo treating, trying to setup better, bla bla bla, they still wear out, break, and ruin your summer boating!

Imco scx upper and sc lower for strength and speed
Imco scx upper and scx lower for strength (my choice)
Bmax upper is strong but the lower still uses xr gears
Arneson strength and speed and rooster tail (my other choice)
X power just to expensive and risky
NXT not bolt on but possible
#6 to heavy, robs power, hard to install on a bravo boat

Wet-N-Wild

Wow!!! That's what I dont understand all that extra money for a Teague or Imco drive and it is the same as an XR. Sounds like somebodys trying to pull a fast one on their customers

Mr Gadgets

Not necessarily Wet.. From the begining of the Bravo drive, people have been putting more power to it than it can handle. Builders have done differnt things to help with the extra power. They have come along way. Used to be the B1 would have trouble with 450hp or more.. Now that limit has gone up considerably. I have friends with smaller boats with 850-900hp Procharged motors and the B1 lives. After modifications. Now the B1 wont work on all boats.. Hp is only one factor.. boat, motor torque curve, driving, etc all come into play.

The XR was a huge improvment when the net forged gears came out. (XR uppers and all Bravo lower gears). Putting 1100hp to an XR in a light boat was common. But in recent years failures have gone up. Upper XR gears snap teeth at the strongest point. Lower gears start to pit much sooner, etc.
That is why the XR is not a good choice at this time. The net forged gears are not holding up like they used to.
So a lot of people are headed to other solutions. All have comprimises.. Setup changes, etc.
So the builders that work on mods for a drive have their tricks and they do work, so long as the parts they use are good to start with. The B1 case used to have a flex problem, that is why the Imco SC was born. It is a much stouter case and it solve problems in it's day.
There are weak points to most of the drives. It has always been a chase to solve the weak point, then more power, then another weak point shows up. The original Bravo was designed for 350hp, if I remember correctly. So they have come along way. Now if the gears were as good as they were 5yrs back, then we would be looking at a somewhat reasonable maintance schedule.
One friend had 1170hp, Procharged, 24' boat. His acceptable schedule was change upper and lower gears every 6070hrs. He never broke it, we would catch it before it made a mess. But he drove the boat all weekend making 100+mph passes with a boat load of friends.
So that is a little history of the Bravo. As new products come out, the old setups become obsolete when they break.

I have been breaking parts for along time. My present drive is a B1 with older XR gears (upper and lower) and I have over 300hrs on it, in a 28' Checkmate with 750hp. I dont baby it, but I drive it with respect. When they die, I was considering putting the helical gears in it. Now it has been replaced by an SCX. So I have to decide what I am going to do with the spare drive. It isn't time to rebuild, and has some life left in it. Maybe make it a loaner for those that have to be on the water by the weekend.

Hope that helps.
Dick

offshorexcursion

iTrader: (5)

I know I am a little extreme with my thoughts! Mr. Gadgets explained it much better.

But IMO if there is still weak links, and I put more hours then most on a summer, I would rather have stronger drives.

I loved the look of the IMCO SC, the handling is awesome. Yes the case is stronger along with other parts like shafts and bearings. So I guess I am happy that when parts broke they did not destroy the rest of the drive like what would happen to a brovo XR.

I love my stand off boxes.

Whats your setup, and whats your future plans? I was assuming you were looking to purchase one or the other. So with nothing invested yet you could spend a little more up front and be better in the end. If you already have one then thats a different story

Wildman_grafix

I wonder, has anyone broke a Arneson, the one they make for a bravo conversion?

Seems a expensive conversion but if you only had to do it once the cost may be worth it. Just asking, I know I would have a problem spending the money but it sounds like maybe spend a lot one time or a bit every 100 hours or so?

Do you have any thoughts on this Dick? (Mr Gadgets)

paul buckner

Hi wet and wild i tried to reply 3 times with Pm but they dont seem to be sent to you when i check my sent mesg nothing sent comes up?

Mr Gadgets

Wildman,
I know of one person that always said, I can buy #6 one bravo at a time, or buy it all up front.

So there is logic to your thoughts.
The Arneson is a good, quality unit. They seem to last forever, from what I have heard.
As far as the setup for one's particular boat, that has to defined by the owner. If someone else has done it and the results are great, then you have a basis to go by.
But as someone said, if you go that route and it doesn't make you happy, going back is a hard to do. And if you are not happy with it, can you sell it?
I can sell something I have been happy with, but if I am not, it is hard to put a good sell on it. If I am happy with it, I tend not to try and sell it any way. Too much work to let it go.
Not knocking the Arneson, but I have the same feeling for the NXT, #6, Konrad, Bmax, and others.
Merc has a lock on boat manufactures.. People are used to buying a black drive and motor combo. If it varies from that, they get leary. Used to be OMC, Volo, etc were into it heavy and people had choices. Now there are not that many people into boating as it used to be..

Just my .02
Dick