i see a bravo 3xr in the classifieds on this site for a very reasonable price.my boat only has the 502mpi with 415 horsepower so the 3x would be adequate but the xr would be stronger if i ever decided to mod my engine abit although i doubt thats gonna happen.i thought i read somewhere that the xr drives had straight cut gears and the x drives had helical cut gears.if this is true is one noisier than the other or are there any disadvantages to the 3xr.also these drives are 2006 models that have never been installed would any of the seals or anything be dried out and need replacing.thanks for any help jim

Lot's of questions there... I have XR3's on my 370ss with 525's. Can't say they make anymore noise than than the X3. The XR's do have straight cut gears. I think you would be fine with the X3, especially for the money. Far as the other questions, I wouldn't think the seals would be a problem, someone else might answer better.