Bravo XR.? XZ?
 

What is the real difference between the two??
Pros.. cons? Any other drives in the same $ range worth looking into??
Thx

P

both have same lower....XR has straight cut upper gears. XZ has hardened B1 type helical cut upper gears. Orig B1 would break lowers, beef up lower, then upper became weak link, beef up upper = XR XR will take 600 hp in the right boat with the right driver.

For the power you have been talking about, don't even consider an XZ. Get an XR with a good top cap and a good drive shower and go.
Eddie

What he said.

The XZ seems to have a longer life span unless subjected to excess HP. THe uppers seem to last a tad longer

Does a larger better top cap make a much of a difference on a stock Bravo? I bought a new one last summer, it doesn't have the new style cap. Should I buy one like the new style??

What does a better top cap offer?

Yes, it will add strength to a stock bravo. Keeps the vert shaft in place. Keep your drive and get a billet top cap from billet marine or something....if thats what you want.

yes, the straight cut gears dont last as long under normal wear and tear.....i would think we are still talking 3-4-5 yrs though and for whats its worth I wouldnt skimp on the XZ with the amt of HP.

The beefed up top cap is a big help in keeping the vert shaft in place. It also helps on the left hand drives to keep the cap from flexing. The left hand drives want to send the upper gears and the vert shaft up through the cap. The stock cast aluminum cap can and does flex allowing increased basklash and less tooth engagement in the upper gears, which can cause premature gear failure. Billet Marine is my cap of choice. It has internal cooling passages, making for an excellent drive shower. The problem with some of the aftermarket caps is that while they are thick and do not flex, your drive shower is not very effective at cooling the drive. They are so thick that bouncing water off the top of them is not going to cool the drive because of the mass of the cap. Hence the reason I like the internal water passages. Hope this answers your question, Eddie.

XR also has a larger diameter prop shaft. Therefore, a regular Bravo 1 prop requires the internal hub to be replaced with the larger diameter id. Soooo, ideally it should be harder to twist a prop shaft in the XR.

I perfer the XR ribbed top cap myself it has a steel tower in it and is thicker than the stardard cap. The ribs afford more surface area while adding thickness to the strength of the cap. Studded to the case it firms up the upper housing and supports the vertical shaft quite well. The cost is very reasonable for this cap, even with a stud kit. (I supply my own kit). I have not had any failures using the XR ribbed top cap.
One thing to mention is that the depth of the bearing race surface is not equal on all caps. I measure each one and shim accordingly. If you have a properly setup gear set, you can measure the difference between the two caps (new and old) and change out the difference with the proper shim/bearing race. So I dont recommend someone just buy a new cap and put it on, without checking it first.
I have also found some caps with the race surface not flat or parallel. I have not found this to be the case with the Merc cap.
Cooling is another issue. If your drive shower sprays water on the sides of the case as well as the top.. it will cool sufficently to help protect the drive. When I first installed the ribbed cap on my drive (Bravo1 XR) it would chalk up until I changed out the shower to the Halo type.
So as Eddie said there are many things to consider when choosing a top cap. We each have our preferences. I was told once that internal cap cooling can be a problem in salt water, but I have not seen that where I live..

Hope this helps add to the confusion.. :)

Dick

The XR and XZ use the EXACT same lower and the propshafts are the same.

Didn't know the XZ was the larger diameter also. The X and older Bravo 1 have the smaller diameter.

I have two of each, and I use the Billet top cap because it came with the boat. The XZs are actually 2 miler per hour faster than the XR with everything else the same.
I use the XZs as spares and the XRs as my main drives. The boat came with the XRs and I found a pair of XZs which I bought for spares. They come in handy boating on the Chesapeake Bay.
I doubt you can go wrong with either drive.