Power limitations
02-08-2008, 05:05 PM
#1
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Location: st louis mo, LOTO Emrald Bay
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Power limitations
Hey does anybody out ther know the power limitations for the bravo 1? The reason I am askin is cause I wanted to put a set of pro chargers on my 540's that have a base of 625hp. I just want to know if the drives will sustain that kind of hp boost.
02-08-2008, 06:28 PM
#3
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Its more about torque and where your motor makes it. Blower motors make alot of low end torque, thats what kills the Bravo 1 We ran Whipples on 540's with AFR heads and never dynoed, so we wont throw out a HP figure, but it was on a 35 Fountain that ran 104 MPH. The drives lived 100 hrs no problem. The other biggest contributing factor is the driver. Jumping the boat out of the water, loading and unloading the props especially under boost is very hard on the drives. We babied it on plane and didnt hammer the sticks until we were up and running. Good luck.
02-08-2008, 07:49 PM
#4
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Big,
There are alot of factors. Do a search and see what has been posted previously. It can be done, but the drives need to be setup properly. If they are worn and loose, they will destruct. The Procharger is a good choice. It is softer on the drive than a roots style blower, they dont bring on boost till later on.
You can upgrade your B1 to new X style gears that have thicker floors or you can go to XR gears in your upper case. Your upper and lower have to be in good shape to start with. In any case you should install a steel tower in the case and use good caps. When I do an upgrade I install a tower that has 2" of thread in the case and I use the XR ribbed top cap that has a steel tower in it.
You can upgrade your lower to XR propshaft and a good vertical shaft. I like and use the Imco Vertical shaft.
If your boat is not too heavy?? and you drive it with respect, you might be able to make the X style gears live. If you make enough power to knock the teeth off of them, then you will have to go to the XR gears. They wear out faster. Depending on how much power you make the life will be shortened accordingly. Same with the lower gears. They can be cryo treated and that has prove to add life. Both Aritic and I have proven that. You can add wet sump cooling that will help. There are several things you can to to make it live.
The next step is go to Bmax or the new Imco SCX. There are more choices than ever before.. just how fast do you want to go and how much do you want to spend?? That will determine what kind of drive will work for you and what kind of a maintenace program you are willing to live with.
Hope this helps!
Dick
There are alot of factors. Do a search and see what has been posted previously. It can be done, but the drives need to be setup properly. If they are worn and loose, they will destruct. The Procharger is a good choice. It is softer on the drive than a roots style blower, they dont bring on boost till later on.
You can upgrade your B1 to new X style gears that have thicker floors or you can go to XR gears in your upper case. Your upper and lower have to be in good shape to start with. In any case you should install a steel tower in the case and use good caps. When I do an upgrade I install a tower that has 2" of thread in the case and I use the XR ribbed top cap that has a steel tower in it.
You can upgrade your lower to XR propshaft and a good vertical shaft. I like and use the Imco Vertical shaft.
If your boat is not too heavy?? and you drive it with respect, you might be able to make the X style gears live. If you make enough power to knock the teeth off of them, then you will have to go to the XR gears. They wear out faster. Depending on how much power you make the life will be shortened accordingly. Same with the lower gears. They can be cryo treated and that has prove to add life. Both Aritic and I have proven that. You can add wet sump cooling that will help. There are several things you can to to make it live.
The next step is go to Bmax or the new Imco SCX. There are more choices than ever before.. just how fast do you want to go and how much do you want to spend?? That will determine what kind of drive will work for you and what kind of a maintenace program you are willing to live with.
Hope this helps!
Dick
