Drive Showers - Worth It?
 

I'm looking at a couple different options of drive showers for a stock Bravo 3 on my express cruiser (not gonna be setting speed records)... Its still using the thru-leg cooling setup for now..
Given that its still being cooled by water inside the drive, is there still any benefit in my situation to add a drive shower? Personally, I like the look and simplicity of the sport tech cap on Hardin so leaning towards that, but I just wonder if its overkill for me.

Heat is the #1 killer of drives outside of abuse, showers are always welcomed

This is cheap, might not be the best. Pair this with the Simrek drive shower for good measure. Clean overflow bottle out real good and monitor it for burnt fluid. As you know. B3 drives run pretty warm and as said heat will a big contribution to killing it. Pick your flavor of Lube.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/28221628448...gaAjnFEALw_wcB

I waited a long time before getting mine installed, but finally did with no regrets. My drives stay cleaner and ditto on the heat/cooling benefit. Yes worth it, I'd do it again. Baja 35 Outlaw with twin 525s, Bravo One Sportmasters.

I put a Simrek shower on my Bravo 3. I feel it helps keep it cooler

I assumed the general consensus was "yes, worth it", but I was just curious if anyone had any "hard data" that shows how much it lowers the temp of the drive oil.. If I was super motivated, I would consider trying to figure out how to get a thermocouple inside a drive to measure lube temp lol, but I'm definitely not interested in drilling holes in my drive..
I'll definitely be looking to pick up one in the near future.. I'm still leaning towards the sport tech from hardin.. I really like how low profile it is.

Their website is very old school.
but you want the Max Machine Worx drive shower. Best product out there.

https://maxmachineworx.com/accessories/

I run this style plus a -12 intercooler dump on top the drive............shippy I think you are way over thinking this


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...21228dcb48.jpg

The IMCO is nice and works well

Padraig

Oh, im 9000% overthinking this lol... but i cant help it.. thats just my engineering brain trying to get to the bottom of it... I see so many marine doo dads and gizmos that are the next best thing cuz I think a lot of boat owners are suckers, so I try to do my research before opening my wallet.. lord knows boats keep wallets light as it is

If you have an Express cruiser with one/twin bravo 3. I'd worry more about changing the oil annually than drive showers. And don't forget to remove the reservoirs and flush the sludge out of those. Now if you're going WOT as soon as you leave the boat ramp. Sustaining it all day long, which I don't believe you're doing with an Express cruiser, then a drive shower may help you. MAY... If you had a go fast boat sustaining high RPMs. Then I would spend the money on drive showers. If you have a go fast boat and are only doing 40 mph. In my opinion. You don't need them.

IF you read some of @t500hps posts, he was shopping for a 400SS for a while. He settled on a Volvo diesel/drive setup.

Why? Paraphrasing: Every single 400SS with Mercruiser gas engines and B3 drives just had "new drives" installed.
There's a pattern there worth paying attention to.

Anything you can do to make things better on the drive is meaningful.
One of the reasons why I like the Max Machine Worx setup (I think that's what F2s-speedy has along with an ungraded/stronger top cap with the cooling dumps within it)...
...is you can pull the drives and switch them side to side to wear the other half of the gear set. Then just swap the drive shower pick up to the other side.

There is a dozen things that can happen to a bravo 3, or any drive not heat related. For instance when I had a Sea Ray Sundancer with bravo 3's (purchase new and had it for 10 years) the only thing that went bad on them were the inner propeller shaft. Heat treat problems. The oil seal wore into the shaft creating an oil leak. Mercruiser fought me on the warranty, but finally paid the whole tab. Would cruise around in that doing 35 to 40 mph. Never had drive showers. Never showed signs of getting hot.

Not a Bravo III but with my XR I get a white chalky deposit on my drive ....with a shower, I don't.

Padraig