Well guys, I'm getting my new motor finished up and now I'm thinking about my drive. Here's what I have going on, it's a Velocity 280 with approx 625hp. I checked my drive serial # and it is a later OM, so from what I've read it has the X gears in it. I'm pretty good on the throttles, but I don't want to be worried every time I mash it either.
What do you think? Should I upgrade the drive that I have, or buy an XR or something similar? What kind of upgrades would you do to this drive??

Thanks,
Frank

Frank,
If this is NA motor.. if so, if you are easy on it.. It could live! The weak points will be the gear teeth and the shafts. If the drive is still tight, it should hold up to easy driving.. Just dont put much torque to it... in mid range. Wait till the boat airs out a bit before u nail it.
I have several customers that run less and it lives. The two things I do to help that drive would be a steel tower in the case and an XR cap with the steel tower. Set it up.. and they do quite well..
Of course you can break anything, but I tell people that if they dont have the power to break the teeth, then dont go with the XR upper gears. They wear out.. The X gears live longer unless you have too much power..

Hope that helps..

D*ck

I've been running the same Bravo One drive unit since 1989 in a 24' and have serviced it MYSELF yearly. I have done no upgrades and it has lasted through three 454's, 1-330HP, 1-500hp, 1-650hp and now I've blown a 498 @ 800 or so HP with a season and 70 Hours or so, on the same drive, no work on it yet. Be nice to the drive, it's not a drag car or a stump puller and it will last you a very long time. I currently and in the past run my set ups at up to 6800 RPM for extended periods. Hope that helps. Don't let them talk you into upgrades at that HP you do not need if you are good to it, not babying it by any means, just good to it.....

P.S., see this thread.....
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=152003

Take it easy until on plane and you should be OK.

If not, I know a guy that sells Konrads

Keep us posted on then engine your building, should be a good one!!

Kirk

Like they said take it easy and I would plan on looking for a spare

Nothing to worry about Frank, I aways have a tow rope with me

I twisted a propshaft off last year from bad driving. Didn't get the stick pulled back properly on reentry. I run less hp then these can take. To me it is all in how you drive and how the boat is set up for getting air on the prop. Too high an x and you may have trouble. Leave it stock x and drive it nice (under 70mph at all times) and you will be fine.

BT

A friend of mine had a 28 Velocity with NA 750 - 775 hp using a mid 90s Bravo I. He ran it 250 hours without breaking a drive.

Exactly!!!!

I ran a stock 2000 bravo which is weaker than yours for 2 seasons with 650 hp in a 272 baja until it broke thefloor out of the upper gears,your boat goes thru the water better and has the stronger x gears,you will be fine for a while,Smitty