Anyone running 800 hp through an xr drive if so how is the drive holding up

hmmm

i know a 35 baja that did. Ran the shootout at 103 2 years ago. no problems but he's a good driver and not really hard on his boat

I would invest in a Drive Guardian, Lot less $$$ than an expensive drive.

It all depends on what type of water you run in, type of boat, how hard you are on the stick(s), etc. I would feel nervous with anything over 650 going through an XR.

Ran 825HP through IMCO SC's on a 35 Top Gun (flat bottom) for about 5 years. I was easy on her and still went through three rebuilds, one new lower case, and one entire new drive. Running O/B's now and love the sense of security and fun I can have vs. driving puckered waiting to blow up. If I ever go back to big power, it will have 6's or 8's or Arnesons.

make sure you have an extra few sets for the summer..... quicker to swap them out then rebuild... unless you keep your 800 HP around 2K on your Tach they should last a few seasons...

Ran TCM900efi through a Teague Platinum on an F29 for 3.5 season with zero issues, didn't feel like I drove it any easier or harder than needed...

Second owner wasn't as lucky...

I had blown 875hp and A XR in my 28 Arrow (V-hull) couple of years with no probs.

We're putting 900hp through an XR in a fairly heavy 24' V - hull.

At 60ish hours we're seeing some pretty major pitting in the gear surfaces. We're rebuilding (actuallyMr Gadgets here on OSO is rebuilding) the drive now thinking we'd rather do it on our schedule as opposed to when we're forced to.

If you do some searching you'll find there are several variables that affect gear & bearing longevity. It's not as simple as having a light or heavy boat with "XXX" horsepower and being "easy" on the drive.

General consensus seems to be that if you have big HP and an XR drive it's not a matter of "IF" but rather "When & How Bad".

We went in to our combination with our eyes open knowing we'd have to rebuild the drive every few seasons. This is our first rebuild and the longevity between now and the next one will decide whether we rebuild the XR or switch to an IMCO. Realistically, we probably should have made the drive switch now but our boat does nothing wrong and I'm really reluctant to to start the dial in process all over again.

If we do get another 60-70 hours on the drive (which in MI could be several seasons worth of time) when we rebuild it again I'll have a drive guardian installed because the motor will have to come out and be freshened. Hopefully by that time there will be more robust aftermarket gear available.

There is some info out there re. drive oil coolers but the opinions I found seem to be fairly well divided between the guys selling them who swear they work (naturally) and the guys who have them who aren't sure if they work or not.

Hope this helps
Cheers

s