I am going to have to purchase a new set of gears for the 12 bolt Chevy rear end I put in my '65 GS. I haven't been able to get an acceptable pattern (If I get the drive side right, coast is way off, and vice versa) setting up the Richmond gears I put in it and they are very noisy (only have about 45 miles on them). I can't mess with these any more because the threads on the pinion gear are all but destroyed from crushing a new crush sleeve a couple of times. I have seen the Motive gears for sale for basically the same price and they boast that they have the pattern marked on the gears for you. Anyone used these or have any comparison between them and the Richmond gears?
richmonds are always noisy, its the way they cut the teeth. if its a street car go with motive. theyll be quiet and there a good gear, as far as set up. dont worry about the coast side to much. get the drive side good, whats your backlash at? if its a drag car set the pinion up deeper into the ring gear, and go with the richmonds
Have had quite a bit of noise problems with propperly set-up Richmond 8.5 gears :af: , & as a result I won't warrantee the only ratio Richmond 8.5 gears (3.23's) I ever have reason to purchase. For all other NEW 8.5 ring & pinions I order US Gear/Strange, occasionally Motive. Have had ZERO problems with US Gear Torqueline & US Gear/Strange gear sets. While I've had decent luck with new 3.55 & 3.73 Richmond 12 bolt gears being decently quiet, am using US Gear-Strange 12 bolt gears whenever I can. California Gear/Christman Enterprises is a great source for US Gear/Strange products. Some of Randy's Ring & Pinion "Yukon" line is US Gear. :3gears: Roger .
Back in about 93 I had a 12 bolt in for some new Richmond gears. The guy who was setting them up tried to set them up for quite a while. There was no way to get a proper pattern so he called Richmond. They said a bad batch of gears got out and to set them back. I then had some Strange gears installed that worked fine. Ray
Thanks for the advice! Sounds like everyone has been through exactly what I am experiencing. I have the backlash set at .008" (that is what is marked on the gears) and have even tried it at .010" and it makes no difference--they consistently have a sing to them at any speed over 40mph. It is loud enough that I hear it over the 2.5" pipes and 2-chamber flow master mufflers on my car. This is definitely a street car, so I am going with a different brand of gears--most likely the Motive gears.
i had a 1988 cutlass supreme which i had 373 gears put it in 2 times,gears where richmond,had it done at 2 different shops 2 different times because of the whinning noise.neither of them could stop the whinning.good luck and make sure they are experts at rearends,test drive car and if it makes noise tell them to do it over.see yah Ray ________ WELLBUTRIN DEATH
Wow, I feel lucky that my Richmonds are actually quiet! It's a 12 bolt, though in case that matters..
If anyone has or has driven a 4-speed car with a Muncie or T-10 in it, you know the gear whine you hear from the transmission in 1st and 2nd gear? Well that is what my rear end sounds like in every gear. I ordered a set of gears through Summit that their tech guy said are closer to stock gears and will be quiet. They don't have them listed in their catalog and he had to order them from the manufacturer for me. I will let everyone know exactly what they are when I get them. I talked to the people at Motive gear and they said if I was looking for a set of gears that were quiet like factory gears, then the Motive gears were not what I wanted. The guy at Summit told me the same thing when I asked about Richmond vs. Motive, and that is when he told me about the others he could get for me--I don't remember the brand name--they were something I had never heard of.
Personally I've set up alot of rears with Precision Gears from Reider Racing in Taylor Michigan. Never a problem. The Richmonds are fine for mostly strip or drag only cars. Abuse is what the straighter gear was designed for. The noise stems from the fact they are more "straight cut" as compaired to some other aftermarket or factory gears which are more "helical cut" (curved) for noise reduction. Just for example the Muncie "rock crusher" M-21 four speed has straighter cut gears compaired to the M-20 four gear that is quieter. Roger (and maybe some of you other diff. builders) have heard of "Phoenix cut" gears. Now talk about some serious helical cut gears. I put some 3.73's in a Chebby box van. A tough set-up and they must be set perfectly. Bottom line is like anything else you do with your car it depends on the way you are going to use it. Later, Tim
Thanks for the info! I never realized that most of the aftermarket gears are taylored for drag racing and abuse. I just want a set of stock equivalent gears for my '65 GS. I put the 12 bolt chevy rear in it because I knew the factory 8.2 10 bolt is the weak link, especially with mine being a 4-speed car and the fact I put a warmed over 425 in the car. With the stock size tires and stock equivalent gears in a Chevy 12-bolt with an Auburn posi-carrier, it should live forever--especially since it is a show car any only goes out maybe once a month. It just irritates me to no end to hear that gear sing in the rear when I do get it out and drive it, so the Richmond gears are coming out.
just to chime in. I have Richmond 3.73 gears in a '77 8.5 rear. Some days they howl so bad under light load at certain speeds, they make my teeth hurt! I was going to yank them out and put back the 2.56's.
Well, I started this post, so I better tell everyone the outcome. I fixed the rear end today. I called Summit and talked to a guy there and he ordered me a set of Superior gears. I had never heard of that brand. He said they were more along the lines of a stock GM gear, and he was right. They came in this week and I put them in last night and buttoned it all up this morning. All the noise is gone now. Anyone want to buy a very slightly used set of Richmond 3.73 gears for a 12 bolt chevy car rear-end?!! They have less than 100 miles on them. If you are going to race it and don't mind the noise, I will make you a great deal!
2011 Update? Any major advancements with either the Motive or Richmond gears five years later? Thanks.
Well as it turns out, much to my surprise this afternoon..the online vendor I used that the kids got me a card for decided to send a set of each. I think the cart and order submission that had both @ one time triggered something in their system and they sent both for the price of one...:eek2: I plan to call them Monday and let them know about their mistake and return one of the sets. Now to decide which one to keep...o No: Richmond Street Gear Part No. 49-0113-1 Motive Gear Performance Part No. G888342
