I was thinkin about installing a gear-driven timing setup instead of the chain-driven type since I'm gonna be pullin the front of the motor off this weekend anyway. Is there any disadvantage to the gear-type? Thanks a MILLION!

 

makes more noise

 

Which makes a good point, don't do it if you have a Knock sensor on a factory EFI engine.

 

Well, it doesnt seem to affect my knock sensor on my motor...which is an '89 TPI 350. But it is loud. I like it now, but I can see it being annoying in a few months or early in the morning when Im hung over and just want to get to work. Though, timing gears are more accurate to slight degree and generally are used for race applications to maintain the accurate timing...which probably isnt necessary in your engine application. So unless you like the noise, I wouldn't do it.

 

try a search on gear drives . There is alot of stuff already here. Lots of arguments too .

 

chp or car craft did a review on this a lil ways back. Between a timing chain, gear drive, belt drive, and some other fancy crap. I think there was like a 1hp difference between all of them. So choose what you wish. If you getta pete jackson, the quiet one I couldnt hear, and now the loud one I can't hear . No but thats what happens when you have no mufflers. On the outside of the car the quiet i couldnt really hear to well, the loud you can definetly hear a whine. Wish I stuck with the quiet but what ever.

 

also doesn't the gear drive weigh more?

 

You will get lots of mixed info about the gear drives...

Some will say it screws with knock sensors some will say it has no effect. Some say they are more acurate than a chain some say a good chain is no different. and so on...

 

I'm not sure if there's any more rotating mass with a gear drive or not. I'd think not, the idler gears are fairly small and you dont have all that mass around the outside of the cam gear or crank gear like with a chain.

If you arent looking for the noise, I wouldnt do it. Some people find it downright annoying.

 

I had a noisy set in my car. After 5 passes down the track, I put a chain back in. A noisy gear drive is very annoying.

Of course with the dual air filters sticking out of the hood, it sounded like I had a blower under the hood.

 

I think the noise sounds pretty sweet. Like Steven said, it sounds like a supercharger under the hood. Are they pretty easy to install and how long do they last compared to the chain? THANX!

 

But theres no super charger under the hood so its rice...why i wish i got a quiet one

Ive had 2 now with no problems, pretty easy to install, might have to grind a little of the back lil spacer thing on the idler gear but no biggie

 

It is actually very annoying, I have a 350 with gear timing among other mods, and inside the car thats all you can hear. the very first drive with it was cool, now its downright loud and annoying