Even during a proper slow break-in of new rough gears the contact tooth surface will experienced a "trauma"
and there will be some micro pitting damage. The gears may last a long time....or they might not. In a nutshell,
grinding 2 teeth together and tearing the tooling marks off is not going to leave a pretty surface afterwards.
Shown above is one that did not last.
Shot peening is the process of hammering the surface of a material with small spheres of
steel, ceramic or glass media pneumatically propelled at high velocities. These shot particles
create a series of overlapping dimples on the material's surface which put the upper layers of the material
into compression, and help to prevent fatigue failure in the material. It could be argued that shot peening
is "as good" and possibly better than REM super polish. It also means very low friction which means diff
temps will be very cool, much better fatigue resistance to breakage, and no 500 mile break-in.
REM isotropic finishing (aka super polishing) involves a vibratory vat with an assortment of ceramic chunks and special chemicals.
REM treatment results in a very smooth surface. The end result is less friction, less heat, and less wear. Any machined part has
high and low areas left over from machining, grinding, etc. Those high spots become the initial contact points which in turn can
become localized hot spots. Those localized hot spots can take the temper out of the heat treated area of the surface and then
become a pit. REM greatly reduces that possibility. Cool clean oil and no 500 mile break-in are the main benefits.
"next generation" shot peening done to it.
about WPC
This special surface treatment is only available in Torrance, CA. and in Japan....no place else in the world!
They offer revolutiongear which is a high quality gear and they are one of the few online stores that offer an optional super
polish service. The service must be requested over the phone.
A second place is located right in the Phoenix Valley in Arizona....Ayers Gear and Machine 702 N 37th Dr. Phoenix, AZ 85009
623-934-6913 Ask for Parker
Rumor has it that they now have a shot peen option....inquire within.
A 3rd place is New England Gear Polish located in Connecticut. 860-807-5513
They do an excellent job on the shine.
Has anybody noticed that Ford Chevy Dodge Toyota and the whole rest of them that they make
no mention of a slow careful 500 mile break-in?....No multiple sessions of driving for 20
minutes and then wait for the gears to cool down?...no changing the gear oil after 500 miles?
Buy the brand new car...drive it home....drive it on the local roads....drive it on the highways....
drive it fast and no problems with long lines at the service centers with smoked ring and pinions?
It could be considered foolish for them to install rough gears....90% done gears in brand new
vehicles. Maybe that's why OEM factory gears are high speed shot peened. It's basically an
upgraded shotpeen process that involves ultra fine particle materials at much higher blast
speeds that offers all the benefits of normal shot peen plus a bit more. The actual process
is all computer controlled and automated so it takes only a couple minutes per ring/pinion.
It's cost effective and quick which makes it the perfect choice for car companies.
Your guess is as good as mine why the ring/pinion manufacturers don't do the shot peen......
so they ALL continue to churn out 90% done gears and expect the customer to do the last 10%....
and hope that the gears survive.
REM super polish is a longer process and takes about 5 hours....but the vat can usually support about 5
ring/pinions with each load. This is not an issue for the aftermarket community.
....................smooth gears + good installer = good gear install...........................
