Quote: Any gear can be noisey if there's a problem. Problems are not always with the gears themselves, or even from the chuck. But - if there are not other issues, and they are broken in proerly, no gear ratio in and of itself will be noisey.
This is what I was thinking. My friend who built my 489 case 3.55 gears is very picky about how it's set up. Even when I was putting my 8 3/4 together he didn't want me to consult anyone but him. He was extra particular about how the gears were broke in, especially with a 489 case that has a crush sleeve. IIRC he states 20 minutes of light street driving and 2 hours of rest to cool down for about 3 cycles, always use an 85w gear oil or higher, and no burnouts/towing for the first 500 miles.
