Cyrogenic Treatment?

[woodsbuggy1]

Any real world experience with cryogenic treatment on transaxle components? I will be having a 091/1 built for my offroad woodsbuggy this winter. Was planning on Weddle 1st and 2nd (we rarely use 3rd and 4th) and Weddle ring and pinion, but wondered how cyro treated German components compared to Weddle? The factory gear ratios are fine for me just want a transaxle that will handle my new motor(1915 with 15lbs boost) hoping for 150 ft/lbs.
Thanks
Kenric

[Pablo2]

I know you will get opinions ranging from "Best thing since sliced bread" to "Absolute snake oil". I will tell you of our one and only experience.

A customer purchased four sets of 915 gears from us, all the same ratio. We have these gears manufactured from the finest grade Corus aerospace vacuum-processed 9310 material, AND we have a world class heat treater with absolutely the most modern heat treating equipment. I've toured the facility, and it is astounding.

Anyhow, we tell any customer who asks about cryo to NOT do it. This customer ignored our advice, had the gears cryogenically treated, and every single gear failed in short order. This was a ratio which had NEVER before experienced a failure. Perhaps you can find a better "cryo technician" than this customer did.

Twenty years ago, I had a conference call with Roy Kern, who writes a monthly article in Heat Treater magazine. He nixed the idea of cryo treating any properly heat treated automotive gear.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

It was my understanding that it is an either or situation (Cryogenic [cr] heat treat [ht]). There are advantages/disadvantages to either way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryogenic_hardening

http://www.efunda.com/processes/heat_tr ... ogenic.cfm

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=16198

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryogenic_treatment

Do a search on cr vs. ht and you will find a lot of information/opinions on this. There seems so be some direction to when cr or ht or a combination that s/b considered.

[Pablo2]

ALL automotive gears are heat treated. The process usually contains about a dozen steps, one of which is deep freezing. The old recipe involved liquid nitrogen or dry ice, but today's recipes call for not such extremely low temperatures. (Heat treatment is an always evolving science.)

According to Roy Kern, cryogenics has some possible use for converting high levels of retained austenite in improperly heat treated gears, but by no means is there a guaranteed outcome. We had contacted him because we had an improperly heat treated batch of gears. A cryogenically treated test sample succeeded in raising the Rc number by a single point, but the effect was not nearly enough to revive that particular batch of gears. Thankfully, our next two gear manufacturers didn't skimp when it came to heat treatment process.

[woodsbuggy1]

Thanks for the input, I guess that I will send my money to Weddle and use parts that I know are good.
Take Care
Kenric

[Henryhoehandle]

I have talked to weddle about Cyro.. they said it doesn't help much...or any..