Re: Drive Shower
All high performance automotive manual transmissions required to operate under extreme conditions (NASCAR, endurance racing, etc) of RPM and power output use transmission oil coolers (they also use differential coolers which I think would be more analogous to a drive cooler). Same conditions apply to the hot-rod boat crowd. The Cigarettes, Fountains, Formulas, etc with twin 1000 HP engines turning 6500 RPM running from Miami to the Bahamas at 100 MPH probably definitely benefit from a drive shower. They supposedly make a huge difference on the life of the upper bearing. The normal IBOAT reader who runs at 40 or 50 MPH for a half hour at a time max before coming off plane and cooling the upper drive probably won't see any difference.
One of the signs of your outdrive getting hot is white calcium deposits on the upper from it getting so hot it boils the water when you come off plane and it drops back in. That says to me that it has to be over 212 degrees. Everything I've read about drive showers says they keep the upper cool enough to eliminate these calcium deposits which means the upper is below 212 degrees.
Only disadvantage to them is that some of them require drilling holes in your cavitation plate which voids your corrosion warranty. I think the newer Simreks attach to the ram bolts and don't require drilling holes.
I figure they're cheap and don't hurt anything. They actually may help. I'm kind of like Bond-O, I intend to put one on my B3 this summer when I get around to it but it's not the highest priority on my list!
