Proper ring gear to pinion gear contact pattern is critical for quiet and trouble free gear set operation.
Ring and pinion pattern.
Move the ring gear closer to the pinion decrease backlash while maintaining minimum backlash.
When the pinion is too far in towards the ring gear the pattern is low toward the base of the gear teeth.
Use gear marking compound to paint all of the ring gear teeth.
Begin by setting proper pinion bearing preload total turning preload and ring gear backlash.
For more in depth information about ring and pinion gear patterns and how to make adjustments see our installation instructions page.
Moving the ring gear away from the pinion increases backlash and causes the pattern to move out toward the heel of the ring gear.
This pattern indicates excessive pinion depth.
The ring gear is too far in toward the pinion.
Toe contact pattern is concentrated off the toe end of the drive gear tooth.
The images below illustrate both acceptable and unacceptable ring and pinion gear patterns.