15 hours ago, johnD. said:

It's also wise to measure all the way across the bearing in the middle of the caliper , not the side of the bearing with the tips of the caliper. Tight lines.

 Anyway thank to you with SLX XT schematic that I can now install bearing on SLX.

 

13 hours ago, Shimano_1 said:

Thanks again I'll definitely give those a try! Will report back when i have some results! 

Hey to another Lexingtonian! Let us know how they work as I've got a couple SLX reels too that I'll try this on.

Has anyone tried a PG conversion for their SLX? I see it uses the main gears from a curado I but the pinion is a different part number. May just try to fit gears from my curado 70 to test... if a pg upgrade works tho.... SLX XT/MGL/DC crankbait reel!!

13 minutes ago, BaitFinesse said:

If I/70 gears fit then you can run micro mod gears from the Scorpion 70 based Engetsu.  The fact that they are the same as the Curado I and 70 is a little concerning.  Those reels all got geary feeling.  Something about the gears in them.  Let's hope the SLX is an improvement.  

Thanks for the micromodule suggestion!! 
Unfortunately at the SLX price point I’d be shocked if they let it be any smoother long term than the curado line... Unless the K line is a significant bump in quality vs the I, shimano marketing would’ve made a small (but welcome) error releasing a reel that improves on the i and the 70 at $99 US. 
that being said - higher gear ratios put larger loads on fewer pinion gear teeth. I find XGs get geary and loose relatively soon in their life, probably due to this... insane me contemplated getting hardened stainless or carbide tooth gears cut for this reason. 

3 minutes ago, BaitFinesse said:

Marine grade bronze is supposed to be pretty durable.  This is what the 19 Morethan PE uses in their 8.6:1.  I don't know about stainless gears. They're rough out of the box.  I think you need to bump up to the Lexa have a platform you can swap stainless gears into.  Honestly I have no problems with brass gears.  I've had a Tatula CT 8:1 get rough/noisy  on me but it may not have been lubed properly from the Maylasian factory (they have this problem) and/or a combination of this and the plastic handle side plate. 

Bronze is a great material for wear. The only reason stainless comes to mind is that when I used to do industrial part design, when we needed something that would survive the worst conditions (eg high precision pistons for injecting chemicals in automotive manufacturing), we used hardened 440 stainless, nitrided and ground. Of course, this is an insane solution for fishing: we’re chasing bass, not bluefins.  But being insane, this does not phase me

2 hours ago, LuS said:

Has anyone tried a PG conversion for their SLX? I see it uses the main gears from a curado I but the pinion is a different part number. May just try to fit gears from my curado 70 to test... if a pg upgrade works tho.... SLX XT/MGL/DC crankbait reel!!

The pinion is different due to the lack of x ship in the SLX. 

 

X Ship requires a longer shaft on the pinion gear to accomodate the additional bearing.

1 minute ago, BaitFinesse said:

So only the main gear from an 70 swaps in meaning you have to use the same ratio main gear from the 70/I?  

Gears should be swapped in sets I wouldn't attempt swapping only the main gear. 

I upgraded everything in my SLX HG

Spool bearings replaced by Hedgehog SS ZR high speed bearings, (Standard Shimano 3x10x4)

Drive shaft bushing replaced by BNT 4194 bearing

Both Drags replaced by Curado 70 HG Carbon Tex drags.  Because it is an HG SLX.

Cal's drag grrease on the drive gear

Makes it a really sweet reel.

4 hours ago, LuS said:

Has anyone tried a PG conversion for their SLX? I see it uses the main gears from a curado I but the pinion is a different part number. May just try to fit gears from my curado 70 to test... if a pg upgrade works tho.... SLX XT/MGL/DC crankbait reel!!

I have seen quite a few of ppl want to swap to 5x gear and quite a few of Shimano reel in US doesn’t come with 5x (PG) gear ration any more. May be 5x (IPT 22”) is the past and shimano think 6x (IPT 25”) have enough power to crank and speed to get into zone faster especially deep diving.

Seriously I have 200ipg that I haven’t used for years, and that reel is still smooth, smoother than a lot of new reel these days. New gear set gonna cause you  30-50 bucks but you should be able to find used 200i for around 80-100.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

I have seen quite a few of ppl want to swap to 5x gear and quite a few of Shimano reel in US doesn’t come with 5x (PG) gear ration any more. May be 5x (IPT 22”) is the past and shimano think 6x (IPT 25”) have enough power to crank and speed to get into zone faster especially deep diving.

Seriously I have 200ipg that I haven’t used for years, and that reel is still smooth, smoother than a lot of new reel these days. New gear set gonna cause you  30-50 bucks but you should be able to find used 200i for around 80-100.

 

 

You’re right, 200I PGs are cheap, but nothing like having that cranking power on the frame of a 70 or similar small reel (ie SLX). If the conversion works, I might give an SLX some PG gears to throw smaller swimbaits, like MS Slammers. Also, micromodule, because micromodule. I warned you I was a nut

And the answer to the slx pg question is... almost no. While the gears from the curado I and 70 are the right pitch and diameter to fit (so would the engetsu’s), the pinion off an i or a 70 or anything with x ship has a longer nose. See pics attached, curado I/70 pinion on left. That being said... if I had a lathe and some patience, I could modify the x ship gears to fit, but not happening today. Also of note - the curado 70 brake discs are bigger. A good upgrade could be swapping to 70 discs. Final note... curado 70 pinion was a tighter fit than the slx pinion. That may be a tighter tolerance... shimano marketing dept making sure you feel the extra bucks in a curado 70...:P

Well fellas I’m a bit late to the party here. I stumbled across this posting after deciding I wanted to go to a higher gear in an SLX DC. After cross referencing part numbers it appears that to go from the 150 to the 150HG I would just need BNT4922(200I 7:1 gear) and a BNT5286 (SLX150HG pinion). Am I missing something or should these work out okay? Note: I also have a 200I carbontex drag washer on hand to fit. 

I wonder if engetsu bb pg 5.5 gears would fit?  They are not x ship but I don't recognize the platform they are using.  It might be a derivative of the slx but I can't be sure.  If one were to go this route I would get the drag stack along with the gears in case there is a change in the drag washer diameter, a clicker or some other such thing from it being a vertical jigging reel.