Albastross,
The whole Webster/Hewland debate is an on going thing. However, Craig Taylor says the newest generation from both manufacturers are equal.
Price for Websters $195
Price for Hewlands $228
I have yet to hear the definative arguement that confirms one is superior over the other metalurgically (often part of the debate) or in machining (often part of the debate).
How do I choose which to buy? I guess it depends upon my mood on the particular day I order. Sometimes Websters from Pegasus sometimes Hewlands from Averill Racing Stuff. The car purchase Jeff made included a mix and I guess we're keeping that tradition going. Word is, mixing Websters and Hewlands (as proper pairs of course) in the box is not a problem.
The BIGGER issue is the vintage of the gears if you buy on the used market. It's somewhat confusing wihen it comes to plane, M, N or S designated gears. BOTH companies have used those designations for different metalurgical content and machining techniques. At one point I thought I knew the answers to this. But then a new thread started on Apexspeed which seemed to contradict what I thought I knew.
One clue as to what you have. Webster etch's the numbers in to the gear (and usually include a manufacture date). Hewland stamps the numbers on the gears.
If you're interested in more of the saga of gears, here's a good thread to read:
http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16382&highlight=hewland+taylor
Gear Oil:
Used Mobil 1 Synthetic last year and it seemed to work fine. No chips or metalic dust in box or apparent wear on the gears even with a driver TOTALLY new to the Hewland box. But going to Redline Shockproof blue label this year. No particular reason but the Redline seems to be very highly regarded. The good news is, it costs more. Makes you feel like a big time racer when you crack the seal and watch $11 of oil pour out into the bucket
and, Andy Armadillo sells it. So we're supporting our local vendor.