8.75, 742 Pinion Preload Question

This is the first time I have set the Pinion Preload on a 8.75 rear (742 case). First I tried .040 worth of shims as that was the thickness of the original shim pack. (Talking about Preload shims, not Pinion depth shims)
.040 was too tight even when only torqued to 100 lbs. So I added another .004 thou. The resulting .044 shim pack was perfect at 20 inch lbs of pre load (on new bearings) torqued to 240 foot lbs, with no Pinion seal as stated in the FSM.

I also did all this with the original Pinion nut as the new nut was a squish nut and I didn't want to wear it out.
After disassembling, installing Pinion seal and reinstalling Pinion, torquing to 240 lbs with new squish nut, spinning bearings and then rechecking torque, my preload had climbed to 40 inch pounds.

Jumping from 20 to 40 inch pounds because of the seal friction seems excessive to me. Can any of you rear axle gurus confirm this for me?

I'm not too worried as the FSM allows 20-30 inch lbs for new bearings, but some confirmation from a seasoned veteran would be nice.

Thank you,

CE