Second Belt Life

A statement I hear or have heard in the 5 years or so of selling CVT belts and even now that we are selling our own belts is, "This belt didn't last as long as my OEM belt"

Hearing that is to me as hearing finger nails on a chalk board is to some!!! LOL

The simple fact is most likely your second belt will never last as long as the first and the main reason is, you had two new clutches for the belt to operate on and the shaft spacing and alignment were supposedly correct when the vehicle is new.

Expecting the second belt to last as long as the first regardless of the brand even if you go back to a OEM belt is like expecting to buy the best brake pads on earth and installing them on your truck without turning the rotors or replacing the rotors and they last as long as the first ones, it is just not going to happen!!

The clutches get worn, not just on the belt surfaces but in the parts that make up the clutches over time.  This is also probably why your first belt blew too.  As mentioned spacing and alignment gets off too, the engine to transmission has some bolts that hold them together that get off, they can break or come loose etc.  I had a guy last week that said when he revved his engine, the secondary clutch actually moved 1/2" toward the primary!!  How the heck can that happen?  The bolts mentioned are loose or broke.

If you want the second belt to last as long as the first, then you must buy new clutches and get the alignment etc correct.  That sounds rediculous huh?  Well that would be the only way for it happen. 

Now don't get me on a technicality this is not a 100% but probably 99% of the time this is the way it is.

And lastly, please do not group all aftermarket belts into one group, they are not all created equal.  So if you blow a ACME brand and go back to a OEM and have no trouble again, that does not mean all aftermarket belts are bad. While on this, you can try an aftermarket that is good, have a one time event that blows it and go back to a OEM and it does good and say they are bad, not necessarily, probably your one time event that occured.  You would need to try that brand again and if it repeats and you put your oem back on and it be good then you might could say something. Remember someone makes the OEM belt and they do not only make OEM belts, they make aftermarket belts too. Never know who's they are making either!!! LOL

Just food for thought and have you thinking.

Todd