Curious what everyone’s opinion is on clutch belts on turbo’d or na
Which one is best?
Which one is best?
Best belt
- Thread starter J270wsm
- Start date
Probably should start another thread below this one for “what oil is the best?” ???
Factory belts have been working well for me so far but I hate paying $250 for them. On the other hand they’ve also lasted 1500-2000km so the price wasn’t an issue. Now that I have installed a sidekick I’m looking for options. I made a few calls today...... Gates carbon belt is close to polaris pricing. Ultimax belt was $80 cheaper than Polaris, redline belt was $275.
Hoping guys who already have lots miles on different belts will give their opinions.
Hoping guys who already have lots miles on different belts will give their opinions.
You must be in CA? Gates C12s are around $120 here, Redline are $170 (for 45C4553, others are more like $100/125). Lots of good reports about the C12, but not sure what the max life people have got out of them is. Redline might be worth a try, but remember Gates tend to be sensitive to alignment, worn mounts, and break-in. I posted recently to see if anyone had any reports on the Redline; crickets.... Those of us who wrench probably all have a favorite belt – I've heard the most good reports on Poo and Gates (heard a couple good things about Gboost too), but that doesn't mean everything else is garbage.
Gates C12 if you are looking for less belt slip and better performance (run them on a 2017 800 and a 2020 850) way more consistent then the stock belt on either sled. 800 has over 600 miles so far with my 19 year old riding the crap out of it.
Polaris belt if you want longer belt life and are not concerned about belt slippage. That being said my secondary was out of adjustment at 1100 miles on my 850 with the stock belt. Belt slippage on both cause heat and result in inconsistent rpm at WOT.
Polaris belt if you want longer belt life and are not concerned about belt slippage. That being said my secondary was out of adjustment at 1100 miles on my 850 with the stock belt. Belt slippage on both cause heat and result in inconsistent rpm at WOT.
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^^^^^ I've had the same experience as Ultrasauras, the Gates performs great but break in can be very very time consuming, sometimes the angles are a bit off and getting to 100% belt to sheave contact could take 50 miles or more.
Yeah, break-in is something you have to factor in and not short-change with Gates, and I'd add, don't bother if you don't have an alignment tool. Polaris belts seem to be the most tolerant to poor alignment and clutch setup, and I suspect that's by design, considering how poorly set up some Poo clutches come from the factory.
Any belt will work better and last longer with proper primary-secondary alignment, side clearance, and deflection though. My mechanical sympathy makes me the wrong person to torture test most things, but I know guys who've repeatedly run up and down big hills trying to get the C12 to misbehave and couldn't. I tried Gates because the Poo belts are expensive, and several guys on here who ride the snot out of their sleds all winter had switched. They've worked great for me: only one I've hurt was my fault (jammed track), and it still held up the rest of the weekend.
Any belt will work better and last longer with proper primary-secondary alignment, side clearance, and deflection though. My mechanical sympathy makes me the wrong person to torture test most things, but I know guys who've repeatedly run up and down big hills trying to get the C12 to misbehave and couldn't. I tried Gates because the Poo belts are expensive, and several guys on here who ride the snot out of their sleds all winter had switched. They've worked great for me: only one I've hurt was my fault (jammed track), and it still held up the rest of the weekend.
