Dayco or Goodyear belts???

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I need to replace a couple belts on my car, should I go with Dayco or Goodyear? They are priced the same and have the same 1yr limited warranty.
 
Ive used both. Both are fine. I would look at both for your particular application, look close at construction and go with the one you feel is better made. Gatorback is good too.
 
Any belt you choose should do fine if you follow the replacement timelines for it. Personally I like the Napa belts.

The Napa higher quality OEM grade (more expensive) belts are the best I have ever used. I had one last 2 1/2 years on my truck and I only recently replaced it just for my own peace of mind. It was still in perfect shape and I kept it for a spare. They are really well made, quiet running durable belts. I don't know who makes them, I think it might be Gates. Surely someone here will know for sure.
 
Gates is good. Goodyear Gatorback seems to be good too.

Whatever you do, probably a good idea to buy the "better" belt if given the choice. Not worth it to buy a POS belt and have it break at the worst possible time.

I don't know why, but some brands of belts have a tendency to dry out and crack much sooner than others.

Don't forget to check for smooth operation of pulleys/tensioners while the belt is off.
 
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Dayco belts have been redesigned. Both Early versions and new are absolute pieces of junk!!!!! You will find in many/most applications the belts will be too short for the given part number.

I've just recently changed my large "in house" inventory of Dayco belts to AC DELCO (aka NAPA, GATES). The fitment is by far more accurate like OE and they have more increments (lengths) in between the Dayco line. I cannot tell you how many times I've literally gave our local dayco rep an earful (which by the way recently quit...hmm wonder why). As far as noise is concerned that is truly a hit and miss due to variances of pulley wear from make to make.

Compare a gates brand serp tensioner to a Dayco tensioner. The Dayco one truly looks like junk in comparison.
 
Originally Posted By: alanu
Dayco belts have been redesigned. .... many/most applications the belts will be too short for the given part number.


I struggled to replace the serp belt on my daughter's 99 Ranger with a Dayco, until I finally gave up and tried a Gates which slipped right on perfectly. Exactly that -- the Dayco was just too short for the application.

I did keep the Dayco idler pulley though. I hope it's OK -- except that now she's gotten rid of the truck and has a Honda Accord.
 
My first choice would be the Goodyear Gatorback, but it is hard to find and more expensive. My second choice would be the Dayco Poly-Cog which is similar in design to the Gdyr Gatorback, but less expensive. I have used both and had good service out of both.
 
Originally Posted By: Jim Spahr
My first choice would be the Goodyear Gatorback, but it is hard to find


Autozone carries Gatorbacks.
 
Thanks for the replies, after doing more research I decided to go with the Gates belts. My local O'Reilly's carries them and they even have the Gates blue Hi-Performance belts for my application..
 
Gates is the way to go, IMHO. If you have a local O'Reilly's, that great. Otherwise I've been able to find Gates products much cheaper on RockAuto.com even after shipping.

Will O'Reilly's price match RockAuto? I've been meaning to find this out myself and I was just there today and didn't ask. Grrrrr.

I had a gatorback belt do a bunch of quelling when I purchased it. Seems to be a common problem with some of my previous research.
 
Who makes the OE belts on GM, Ford and Chrysler cars/trucks?

Those seem to last the longest. I replaced the one on my Jeep @ 70K just for piece of mind. It still looked good, no cracks.
 
so no valucraft belts for you guys?
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Originally Posted By: globey
Originally Posted By: Jim Spahr
My first choice would be the Goodyear Gatorback, but it is hard to find

Autozone carries Gatorbacks.

The Goodyear belts I've seen are made in Mexico.
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Gates belts and hoses are the best, always have been, although they can be pricey these days.

I tried a Drive-Rite brand serpentine belt from Advance Auto parts on my girl friend's '97 Olds Cutlass recently.
It is U.S.A. made by Dayco and the price was right, so far so good.
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Interesting side note: A buddy just installed a TRD Supercharger kit on his Toyota FJ this past weekend and guess what brand blower belt was supplied in the TRD kit? A Dayco Poly Cog
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FWIW, Dayco MarkIV automotive is getting out of most of the automotive business because of so many quality problems associated with manufacturing. Gates would be my #1 choice.
 
I've heard before that the Goodyear Gatorback belts are good.

I've recently purchased a new serpentine built for a '97 Saturn Sl2 at the dealership.

I wonder who makes the Saturn OEM belts?
 
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