I wanted to buy some "top shelf" serpentine belts because I'm replacing them on four vehicles (all more or less overdue), but after all my research on the internet I could not determine if ANY of them are in fact "top shelf". So I called a top mechanic I use for the hard stuff I don't do, and asked him. He said all serpentine belts were good to go, and that one brand is not very much better than another.

One is a Continental EPDM Rubber, the other is a Duralast Rubber compound belt. I always buy Motorcraft oil filters for my Fords, but apparently a Motorcraft serpentine belt is no better than any other brand. No doubt any new belt will work fine, but I really wonder about this. I've probably gone overboard on this one. What say you ?

I simply buy and install Goodyear Gatorback belts when needed in my vehicles. They're about middle of the pack in terms of cost. No complaints so far with any of the belts I've installed.

I have always leaned towards Gates

Goodyear Gatorback here as well.

Don't buy offbrand serpentine belts. They have a tendancy to stretch or squeal or have other issues. OEM, Goodyear, Gates...….stick to a good brand.

Goodyear Gatorback 1st choice
Continental 2nd

Another Goodyear Gatorback fan here. This forum turned me onto them and I've turned several others onto them.

I believe they changed names though and are now called Continental Elite belts. I've seen them advertised as Goodyear designed and look identical.

Changing serpentine belts on my vehicles is so easy I don't put much thought into it.

The local auto parts store carries Gates, so that's what I have been using. The cost did surprise me. My mind was back in the 60's, when belts cost a couple of dollars. Now they are more like $40.

Gates. Gates HD (green ) belts if you can get them. This could end up the same as the discussion about which is better 9mm vs .45 acp. My personal preference is Gates and avoid Dayco. Every Dayco I have ever installed made noise.

The cheapest ones the auto parts store have. (Duralast)

My last set have over 100,000 miles on them and still are in good shape.

Funny, one belt we would consistently have problems with were the Goodyear gatorback (and we were a Goodyear dealer). No breaking issues, but if your pulleys were not perfectly aligned they would "walk off" like crazy!

Now, mind you, this was the "early days" of serpentine pulley systems. But, damn did they throw belts!

I have had good luck with Gates.

To echo many of the other posters, I generally use Goodyear or Gates. I will run a belt made by the OEM of whatever vehicle I'm working on from time to time as well depending on price point and availability.

Well I ended up buying a Continental brand belt for the F150 and a no-name belt for the old Nissan Xterra. I figured those belts were good enough since all the cars I'm doing (have 2 more to go) have some age and miles on them. While I was in there on the Nissan I bought a new Dayco serp belt tensioner and Dayco idler wheel since I'm pretty sure they were original equipment. After pulling the old ones the permanent sealed bearings were dry and the wheels had a little bit of play so I'm pretty sure they were original. While I had the old and new belts out I tried my new (free) 25 cent plastic serpentine belt wear guage and compared the two belts and it was obvious the old belt was VERY worn. For my F150 I purchased a new Gates brand tensioner and Gates idler wheel, and those parts are serious quality definitely better than the Dayco parts I bought for the Nissan. I also needed a serpentine belt tool kit and purchased a used rental set at a discount at a local parts store, it's incredibly effective if you ever want to tackle that mess yourself highly recommended. Even if you could manage it without a kit it's still easier to use this specialized tool. In my case I could not have done without it. Since the pieces in these kits are very basic in design and manufacture they are not expensive.

So my conclusions are

1. You guys were right of course about Gates brand is definitely the way to go, I'm in the Gates club now.
2. Re Serp Belts - if your car is old and a daily driver/commuter, spending $20 instead of $45 for a belt is OK if your car is not newish. If your car is nicer or if it has any power or performance or duty get the better belt.
3. In my experience buying tools pays for itself in labor cost if you like working on your own stuff. I used this as an excuse to replace a handful of worn out and raggedy Craftsman combination wrenches with a set if Stanley Proto wrenches which are considerably better quality. I was able to buy them at a discount which made it sweeter. You get a lot for your money with Proto compared to the mechanic tool truck brands. The Protos are not Snap-on but they seem to be very good quality. I guess like a Harley vs a Honda but not a BMW. From that perspective they are perfect for me as I'm done with sloppy toleranced generic and soft metal tools.

I think I could have been a decent mechanic. My father and all of his 8 brothers are retired tradesmen and farmers and it's definitely in my blood too. On of my uncles on my Mother's side had a law degree (family expectations) but was a tradesman instead. I like my career a whole lot but I get pumped working on stuff - cars, guns, lawmowers, building fences/decks, splitting wood stuff like that. I'm fascinated with electricity but it never caught on in my brain. I fried a voltmeter once measuring amps between the positive and negative battery terminals on a car so I've given up on electricity. Funny my dad is a retired electronics tech and can fix literally anyhing.

Thanks for the help guys. The Great Sigforum Lives !