Hi guys, my truck has almost 50k miles on it but it is 7 years old so I just feel better with a new fan belt. I know OEM is good, just hate to pay dealer prices. I did a search on the web and came up with a few names, just wanted your opinions. Back in a previous life as an auto mechanic, Gates was always my favorite.

FWIW when I needed to replace mine in my Honda S2000 sports car, the overwhelming recommendation was for Goodyear Gatorback (now known as Continental I believe) which is what I used instead of OEM.

Did a quick search of sites and found this which may be of interest:
https://www.carbibles.com/best-serpentine-belt/

I use Gates or Napa (made by Gates).

There are Toyota Dealerships who have a really good internet presence and sell a LOT of parts at a discounted price.

Here is one example: Toyota Serpentine Belt
.

Continental or GoodYear 'Gatorback' in my experience depending on what's available for the vehicle. Gates is known to make a good belt as well. Also, I'm generally a lot more concerned about the Tensioner/Idlers than the belt as they're what generally fails first, leading to the belt failure.

Belt wear is also largely depends on what accessories it drives and RPM range of the engine. Oh, and 50K miles is nothing. For instance, I've been religiously inspecting the belt on my 2009 Volvo S60 for quite a while and it still displays NO concerning wear, now at 220K miles!

That said, I replaced the timing belt on that car recently and found the Tensioner was showing wear / needing replacement. Of course the Serpentine Belt on the Volvo S60 only drives the Alternator and the AC Compressor, as the Water Pump is driven by the Timing Belt, so if Serpentine Belt were to fail, I wouldn't be stranded. That reminds me, I need to replace that Belt & Tensioner this weekend...

My understanding is Mitsuboshi makes all the belts for Toyota. I installed one on my ‘05 Landcruiser and have had no problems with it. May give them a look.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
I use Gates or Napa (made by Gates).

That's what I used several months ago. I check each year for cracks on the underside of the belt and replace when they appear.

I think a squirrel also chewed my belt when he chewed the MAP sensor wires.

The belt gave out going up Afton Mountain so I continued on till I got to the top and shut it down. The fan keeps turning at highway speeds and the temperature climbs slowly.

After it cooled down, I coasted back down the mountain to the NAPA store as he was about to close.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
I use Gates or Napa (made by Gates).

At one time, I would have wholeheartedly agreed with Gates, Napa, and also CarQuest. All were made of the same construction just different labeling when I worked for Gates Corp. with the Rochester Hills R&D group at one time. Can’t answer for them now. That was 8 - 10 years ago.

Goodyear Gatorback or also known as the Continental Elite Poly V I believe (not the OEM rib belt).

I have been using these belts for the last 23 and they are great.
Though for some reason they have become very difficult to find.
I have been unable to find one for my Tundra

quote:

Originally posted by hberttmank:
Hi guys, my truck has almost 50k miles on it but it is 7 years old so I just feel better with a new fan belt. I know OEM is good, just hate to pay dealer prices. I did a search on the web and came up with a few names, just wanted your opinions. Back in a previous life as an auto mechanic, Gates was always my favorite.

Go buy the OEM belt and carry on!

When my OEM brakes wanted replacing ... at 80,000 miles ! ... I used OEM parts, over the objections of the mechanics.

My tensioner was always loud, but this winter it began shrieking. Went OEM on the tensioner, pulley, and 93.31" belt. Zero regrets.

I recently purchased a serpentine belt from the local Toyota dealer for my Camry, it was within a couple dollars of a non-OEM belt. The local dealer has been surprisingly competitive on parts pricing.

Genuine Toyota parts at a discount

https://www.toyotapartsdeal.co...yota-drive_belt.html

I use https://partsouq.com/ for Toyota oem parts for my land cruiser. They are in UAE but have great prices and shipping isn’t bad unless you order something really heavy or bulky.

I would advocate for OEM Toyota parts online. But for a small item like this, by the time you add in shipping, you may be close to what the dealer is asking. Assuming the dealer is convenient to you, it may be easiest.

For aftermarket, I've had good luck with Gates. I use Rockauto.com.

As often as you are changing it and inspecting yours, any of the suggested aftermarket or the OEM will be fine.

If you look at the details, your aftermarket belt also fits a Viper.

Yeah. If you have a Toyota, buy a Toyota belt.

If you have a Viper, buy the Mopar belt.

Most will count the number of ribs and say it fits all kinds of stuff.

Thanks for the input, guys.