Another good way to stop belt slip

[SynMan5.0]

I'm sure a few of you may have tried this before, but it really helps out on my car. I have a 2.93 upper and 4# lower pulley. I've always had problems with the belt slipping a little bit, even with a non-slip pulley, idlers, and an overly tight belt. Well, I had some extra VHT lying around and decided to give it a shot.

I started the car and used a spray bottle to apply a very small amount on the ribbed part of the belt. The car immediately went from peaking at 12 psi and dropping to 10 by 5000 rpm, to holding 14 psi throughout band (please note that I live at over 6000 ft., so I don't make as much boost). It made a huge power difference and lasted for a good couple of days. Tried it again the other night before I went street racing with the same results. It is now a routine for me to put some VHT on before I go anywhere. I will stress the fact that you don't need very much to make it work. And definitely don't get any on the smooth side of the belt! It will make some horrible noises if you do.

 

[FireRed04Vert]

Interesting! I wonder what affect it will have on the belt?

 

[03Sssnake]

thats a good idea..be sure to cover your fenders with towels..When I applied belt dressing, it slung droplets all over the fenders. The belt dressing worked for about a day. The blower/belt whine was very loud and it seemed more responsive and held boost longer :beer:

I think its about time to replace my gatorback though...its been on for a year and half.

 

[SynMan5.0]

Interesting! I wonder what affect it will have on the belt?

Mine is holding up fine. It's nice and sticky now, too. :-D

 

[blk04cobra1]

it will make the belt wear faster...other than that...no slip!!!

 

[VinSVT]

I also run a 2.93 upper and 4# lower... Sticks at 15-16 pounds at all times. No belt slip for me...

 

[64comet]

I used the Belt dressing on the dyno between runs, was getting a drop in power just over 6000rpm before and nice and smooth after. Definitely works.

 

[Shadowgray03]

Lot of guys I know do that when dynotuning or when at the track.

 

[shocker 420]

so, where can i buy this stuff? so all you do is just spray the belt with it? is the blower whine louder?

 

[Shadowgray03]

so, where can i buy this stuff? so all you do is just spray the belt with it? is the blower whine louder?

Any of the traction compunds should work, VHT trackbite, Neo Tac etc etc. A quick web search should yeild plenty of places to get it.

 

[BlackMachWon]

Anyone tried just plain belt dressing?

 

[64comet]

I used just belt dressing and it worked. Could see the difference on the dyno quite a bit. 8rwhp difference without the slip. Now I use it at the track also.

 

[CobraBob]

Adam, how do you know for sure your belt was slipping? Did you check it on a dyno?

I'd love to see a controlled test of belts with the dressing and no dressing to see what, if any, actual gains were seen. Obviously a 3 or 4-piece idler set and non-slip pulley (or a 6 lb. crank pulley) will go a long way to curing any belt slippage on a more permanent basis. That and choosing the optimal belt size. I know from personal experience that a non-slip pulley, right size belt, and a 3-piece idler set should all but eliminate belt slip. The belt dressing will surely help but if anyone has a slipping issue it could be a major hassle to have to continually use the dressing. Certainly not a bad idea for the track.

 

[BlackMachWon]

I used just belt dressing and it worked. Could see the difference on the dyno quite a bit. 8rwhp difference without the slip. Now I use it at the track also.

Thanks, great idea :thumbsup:

 

[SynMan5.0]

It definitely made more horse power with the VHT. I don't remember the exact numbers and I didn't get a print out of the run where the belt was slipping, but it made a pretty big difference. I have the 4 piece idler set, non-slip pulley, and a 4# lower, and have experimented with many different belts. There doesn't seem to be an advantage to going with one that is extremely tight, but having the tensioner dead in the middle made it slip really bad. I now run a belt that is pretty tight, but doesn't take a 6' pry bar to put on. The VHT has been the best option for me so far. It is not hard to spray the belt a little bit before going to the street races or the track.

I did notice slightly less boost loss with the 4# lower over the 2# lower. I have an underdrive alternator pulley, so I'm thinking about going with a 6 or 8# lower with a larger upper pulley. I'm guessing that an upper that is even slightly bigger would all but eliminate my slipping problem.

 

[CobraBob]

Thanks for the reply. I'm really surprised you had slippage with your setup, especially with a 2.93. If you go with the 6 lb. would you use a 3.10 upper? Nice combo IMO. And yes, generally the larger the upper the less slippage. Other factors enter in but generally slippage is less.

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

hmm, I think I'll try some belt dressing!

 

[CobraBob]

Always looking for an edge, ain't ya! LOL!

 

[03Cobra-Vert]

With 15+ lbs of boost, why not switch to a cog belt? You never slip, and it sounds really cool!!

 

[I-CAN-STANG]

With 15+ lbs of boost, why not switch to a cog belt? You never slip, and it sounds really cool!!

I thought the cog sounded cool at first but that'll get a little annoying after awhile.