Dayco timing belts
- Thread starter 853RS
- Start date
iconic944ss
Elite Member
To be honest, i have a set for my ST4s in the garage and dare not use them. Read to many horror stories.
Serious Black
Active member
Put some in my 900SS in May. 3000 - 4000km down the road and no probs yet.
What horror stories though Frank? Are these real substantiated failures or just hearsay? The only breakages I have come across have been genuine belts, usually when they have been fitted incorrectly.
Glawster
New member
I've seen this topic come up a few times on forums and I'm perplexed by the odd opinion people have about the quality of the various manufacturer's timing belts. I supply Nylon yarn to a UK weaver who makes re-inforcement fabrics for transmission belts. My customer supplies all the timing belt makers - the 3 major ones being Contitech, Dayco and Gates. My company also supplies the same yarn to another weaver in Italy - it's not a complicated business in the number of players. I asked my UK customer his option on this topic and the main points he made were...
- All timing belt manufacturers operate to the same technical standards.
- The choice of belt for a particular car / motorcycle manufacturer is more a commercial decision than a technical one - usually driven by price. There's generally no difference in quality - and all car makers have a "reserve" belt approved by a different supplier.
- Ducati's requirement is so small in Automotive Industry numbers that they probably have to take a belt which is also supplied to a bigger customer.
- Gates are the supplier of belts to Ducati. Maybe they agreed to make a bespoke belt, maybe they have the same belt supplied to another user - or maybe they're the cheapest.
- If a Dayco belt is made to fit to a Ducati then the quality will not be inferior to a Gates belt.
Make of that what you will, but don't believe everything you hear on Ducati forums posted by transmission belt experts!
- All timing belt manufacturers operate to the same technical standards.
- The choice of belt for a particular car / motorcycle manufacturer is more a commercial decision than a technical one - usually driven by price. There's generally no difference in quality - and all car makers have a "reserve" belt approved by a different supplier.
- Ducati's requirement is so small in Automotive Industry numbers that they probably have to take a belt which is also supplied to a bigger customer.
- Gates are the supplier of belts to Ducati. Maybe they agreed to make a bespoke belt, maybe they have the same belt supplied to another user - or maybe they're the cheapest.
- If a Dayco belt is made to fit to a Ducati then the quality will not be inferior to a Gates belt.
Make of that what you will, but don't believe everything you hear on Ducati forums posted by transmission belt experts!
iconic944ss
Elite Member
I've spoke to two independent service technicians and both advised against using Dayco, based on their experiences of failures. Could of been owner fitting them incorrectly?
I think I have two sets of Dayco belts if anyone wants to try them, you can have both for the price of one as I wont be using them now.
I think I have two sets of Dayco belts if anyone wants to try them, you can have both for the price of one as I wont be using them now.