Toothed belts are better, as they flex more easily and hence don't get as
hot.  Better grade toothed belts have the sizes of the teeth as variable, so
they don't set up a harmonic, like yours do.  I think the better brand is
Gates, and I believe there is another that is good, although I can't come up
with the brand name.

Karl Wolz
----- Original Message -----
From: Wes Neuenschwander <wesn@ESKIMO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 11:39 AM
Subject: Noisy V-Belts

> During a recent tune-up, the mechanic replaced the existing flat style
> power steering and alternator v-belts with the newer design grooved
> (toothed) v-belts.  These newer belts make a distinct howling noise, very
> much like a turbine engine, which is quite loud and really annoying.  The
> mechanic claims that these are the only type of v-belts currently
> available (they apparently have some functional advantages such as running
> cooler and lasting longer than the original flat belt design).
>
> Has anyone else encountered this problem?  Anyone know of a source of
> supply for the original, flat-belt (and quieter) style belts?
>
> Wes Neuenschwander
> Seattle, WA
> wesn@eskimo.com