# Gates vs Continental timing belt



## nilreb (Mar 17, 2012)

changed the timing belt and it's making a lot of noise so i purchased a different brand - gates 

my conti belt was made in mexico and it's stiffer. the USA gates brand is a lot flimsier. 
any idea why?


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## [email protected] (May 14, 2009)

nilreb said:


> changed the timing belt and it's making a lot of noise so i purchased a different brand - gates
> 
> my conti belt was made in mexico and it's stiffer. the USA gates brand is a lot flimsier.
> any idea why?


Different belt compounds. Different belt manufactures have different compounds and material make ups. Some time even slight changes to the tooth profile for better engagement-disengagement.


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## warranty225cpe (Dec 3, 2008)

Funny, when I did my timing belt job just a few months ago, I found exactly the opposite. I first bought the Continental. I thought it felt flimsy, and ordered the Gates blue instead. Then the car sounded like it had a supercharger in it for about a week.


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## 18T_BT (Sep 15, 2005)

nilreb said:


> changed the timing belt and it's making a lot of noise so i purchased a different brand - gates
> 
> my conti belt was made in mexico and it's stiffer. the USA gates brand is a lot flimsier.
> any idea why?


 
Did you re-use the tensioner or buy a new one? Is it OEM hydro or the manual one?


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## nilreb (Mar 17, 2012)

18T_BT said:


> Did you re-use the tensioner or buy a new one? Is it OEM hydro or the manual one?


 aren't they all oem hydro? new tensioner 

the new gates (made in usa) solved the noise issue. 
with the conti, the tensioner pin can be 
replaced and removed without resistance 

also at midpoint, the gates can be twisted to almost 90 degrees (old school, but not recommended). 
the conti, would not budge and popped out a few times during installation. 

we decided to replace the idler pulley as well, even though it had less than 100 miles.


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