What is a drive belt?
Your UTV engine’s drive belt is responsible for taking the energy your engine makes and transferring it to the transmission, where eventually—the rubber meets the road. It’s an important piece of equipment and can make all the difference in how your vehicle performs.
With a CVT-style transmission, the drive belt is even more important. The torque that a CVT produces is directly related to the drive belt’s ability to spin the primary and secondary clutch without slipping.
Keeping an eye on your drive belt is easy, and a good way to make sure your rig works when you need it. With the right guide, finding a new drive belt is simple.
If you want to learn more about your CVT clutch, check out our guide here!
How often should you change a UTV belt?
Online, you’re going to see dozens of different warranties, but our Side By Side Stuff team expects around 1,000-3,000 miles out of a new drive belt—given the rest of the engine’s in good condition.
If your UTV sees extreme temps—either cold or hot—you might get less mileage out of the drive belt. Extreme temperatures cause the rubber to expand and contract, forming small hairline-cracks in the belt. This can stretch the belt, making it less effective and result in some of the “slippage” we mentioned earlier.
Thousands of riders across the country upgrade their stock drive belts not just for maintenance, but for performance. Like any other aftermarket parts, brands like High Lifter and EPI Performance worked to produce products better than OEM-standard. Finding the right drive belt to upgrade your ATV is a game-changer for riders everywhere.
Best UTV drive belts
It’s been proven that for every 500 miles you ride, your UTV loses one HP from CVT wear and tear. The best drive belts out there for CVT transmissions are designed to last longer, and to keep your machine running stronger.
When choosing a drive belt, keep these factors in mind:
Material. Aramid-fiber reinforcement is a great place to start.
Cog design. More, larger, or differently-shaped cogs can have an impact on throttle response.
Running temperature. It’s important to consider how hot the belt will get in use. Finding a belt designed to maintain the RPMS you’re looking for makes it easier to keep temperatures in the right range.
The best UTV drive belt for you comes down to several different factors, but at Side By Side Stuff, there are a few brands and models we trust most.
Standard CVT belts
OEM-replacement drive belts are very plug-and-play, and won’t affect the performance of your UTV or ATV much. You’ll likely feel more power if your current stock belt is worn down, but there won’t be any noteworthy performance increases beyond what your vehicle was made to do.
Heavy-duty drive belts
With heavy-duty belts, you get what you pay for. You can expect more flexibility and heat-resistance from high-grade Aramid compounds and fiber blends. These assemblies also have an inner and outer cog design that offers better grip for instant throttle response.
Top heavy-duty UTV drive belt brands:
- Ultimax
- Trinity Racing
- Quad Boss
- EPI Performance Parts
When choosing these products, you can expect fewer belt variables with more load and abuse capacity. They are just right for pushing the limits on trails, open spaces, or mudding.
Extreme-Duty drive belts
For the hardest riders out there with the heaviest feet, an Extreme-Duty drive belt is the way to go. These UTV and ATV drive belts are designed to handle abuse like nothing else on the market. To put up with the highest demands of drivers, they’re manufactured with higher-tensile strength cordage and high-temperature, heat-resistant fibers and compounds.
The UTV drive belts are made not to buckle under pressure. In fact, many of the typical belt failures are eliminated altogether. If you like to send it when you shouldn’t, crawl rock, or trek through neck-deep bogs, then this is the drive belt for you.
EPI’s Severe Duty CVT belt is the ultimate combination of performance and grit. For riders who need the absolute best, this is it. Reduce slippage, improve your CVT’s ability to maneuver gear ratios, and keep your equipment working how it should with EPI’s full selection across categories.
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Find what drives you
Any part—any purpose. Side By Side Stuff is the top provider of UTV performance accessories like drive belts and more. Find the fix for more horsepower, better suspensions, and an unmistakable appearance here today
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