One of the toughest one-day UTV races in the world validated the performance of the new Gates® G-Force™ RedLine™ CVT belt when Hunter Miller won the 2020 Can-Am UTV King of the Hammers Presented by HCR in a Can-Am Maverick X3 900cc Turbo equipped with the new high-performance belt. The veteran racer from Texas was the first of only 33 finishers, from a starting field of 131 UTVs, in the event held Feb. 2 near Johnson Valley, Calif., on a 143-mile course that mixed high-speed lakebeds with tight, twisty ridgelines and rugged rock crawling.
“It’s the absolute hardest race I’ve ever done, and I’ve been racing for 25 years now,” said Miller. “Gates RedLine CVT belts allowed me to push my Can–AM X3 to the limit at every race in 2019 and brought Miller Brothers Racing the UTV World Championship and the WORCS Series championship.”
Gates used the 2019 racing season as a final testing opportunity for its innovative G-Force RedLine belts, allowing Hunter Miller, Kyle Chaney, Travis Skelton, Bryan Carr, Scottie Lawrence, and other top UTV racers to test the new design in the heat of competition, prior to the official product release in December. The G-Force RedLine belt delivered reliable, race-proven performance in 2019, and is now available to every high-performance UTV owner in 2020.
Designed to better withstand extreme friction, severe compressive forces and extreme heat, Gates G-Force RedLine belts are engineered from a patented, fiber-reinforced Ethylene Elastomer compound. The belt is able to withstand repeated recovery from heat cycles above 300°F without glazing that can lead to loss of speed and performance.
“Excessive heat is the number-one killer of CVT drive belts,” said Gates global product line manager, Alexandra Amiet. “Aggressive riding, heavy loads and high torque generate a lot of heat. Over time, the rubber in most CVT belts will begin to glaze and harden, resulting in reduced power transmission efficiency, which in turn creates even greater heat. It’s a domino effect that leads to performance degradation of the entire transmission system. Our patented ethylene elastomer material provides up to 300 percent increased belt life with up to 50 percent lower speed loss under heavy torque.”
Axial stiffness is also maximized to allow the belt to run at higher continuous torque loads, such as those encountered in low-speed rock crawling and in extended sand dune running. A core of high-tensile aramid cord, surrounded by specially formulated adhesive gum, provides greater load capacity and extends belt service life. In addition to the performance benefits, Ethylene Elastomers are more environmentally friendly to manufacture and will serve as the foundation for future belt developments at Gates across a number of categories.
While proven in some of the most abusive racing conditions, Gates G-Force RedLine belts also provide unmatched performance and durability when used in many high-performance/high-powered off-highway vehicles equipped with a CVT system. When tested in UTV rental fleets, deployed on the trails and challenging rock-crawling terrain of Moab, Utah, operators noted a significant improvement in mileage and durability, with G-Force RedLine belts replaced after 3,000+ miles – more than two times the standard service interval – still in good condition. Vehicles heavily loaded with passengers and gear, such as large coolers, toolboxes and industrial equipment, also put extra load on the driveline and can benefit from the high-performance belt. Recreational mudding and operation in the heavy mud of worksite and agricultural environments are other applications perfectly suited for the durable performance of the innovative belt design. With a retail price less than the standard OE replacement, the G-Force RedLine belt also offers outstanding value due to its extreme durability.
Gates G-Force RedLine series belts are currently available for many popular high-performance off-highway vehicles from select powersports dealers across North America.
