Can Changing The Timing Belt Improve Performance?

May 13, 2021

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In short, no, but let me explain.


Timing belt is an important part of engine operation.


It can make the camshaft and crankshaft run in perfect harmony, and needs to be replaced at specific intervals set by the manufacturer to eliminate the risk of cracking or wear.


It’s not uncommon to hear people say that their vehicles drive better after replacing the timing belt, but is there any meaning behind this theory?


Can replacing the timing belt improve performance? It's time to put on our detective hat and find out!


First, review the timing belt system.


Timing belts are usually made of composite rubber materials with built-in high-strength fibers.


This allows it to run for a long time under high stress conditions and maintain control of the crankshaft and camshaft timing.


The timing belt runs on a pulley (called an idler pulley) and is maintained under the correct tension by a timing belt tensioner.


The timing belt can also drive the water pump, jet pump and oil pump on some engines.


Now we are all using the timing belt system, now let us see which components can improve the performance of the engine.


The two main components are the timing belt tensioner and the timing belt itself.


Let's study the tensioner first.


On some vehicles, the tension of the timing belt is automatically controlled by a hydraulic tensioner, while other vehicles rely on a manual tensioner set by a mechanic when installing a new belt.


Both of these components have a service life. If they are left for too long and are not replaced, the engine performance may be reduced due to the short engine movement time.


This is more common in manual tensioners because it cannot adjust belt wear like hydraulic tensioners.


Secondly, the timing belt itself may slowly wear out, mainly by tightly grasping the belt "teeth" of the camshaft and crankshaft pulley.


Over time, these points will wear out on the timing belt, causing slight changes in engine timing.


The only way to correct this situation is to replace the timing belt.


So, as you can see, there are many components that can cause performance degradation, which is actually the opposite of the original question, but they are all linked!


Over time, as these components operate during their useful life, performance may slowly decline, and the engine will increasingly deviate from the correct timing.


When the fact is that the engine has just returned to the correct operating state, replacing them with new components may give people the wrong feeling that it will improve performance.


No timing belt can improve performance-this is impossible.


Its main job is to keep the schedule.


Replacing the timing belt and paying attention to the performance will improve, this is the result of the engine running at maximum efficiency, and it also brings a good placebo effect!


Although you may be disappointed with the belt replacement, you can't get your neighbors into a cloud of fog when you leave each set of traffic lights, but you should know that belt upgrades will prevent you from moving forward, which should give you some comfort. Annoying, may be expensive repair engine failure.


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