A/C belt squeak...explanation?

[the_saint]

I think I might have discovered the reason that so many of us have the belt squeak when running the A/C, at high speed, in the rain..
It seems that our A/C belts are what they call 'stretch fit'. Apparently some genius somewhere decided that it would be better to have the belts tension themselves rather than have a physical tensioner.

"Gates Micro-V Stretch Fit
These belts are a highly engineered OE design using TwistLock cord technology. This technology produces a belt that
self tensions on the drive and maintains proper tension throughout its life. "

http://www.gates.com/stretchfit/

Thanks guys, I love hearing that little squeak every now and then, makes me feel like I'm operating a high quality machine.

 

[daan]

I was just gonna post something about this very issue... good to know it's "supposed to do that" and not something broken. (eyes rolling here)