Gates Introduces Innovative Off-Road Belt to Better Meet Demands of Today’s Powersports Vehicles

Dec. 3, 2019

UTVUG Staff

Gates Introduces Innovative Off-Road Belt to Better Meet Demands of Today’s Powersports Vehicles

Gates G-Force RedLine CVT belts are engineered for performance and durability in the most extreme environments DENVER, DEC. 3, 2019 —Gates (NYSE: GTES), a leading global provider of application-specific fluid power and power transmission solutions, introduces a new line of continuously variable transmission (CVT) belts specifically designed to withstand the increased heat, power and operating environments of today’s off-road vehicles (ORVs). Gates G-Force™ RedLine™ CVT belts are engineered from a patented, fiber-reinforced Ethylene Elastomer compound, providing maximum transverse stiffness and unmatched heat resistance which allows for increased durability, greater load-carrying capability and a higher effective operating temperature. Extensively lab and field-tested, ATV and UTV enthusiasts and racers alike can expect break-through performance as Gates G-Force RedLine belts deliver:

Excellent recovery from temperatures up to 338°F(170°C) without power loss;
Up to 300 percent increased belt life;
Up to 50 percent lower speed losses under heavy loads and torque.

“Today’s high-performance ORVs demand innovative belt technology than can withstand use in the most extreme environments,” says Christian Buhlmann, vice president of global product line management for Gates. “Through advanced materials science and process technology, we’ve created the next generation of CVT power transmission belts designed to deliver higher load capacity, higher peak torque capacity, less heat fatigue and greater durability.” 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. Gates G-Force RedLine belts are now available from select powersports distributors across North America. To learn more, and to see the G-Force RedLine in action, please visit www.gates.com/redline.

Q&A with Christian Buhlmann - VP of Global Product Line Management:

How long has Gates Redline been in the UTV market? G Force RedLine is brand new on the market as of December 3^rd. It has been in development the past 2 years. Do you have any athletes or racers using testing your product? We had several UTV teams that have development test agreements with us and they were essential to validating the data we developed on the belt. What events are you planning to attend this coming year? We will be present December 6-8 at the 5^th annual International Off-road and UTV Expo. Our distributor partners will be at the event with G-Force RedLine’s available for sale. Our North American Marketing team is identifying additional events for the first half of 2020 and we currently plan to be back for our third year as an exhibitor and race course sponsor at Dunefest www.dunefest.com in Winchester Bay, Oregon July 21-26, 2020. What else can you tell us about the technology and R&D behind the G Force Redline belt? The CVT belt for Gates is a unique set of polymer formulations, layers of various polymers, tensile cord selection with it’s own unique size and twist and belt physical design for flex. With G-Force RedLine we evaluated many candidate constructions and did extensive field and lab testing to identify this construction we are launching. This has been a very high technology material science development using our exceptionally talented scientists. Our use of Ethylene Elastomer (EE) as well as our patented ability for greater axial stiffness enables a belt that is a significant advancement of heat tolerance and consistent repeatability of power application for CVT power sports technology. Ethylene Elastomer was pioneered by Gates first for automotive engine belts, up to today’s supercharged platforms and we have also brought it forward into new areas our industrial belts. The core of EE is that it can handle much higher hot temperatures and colder cold temperatures than existing CVT power sports constructions. Our specific Gates formulations and our manufacturing methods, of building a belt, is our unique knowledge that we believe will give todays riders new levels of performance and confidence in power sports belts to match their off highway environments. What UTV models and brands are these belts designed for? G-Force RedLine will launch with part numbers that cover the most modern and powerful platforms from the major OEM’s. Our launch materials detail those by platform applications and we will continue to expand the part numbers across 2020. How can customers get their hands on these new belts? G-Force RedLine will be available starting December 3^rd through a number of our power sports distributors. They were able to place orders ahead of our announcement and the G-Force RedLine belt was in production stocking for the expected demand, prior to our December 3^rd announcement. About Gates Gates is a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions. Gates offers a broad portfolio of products to diverse replacement channel customers and to original equipment ("first-fit") manufacturers as specified components. Gates participates in many sectors of the industrial and consumer markets. Gates products play essential roles in a diverse range of applications across a wide variety of end markets ranging from harsh and hazardous industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing and energy, to everyday consumer applications such as printers, power washers, automatic doors and vacuum cleaners, and virtually every form of transportation. Gates products are sold in 128 countries across four commercial regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa; Greater China; and East Asia and India. More about Gates can be found at www.gates.com. ### Media Contact: Ani Vattano, Director of Corporate Communications ani.vattano@gates.com