Since automakers began using timing belts in the early 1970s, the conventional wisdom has been that oil and timing belts don't play well together. Oil contamination of the belt drive has been a death sentence due to the rubber and fiber construction of the traditional timing belt. Oil attacked the rubber as well as the raw edge of the belt with its exposed fibers, weakening the belt until it delaminated and lost its teeth or the belt snapped. But here we are in 2022 talking about belt and oil timing drives, which are being used by well-known manufacturers in the European market and are available from a few equally well-known aftermarket suppliers. And yes, this odd arrangement is already available here in the United States as well. Performance enthusiasts may have some experience with wet belt timing systems as it upgrade for the small block Chevy. But these new belt and oil systems are OEM designs used for oil pump drives as well as for camshaft timing drives. As a performance upgrade, belt drives have a couple of advantages. Since a timing belt is lighter than a chain and it can absorb and isolate crankshaft harmonics from the belt train, a belt is quieter and doesn't rob additional power from the engine. So what's driving belt in oil technology? It comes down to some of the popular catch phrases you hear from the automakers. Fuse like fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, noise, vibration and harshness or NVH, and compact design. By designing a light, quiet and compact belt drive, manufacturers hope to increase fuel efficiency while reducing emissions and NVH. And they want to pack it all into ever smaller engine designs. Belt and oil manufacturers claim that wet belts offer up to a 30% reduction in friction loss compared to chains or dry belts. This reduces emissions and can increase fuel economy by a little more than 1%. Due to the improved materials used in the belt and oil drives, these belts are more temperature-resistant and less prone to stretching than conventional dry belts and have a life expectancy of up to 150,000 miles. The first automotive belt and oil system was introduced in 2008, hidden inside the 1.8-liter Ford diesel for the European market. Volkswagen soon followed with its EA211 and EA288 engine families of 3 and 4 cylinder gas and diesel variants. Here in the United States, belt and oil applications are a bit more limited in the form of the 1-liter Ford EcoBoost gasoline engine and Honda offers the GC and GCV series of small engines featuring an internal oil bath time-vilt. As emissions and fuel economy standards become more and more difficult for manufacturers to meet, unique technologies like these will drive the future of the industry. The globalization of our industry also means that technologies introduced in other parts of the world may soon come to our shores too. Lightweight, compact components with extended service intervals are becoming the new normal. But don't worry that these claims of lifetime or high mileage wet belts means that the aftermarket will lose out on future parts sales. The European aftermarket already offers belt and oil timing kits and from what we've heard, they're already becoming a rather popular category. I'm Josh Cable. Thanks for watching.