Agreed! As long as the belt isn't bottoming out in the pulley, you are good to go!

I too am a big fan of Gates belts and hoses. I use them exclusively on my road vehicles. Never had a problem with any of them.

My old school Merc belts have proven to be very reliable. Mine are over 30 years old and still have life left in them. Only reason I replaced this one is because I had to cut it.

In regards to the new Merc belts, so far I'm not very impressed with their quality control.

It's fIne?? OK... Send me $50 and you can own a brand spanking new Merc part that's significantly out of spec.

Of course I do carry 2 sets of replacement belts. But I do boat in a water wilderness where you might not see another boat for a week and you don’t see land.