Johannesburg, January 2016. From January 2016, RAM timing belts will be discontinued in South Africa and be replaced with ContiTech timing belts sourced from Hanover in Germany. It is envisaged that the phase out of the RAM timing belts and the phase in of the ContiTech timing belts will take approximately three months, with the equivalent ContiTech range and will be extended to the market needs.

“The major benefit of introducing ContiTech is that all of the timing belts are already OEM-approved by all major vehicle manufacturers,” explains Colin Preddy, General Manager: Automotive, Veyance Technologies.“This gives the workshops, fitment centres and the consumer peace of mind that all ContiTech belts have been manufactured to the highest possible quality specification and have been designed to meet all OE requirements.” ContiTech timing belts do not have a limited kilometre warranty and are designed to meet or exceed the service intervals as specified by the vehicle manufacturers for any specific vehicle.

ContiTech timing belts will have full merchandising, racking and after-sales and marketing support at all major distributors of automotive spares nationwide.

“Timing belts are one of the most critical components in an internal combustion engine,” Preddy continues. “It’s especially important to provide belts with high resistance to elongation, degradation and wear caused by high temperatures and other under-bonnet operating conditions, to ensure optimal engine timing and performance.”

ContTech timing belts are reinforced with a temperature-resistant polyamide fabric backing, which also increases the wear resistance of the edges.

In 2015, ContiTech, a division of Continental AG, purchased Veyance Technologies.