It makes you wonder if the belt drive had been the standard for the past twenty years and then the chain case came along as the new greatest invention, would people think it was the better drive? Polaris would hype it up as " a new stronger, more reliable drive, that weighs only slightly more, no more melted or failing belts". I do believe that the belt is fine for most riders that maintain their sleds well and are conscientious of there riding style, no 80 mile an hour runs down the trail. Not my choice for a rental sled, nor would I recommend it to the guy who is a bit abusive to his equipment. It also is a bit irritating that if you break your chain/case under warranty it will get replaced no questions asked, yet you break a drive belt, I believe Polaris will warranty one in the life of the sled, if you are lucky. My opinion, if the belt drive was put on a sled to replace the chaincase, it should function in all ways that the chaincase does. If it does not, then Polaris should warranty an infinite number of belts if that is what it takes to keep your sled running.