Hi,
Drive belts have been labeled so many ways it can make your head spin. That Alert Auto sounds like a fairly long belt--got a swamp cooler or something else using a long, medium wide belt? The numbers usually reflect an outside diameter (53 3/4"), a width(7/16") and the 38 probably is degrees, not inches, reflecting the angle the belt's cut to.
The Dayco is labeled with a semi-conventional code: the 15 is the width, in 1/32" increments, so it's just shy of 1/2" wide, and the 445 is the OD of 44 1/2". That's almost exactly the size of the power streering belt on my old Toyota truck, so there are unknown numbers of things it might fit.
Dayco and Gates both have good websites telling a lot of stuff about design, sizing, and some things a belt will fit. So you can plug in a vehicle, tell the 'puter which belt you want, and it will give you the catalog number, which in turn will give you the sizing.
I know it's heresy to make fun of American boneheads who will not adapt to the metric system, but most automotive belts now include a metric measurement, so you know if you got the exact belt or one that's close. Every time I go to buy belts--same brand--they give me different catalog numbers for the same application. That truck's 30 plus years old, and I've got a list of a half dozen different sizes that will work, some better than others. But if I compare the metric label, I can get 'em spot on to the factory belts regardless of what their computer says. Some times that involves a little educating the parts guy/gal what they're looking for!
Being one of those people who never throws stuff out, I have a sizeable box of belts in the garage. I save the sleeve and mark it with what it fits. Works for me!
Rick C
