silent chains verses roller

[harleytoprock]

I'm convinced that the hydraulic tensioners are superior to the old spring tensioners. But I'm not sure on the new roller chains. The silent chain has been widely used in the automotive field and have been successful. They are called the silent chain. Are they really? Well they don't have any rollers to jingle around. When I look at the roller chain sprocket teeth, they look a little wimpy and are not as wide as the beefier looking silent chain sprockets. If the silent chain is smooth, it looks like it would wear less into the pad having more surface area. Where as the roller chain pad just supports the edges of two links. In fact I'm not seeing any advantage to the roller chain at all. Am I missing something? Whats your opinion?

[Don D]

Well IMO the silent chain is a inexpensive comodity part. No the silent chain, it's the tensioners that are anywhere from OK to really bad on a case by case basis. The roller chain is a superior part. The silent chain stretches the roller chain doesn't. As far as the "silent" part there is so much other mechanical noise the actual contribution by the chain with stock or mild cams is minor in either case.
I do and will continue to go out of my way to use the true roller and hydra tensioners if it is in the budget.

[nc-renegade]

The roller chain is a superior part.

The roller chain is better formed through it's manufacture process.  Whereas the silent chain is stamped out and has sharp edges.

I agree, the new setup is much better, IMO in every aspect.

[tmwmoose]

Heavy horse power out of Japan has been using roller link since day one

[Rokinrider]

After listening to the so called silent chain for 9 years I switched! Very happy, I have tinnitus but I can hear mechanical noises and, I like the new set up. I HATE to say it but the jap bikes have used roller chains a long time as the previous poster stated. I feel it is a simple fix to a nagging maintenance problem IMHO.

Rokin

[a2wheeler]

let me add, that the silent chain doesn't really "stretch", but it rides on top of the sprocket points. And what happens is that the sprocket points and the chain wear. This makes the chain sit deeper down on the sprocket. This makes the chain looser, and then the heavy spring tensioned shoes have to make up the distance. This causes more shoe and spring bounce and thus more shoe wear. The roller chains rests down in the vallleys of the sprocket and have less friction there because of the roller action. And thus the chain tenstion remains fairly constant. It better, as the hydraulic shoes don't have much tolerances for chain deflection.

[Admiral Akbar]

Heavy horse power out of Japan has been using roller link since day one

Well I guess up until day one they used silent...    The first 4 cylinders Honda made used silent chain to pull power off the crankshaft.. If you are talking about the CB450 (not sure that you call this heavy HP though they'd smoke a pan / shovel) it and the used roller chains for cam chains.  Max

[smoserx1]

Early Gold Wings used Morse type chains as primary chains.  I think some folks refer to them as HI-VO chains.  We will know soon eventually how well the silent chain holds up to the hydraulic tensioners as some of us change to the hybrid cam plate when tensioner service becomes due.