No Problem with ring gear on our Astro.
however we have used talc on the belts in the past. I know when belts are new they are very tight, trick is to have a good strong battery.
we had a new set of belts replaced at about the 1000hr mark, they were a real tough set and took a long time to stretch, now about 300 hrs later they are just fine with a good,smooth engagement.
i still think that a strong battery will do the trick, we replace our batterys every year coming into winter.