A belt for suspending and/or driving an elevator car includes a plurality of tension elements extending longitudinally along a length of the belt, and a jacket at least partially encapsulating the plurality of tension elements. The jacket defines a traction surface of the belt configured to be interactive with a drive sheave and a back surface opposite the traction surface. The jacket is formed from a first material. One or more material strips are located at one or more of the traction surface or the back surface to improve one or more operational characteristics of the belt. The one or more material strips formed from a second material different from the first material.