This contrasts with other transmissions that provide a limited number of gear ratios in fixed steps. The Continuously Variable Transmission is Found In Many Powersports Vehicles Step-Less AccelerationĪ continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change seamlessly through a continuous range of gear ratios. You simply just – “twist and go!” And today, you can find very powerful high-torque and highly powered CVT engines in all these forms of powersports vehicles meaning as in the case of the scooter, it’s easy to ride highway and long distance With a CVT transmission there’s no clutch and no shifting gears as is the case in the common motorcycle. CVTs are used in automobiles, tractors, earthmoving equipment and powersports vehicles such as scooters, snow mobiles, the Can-Am Spyder, and so forth. CVT’s are what make the powersport vehicle or motor-scooter automatic. This is totally opposite of your shifting transmission on your motorcycle. Similar toĭSG gearbox Looking for more jargon-busting motoring meanings? Head over to our Parkers Car Glossary page and take a look at our other definitions.CVT transmission- Continuously Variable TransmissionĪutomatic powersports vehicles use what’s called the CVT “Continuously Variable Transmission” to power them along. Found onįor that reason you often see CVTs on hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius, and smaller hatchbacks such as the Honda Jazz. It also means the engine can be held at its most economical point while increasing the speed of the wheels, where a normal gearbox would have to speed up from 2,000- to 5,000rpm over and over. This makes accelerating feel much smoother as there are no solid gears meshing together. Most importantly though, unlike metal gears of a fixed size, the pulleys can vary their size millimetrically so a CVT can offer a huge number of gear ratios, rather than being restricted to just five or six. So what are the benefits? Well, a simpler construction and fewer parts means a CVT is often smaller and lighter than any other type of auto transmission. More often than not you won’t have a choice – cars that come with an automatic gearbox will either have a conventional torque converter, a more modern dual-clutch ‘box, or a CVT. W hen the drive pulley is smaller than the driven pulley, it yields a low gear. However, unlike the fixed metal gears of a bike, each pulley of the CVT is able to vary its radius in order to alter gearing, because the pulley is actually a set of cones than can move together or apart.Įxactly as in the previous analogy, when the drive pulley (engine-side) is larger than the driven pulley (wheel-side), the result is a high gear. One is connected to the engine (the drive pulley) and another to the wheels (the driven pulley) by a special belt, much like the bicycle in our example above. So…how does a CVT work?Ī continuously variable transmission also works automatically to alter the speed of the wheels in relation to the engine, but instead of using a box full of gears, it utilises a pair of pulleys – which is why it is refered to as a transmission, rather than a gearbox. Normal automatic gearboxes work in largely the same way, except the job of depressing the clutch and swapping the ratios around is taken care of by the car. A conventional manual gearbox will have five or six gear ratios, with the lower set useful for low speed – pulling away from junctions or climbing hills – and the higher ones for cruising on the motorway at low engine rpm. It would be really hard to set off, but once moving you could achieve high speed. For every full turn of the pedals, the rear wheel would turn twice. Swap that around so that the pedal gear is now double the size of the wheel gear. You would travel slowly, but the pedals would be easy to move. For every full rotation of the pedals, the wheel would rotate half a turn. The gear connected to the pedals is half the size of the one at the rear wheel. To simplify that, imagine two gears connected by a chain, as you would on have a bicycle. Firstly, how does a gearbox work?Ī gearbox allows the wheels to rotate at various speeds (in mph), without altering the engine speed (in rpm). A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is a simple alternative to an automatic gearbox.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |