----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Sukey" <trmarty@glwb.net>
To: "Triumph List" <Triumphs@Autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 10:37 PM
Subject: [TR] non triumph transmission question
> My wife is kicking around the idea of a new car. We drove one today
> (Chrysler product) with some kind of new fangled transmission. Some kind
> of
> continuously variable transaxle that doesnt shift like a normal
> transmission. More like a variable belt drive torque converter. I guess I
> am
> stuck in the old school mode because it sure seamed weird to drive.
> Anybody
> have any knowledge/experience/opinions on these? I believe the Mini Cooper
> automatics have the same thing.
Marty-
CVT's have been around for a few years now. As others have mentioned,
more than a few manufacturer's have produced vehicles with them. If you go
out in your shop and open the top cover to a drill press and look at the
belt/pulley arrangement you'll start to get an idea of how a CVT works. Two
conical pulleys and a chain drive. As the vehicle starts from a stop, the
chain is on the small diameter end of one pulley and the largest diameter of
the other pulley in the tranny. Torque and speed jurisdict where and when
the chain moves. At high speed, the chain is on the opposite ends of the
respective pulleys in comparison to initial start. (I hope that makes
sense).
Track record has been good for most manufacturer's as far as I know. I
once Autocrossed and Audi A4 cabriolet with a CVT tranny. Very cool, torque
curve was always where you needed it!
The advantage to a CVT is that it always has the torque where it is
needed and it (in theory) is always in the optimum gear for the speed of the
vehicle. Most newer CVT allow for a Tiptronic method of shifting for us
old-schoolers.
Tim Hutchisen
71 TR6
70 GT6
ex- Chrysler technician
current VW/Mazda/Hyundai technician
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