Need of Continuously Variable Transmission
It is advantageous to use a CVT, instead of a manual transmission. This is mainly because the engine will operate always on the optimum regimes and throttle-positions, adapted to the varying road conditions and power demands. Traditional transmissions use gears, friction plates and hydraulic fluid to transfer power from an engine to a drive shaft. Continuously variable transmissions use a simple belt and pulley system, creating a “continuously variable” gear ratio that is more fuel efficient CVT technology replaces the gears and friction plates in traditional transmissions with a belt and pulley system to transfer the power smoothly from a motor to the wheels.The pulleys inside a CVT are typically cone-shaped, and the belt that runs between them slides between the narrow and wide ends of each pulley. That creates a “continuously variable” gear ratio to transfer power from the engine to the wheels.
A CVT is an ideal power transmission device for one main reason it allows power from the engine to be transmitted continuously to the ground. In contrast, a standard gear-box transmission takes time to shift gears, time in which the engine and wheels are disconnected, and results in a loss of momentum Instead of a manual transmission, the engine will operate always on the optimum regimes and throttle-positions, adapted to the varying road conditions and power demands. They differ from the MT in following aspects:
- Because there are no gears to tie a given road speed directly to a given engine speed, the CVT can vary the engine speed as needed to access maximum power as well as maximum fuel efficiency
- Eliminates “shift shock” — makes for a smoother ride
- Improved fuel efficiency
- Eliminates gear hunting as a car decelerates, especially going up a hill
- Better acceleration
- Better control over emissions
- Replace inefficient fluid torque converters
- Constant, stepless acceleration from a complete stop to cruising speed
- Works to keep the car in its optimum power range regardless of how fast the car is traveling
- Responds better to changing conditions, such as changes in throttle and speed
- Less power loss in a CVT than a typical automatic transmission
- Better control of a gasoline engine’s speed range
- Can incorporate automated versions of mechanical clutches