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Old 04-16-2008, 08:25 PM   #35 (permalink)
trebuchet03
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Bay Area
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The Miata - '01 Mazda MX-5 Miata
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee View Post
What I meant was, in a straight line the diff gears aren't turning or doing anything at all... so the losses would be from the final drive gears and bearings. Compare to a shaft drive motorcycle- probably about the same losses and it has no diff.

There are four points of gear mesh in a standard diff. and the only time they turn is during a turn or when one wheel slips. There is no planet gear.
Misinterpreted your earlier post

And for whatever reason, my textbooks call what most call a pinion gear (on a diff) a planet gear (sorry for that confusion).... It calls the input gear (that meshes with the ring gear) the pinion gear (it is, small gear driving a big one). I said at least three because only 1 planet/pinion gear is required - having a second is good for reliability. And technically - including the ring gear mesh - there's 6 mesh points or a diff with 2 planet/pinion gears (each as two meshes with the side gears. /end textbook dump
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