Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee
Power transmission efficiency drops at least 1% with every chain, belt, or gear mesh between the crank and the wheel(s) right?
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nope.
shafts are VERY efficient. Constant Velocity joints are VERY efficient. Non O-Ring chains are VERY efficient, as are O-Ring chains.
In every racing class where it is legal, motorcycles ALWAYS run a chain. Bicycles use chains for a reason.
Gears are next on the efficient list.
Belts somewhere lower. Belts lose energy to hysteresis effects. Plus they are not as strong as chains, and are much more picky for alignment.
Bearings all take a tiny bit of energy to turn.
Something which is relatively inefficient is a ring and pinion. Pretty hard to make a final drive without a ring and pinion, although more and more FWD cars are doing it.
I have read a ring and pinion can be as bad as 13 percent inefficient. Seems high to me.