Quote:
Originally Posted by serialk11r
Also transmission efficiency...mechanical CVTs have pretty big losses. I love how CVT cars drive though, no surprise shifts, put your foot down and it goes to the optimum rpm instantly.
I don't understand why some people here don't like more gears. I think 7 is the perfect number, more than that is a little strange. On a Yaris/Fit you have extremely wide spacing for 5 gears, but the cruising rpm is unacceptable and taking off in 1st would be horrendously difficult on a hill if you were to decrease the final drive ratio 20%. With 6 gears and a small engine you can get a good cruising rpm, but engines over 2.4L you would want another gear as can be seen with 6 speed Accords and such.
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I think three or four gears in a manual box, with top "gear" being direct drive feeding to a final drive tall enough to negate the need for any overdrive ratios is perfect- as I've said before, fewer gear meshes = less transmission losses. But then I'm a flatlander who's not particularly concerned about extracting maximum acceleration from my vehicle.