What Is a CVT Transmission?
A CVT transmission, or continuously variable transmission, seamlessly changes through an unending range of effective gear ratios while you drive, whereas other kinds of mechanical transmissions offer a fixed number of gear ratios and have hard shifts between each.
Read: How Does Cvt Work
A CVT, or continuously variable transmission, seamlessly changes through an unending range of effective gear ratios while you drive, whereas other kinds of mechanical transmissions offer a fixed number of gear ratios and have hard shifts between each as explained by Certified Transmission Repair.
CVT transmission systems are also known as single-speed, shiftless, and stepless transmissions.
The shiftless nature of a CVT offers unparalleled flexibility that maintains constant angular velocity regardless of output speed. Additionally, a continuously variable transmission makes accelerating smooth and offers enhanced fuel economy.
The History of the CVTThough the CVT only recently gained popularity, with new innovations offering greater efficiency, the design has existed for centuries — Leonardo DaVinci designed the first CVT in 1490, though it wasn't officially patented until 1886 by Daimler and Benz.
The first time the CVT gained notoriety was in 1910 when Zenit motorcycles built a CVT model that was so efficient it got banned from hill-climbing competitions.
By the late 1980s, the CVT entered the mainstream, thanks to Subaru. In the modern day, almost every manufacturer has at least one model with a continuously variable transmission.
How Does a CVT work?
While a traditional transmission uses a wide variety of intricate parts to shift between a range of preset gears, most CVT systems work through a pulley system.
In short, this system consists of cones at each pulley connected via a chain belt.
The cones can move to increase or decrease the belt diameter to change gear ratios, allow for quick shifting into the needed ratio for increased power, and boost fuel economy.
One pulley in the CVT is connected to the engine and the other directs power to the wheels.
The width of these pulleys changes based on the needed power; as one gets larger, the other gets smaller. This allows a CVT to deliver strong and seamless acceleration as explained by CarFax.
There is a second, less common, type of CVT that uses a series of discs and rollers, but it operates on similar principles.
Though there are no gears in a CVT, some simulate a more traditional changing of gears.
In these transmissions, the belt-and-pulley system is designed to move to preset points by using a traditional shift lever or paddle shifters on the steering wheel.