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Re: [T3] Horsepower at the wheels.


On 31 Aug 2004 at 23:42, John Jaranson wrote:

> > I can't help wondering how much loss we should expect in the drive 
> > train.

> The number I kept hearing at the car show was 20%.  Rule of thumb was a 
> 20% loss from the flywheel to the road with a manual transmission.  
> Don't know about an automatic.  I will ask a few of my powertrain 
> buddy's at Ford this question tomorrow.  20% seems consistent with 
> numbers I got for Sophy.

You may be right, but that sure sounds high to me. I just keep thinking about 
all the energy that this would mean gets dissipated in the transmission (I 
realize that not ALL of the energy is wasted in the transmission, but I assume 
that that's were the majority would go) and how hot that would have to get. One 
HP is 600-700 watts. 

If you don't think that sounds like a lot, wrap your hand around a 50 W light 
bulb and then turn it on, and see how long you can leave it there. Of course 
the transmission has a lot more surface area, but we're talking about 
dissipating ~100 times as much power. And our hands are liquid-cooled. In 
normal crusing there would be much less power used, and much less loss, but how 
about those climbs up the mountains on the way to Parma? I wish we had thought 
to feel the transmissions then. Our output was maxed and our speed (cooling) 
was minimized. The trannys should have been REALLY hot.  

I'll ask my drivetrain friend here, too.

-- 
Jim Adney
jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, WI 53711-3054
USA

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