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From: toma@tekchips.UUCP (Tom Almy)
Newsgroups: net.auto.tech
Subject: Re: Continuous Transmission
Message-ID: <340@tekchips.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Nov-85 12:56:36 EST
Article-I.D.: tekchips.340
Posted: Mon Nov  4 12:56:36 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Nov-85 04:47:25 EST
References: <10878@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: toma@tekchips.UUCP (Tom Almy)
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 45
Summary: 

In article <10878@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> carvalho@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (Marcio de Carvalho) writes:
>
>	Have anyone heard about this so-called continuous
>transmission? ...
>	As it was described to me, it is basically a pair of
>controllable variable diameter wheels linked by a belt; which
>enables the driver to choose among any of the infinitely many 
>transmission ratio possible.

These things have been promoted as something new, but my mother had a 1963 
(nineteen sixty-three) DAF with one of those transmissions.  The car, about
the size of a VW Bug, had a 2 opposed cylinder, 30HP, air cooled front engine
with a centrifugal clutch, with the transmission in the rear.  By having two
belts, one for each wheel, no differential was needed, and the resulting
"limited slip" operation make it fantastic on snow and ice. But the car had
many problems, mostly related to the transmission.  (BTW, the cars basic
model sold for about $1200, making it one of the cheapest cars available at
the time, and by far the cheapest with an automatic transmission which at the
time was only available on very few small cars).

1. Belt life was limited to about 8-10k miles.  While the car could be driven
   with one belt missing, it would slip so much that you wouldn't dare stop
   on a hill.

2. Belt slippage was a problem, especially when wet.

3. Performance was awful, even compared with contemporary small cars.  Top
   speed was about 60, and acceleration was  worse than the 40hp VW Buses
   of the time!  Gas mileage was about 30-32 in suburban driving.  This car
   was no match at all for the popular VW Bugs and Renault Dauphines of the
   time.

4. The transmission (Forward--Neutral--Reverse) had to be shifted swiftly
   between F and R.  Because of the lack of a manual clutch if you stopped
   in N you couldn't shift it into gear.  In this situation you had to turn
   the engine off, wait about 10 seconds for the driveshaft to stop spinning,
   put it in gear and restart (YES, you always started the car in gear!).

To be fair, I am sure they improved things over the years.  After they
stopped importing them in the late 60s, DAF switched to a more powerful 4
cylinder engine.  The company was purchased by Volvo a few years
ago, and the cars are now sold under the Volvo name in Europe.  I may need
to be corrected on this last statement, since I am not sure.

Tom Almy