Or he could reserve one of each and sell the one he liked the least. I'm certain he would have no problem selling the other one because I believe they will be in high demand.I would approach that issue by selling the AMT Elio (at a nice profit, seeing how it's a rare 16
model), and picking up a nice new one already converted
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The Elio Standard Transmission
- Thread starter ClubJoe
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Being a Formula 1 race fan and knowing that the AMT was developed for them by Magneti Marelli I am very comfortable with the AMT concept and believe it has been well proven. The real question concerns the specifics of the model chosen by Elio based on their economic constraints..
Kegger
Elio Aficionado
I've driven an AMT, and really didn't know until I'd done some reading on the vehicle. When I was ready to go, the clutch engaged ridiculously smoothly. Now, when you're on a little hill, I know some people like to sit there without holding the break. Trying to do that with the AMT is a bad idea though because you're literally riding the clutch. (Really you're not supposed to do it in a vehicle with a torque converter either). When you are holding the brake, the clutch completely disengages and doesn't put any drag on the engine while idling. The articles that champsman posted are pretty good, and I highly recommend reading them! Speaking of which...
Lol you beat me to it!
I've seen some discussion about CVT Transmissions, and thought I might provide some information about the various types.
CVT Transmissions
I found that Wikipedia has fantastic information about these.
Read about CVT transmissions here. I highly recommend looking at the animated diagram too.
In summary, you don't feel that lurch that we've all become used to between gears because there simply aren't gears. The engine powers a pulley where the two sides can get pushed together or expended to cause the belt (usually made out of metal) to travel a larger circumference or smaller circumference. This is similar to the way a bicycle changes its gears. When the front gear is on the small gear, and the back gear is on the big gear, it's really easy to accelerate or go up a hill, but you have to pedal faster if you want any speed. When the back gear is a small gear and the front gear is the big gear, you find that you can keep a steady cadence while traveling at a fast speed, however any acceleration or change of incline results in the changing of the small to big ratio.
Automatic Transmissions
These trace their origins back to 1904 when the "Horseless Carriage" was created.
This is also the Automatic transmission that most of you are used to, and also costs a fortune to have worked on due to its complexity.
Read about the Automatic Transmission here.
Caution, you'll see some information about CVT's there as well, however that is due to the fact that a CVT is technically a type of automatic transmission.
Automatic Transmissions typically use what's called a torque converter to translate the power from your engine to the actual transmission itself.
Most vehicles continue to idle the engine even while at a stop. This posed a problem without some sort of clutch, but having to push a clutch would defeat the purpose of being automatic! Basically, the torque converter is full of fluid. From the engine's shaft is a sort of bladed wheel, and on the transmission's shafter there's another. At low rpm, the engine's bladed wheel is allowed to spin fairly freely in the fluid without affecting the transmission..much. This is why when you let off of the brake, the vehicle starts pulling forward, because the engine is still trying to turn the transmission. This is also why you can sit on a slight incline, and not really have to hold your brakes ( I really don't recommend this). When you push the accelerator, engine rpm increases, and hydraulic pressure increases on the bladed transmission wheel. This causes your vehicle to start moving forward!
Check out this youtube video. It really explains it pretty well. This video also discusses a sort of clutch that is included in Torque converters, but keep in mind, a lot of transmissions don't always have this.
Automatic Manual Transmissions
Works essentially the same way a manual works, but the computer detect the optimal situation to shift. Some of these will even match the engine rpm to the transmission speed prior to re-engaging the clutch. This greatly reduces the wear on the clutch. I personally do this when shifting gears in my truck, but it's something that is learned over time. I subconsciously know that at this speed, in this gear, I need to get the rpm to roughly (some rpm) to so I don't get that dragging feeling when I re-engage the clutch. This is not generally necessary, but it can be fun to do, and really give you the feeling you know your car. On the plus side, it also wears your clutch out a little bit less.
IEEECSS Information on Automated Manual Transmission
Autotrader information on Automated Manual Transmission
MagnetiMarelli Info on Automated Manual Transmission
Wow, this post ended up being long, sorry about that!
Jambe
Elio Addict
Yes, on the M-B you just tap the lever to the left when in D and it down-shifts (-). Tap to the right (+) and it up-shifts. I could be mistaken about slow to up-shift--that may have been in D. ??
My 2009 Hyundai Sonata is very similar and it works very well.
ElioDigger
Elio Addict
it will be slower than that
ross
Elio Addict
OK, I know in order to smoothly shift a manual transmission, either up or down, you need not only a clutch pedal, but you need to modulate the throttle to match the engine (crankshaft) speed with the transmission input shaft speed. Yeah, I learned how to double clutch a non syncro tranny a long time ago. Can this new fangled computer controlled AMT do all this without driver input, or do I need to lift my right foot every time I sense the little 900cc engine struggle.
ross
Elio Addict
Don't get me wrong. I love everything about the E-car. The Lord Elgin dash. Whatever side Paul puts the gas cap on. It's only 8 gallons to fill up, I'll deal. I'm just not sure if I can let a computer shift a manual transmission for me or if I need a clutch pedal and a stick shift to stir the gears myself
zelio
Elio Addict
Patience. You will find out when you get to test drive it. That is the only way to know for sure. :-) Z
Kegger
Elio Aficionado
When I drove an AMT, I was blown away because the computer perfectly revved the engine up to match the gear it was downshifting to on its own. I was blown away. I couldn't believe a computer had just done a better job at matching engine RPM to Tranny RPM than me. We'll have to see how the Elio's turns out of course, but you can seriously drive an AMT just like a normal car. Gas and brake. Nothing else.
Precisely!Patience. You will find out when you get to test drive it. That is the only way to know for sure.