[NoodleKnight]

Originally Posted by mechanicalbrain

The most important thing with CVTs (Ive been researching them allot). One weight is a big issue and you need to carefully choose material. Two durability is going to be a problem. Constant grinding causes the CVT to wear down which is part of the reason they aren't in cars.

Actually CVT's are in a lot of cars today. The new Toyota Prius Hybrid uses a CVT transmission, so does the Mitsubishi Colt Plus, and Ford's Escape Hybrid uses a CVT. I don't exactally see how constant grinding = CVT wearing down faster. Straight-cut gears in a gearbox grind more than a CVT do.

As for slipping, that depends on how much torque you're putting through the friction plates/wheels/belts/pullies/etc... Since torque and speed are proportional, one could just gear the area where the cvt can potentially slip to a high rpm, where there's relatively low torque.

And as for materials -- material selection varies with your restrictions, you don't have to have deep pockets to make a really good FIRST competition drivetrain, it's all in the design and how you implement that specific design.