Quote:
Originally Posted by Ether
My gut instinct is that the friction at the interface of the idler sprocket teeth with the chain would be a bigger factor (albeit still small) than the idler's ball bearing friction.
That's my guess too. Which is why it would be most instructive to see some real apples-to-apples data comparing a well-designed system to itself: with and without a tensioner touching the chain.
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Aside from the increased efficiency, another reason we negate the idler tensioner is that it saves weight and reduces the overall part count.
It's easier for us to make a tensioner using a sliding bearing block than any other method, and it's agreed that it is most efficient. In drive, we don't even consider other options.