Ask The Editors: Drive Belts Are Not The Same As Belt Driven?
This is a drive belt but the machine is not belt driven.
Probably not – but that’s not a stupid question. We take for granted that the terminology so often thrown around in tech brochures and in the shop means the same to everyone, when in fact everyone has to start somewhere.
When you hear of a belt transmission, it’s most likely referring to what has become the most popular off-road transmission layout today – the CVT or Continuously Variable Transmission.
Without getting overly technical, the way these automatics work is they use two cones tapered in opposite directions and have a belt connecting them. By sliding these cones back and forth, you are able to duplicate just about any gear ratio imaginable (whereas a few years ago, a chain and sprocket system would mean only 4 or 5 gear ratios depending on how many gears (sprockets) you had in the gearbox).
What determines what actually drives the vehicle’s wheels is referred to as Final Drive. Think what connects the engine’s output shaft to the axle or wheel. Typically this will be shaft or chain. We’re not suggesting that a belt driven final drive is impossible, just rare. Why? Because off-roading can be a messy affair and exposed belts need only a little moisture to begin slipping.
Usually the combination of transmission and final drive can be summarized as a vehicle’s drive-train.
