Anyone heard about this new geerbox? It seems revolutionary, and you should be able to retrofit any normal gearbox with ZeroShift.

http://zeroshift.com/#

 

Did I miss the part about how it works?

 

when you click on the link, it will say... but I will just copy and paste:

ZeroShift is a new technology for shifting gear ratios in zero milliseconds. The ZeroShift mechanism replaces synchromesh or dog-clutches so most manual transmissions can be converted. Additionally, ZeroShift FlatLiner is a control system that manages the shift for a smooth transition. FlatLiner manages the engine inertia and engine speed. While 'modifying' existing transmissions is possible, this is simply a fast-track route to market. A 100% ZeroShift gearbox can be more compact and fully automated without shift forks and rails/barrels.

------- FASTEST & SMOOTHEST-------

Never before have 'smoothest' and 'fastest' coincided. Never before have smoothest and lightest/smallest coincided. ZeroShift is fastest, smoothest, lightest, smallest AND most efficient (in mechanical and emissions terms). In ANY transmission application, ZeroShift will deliver an improvement over whatever transmission is currently used. ZeroShift engineering simplicity and elegance also mean its component count is less than other transmissions.

Firstly, a ZeroShift ratio change is smooth so acceleration or longitudinal 'g' force is uninterrupted through the shift - the yellow ZeroShift 'g' trace is a straight line. A manual or AMT transmission will have a pronounced dip (the white line). An automatic will gently slur through the shift (the grey line). Only one other gearbox can match ZeroShift's 'g' trace: a dual-clutch transmission (DCT, or DSG in Audi-speak). ZeroShift beats DCT in every other discipline.

------- FLATLINER -------

The concept of an instant shift - given that the world has done without for nearly a century - is alien. It would appear that to change gear instantly demands an instant speed change of the crankshaft. This is true but this is not what happens in a ZeroShift. The elliptical highlight in the diagram shows that the engine revs adjust over time and the slope (rate of change) is dynamically adjusted by the FlatLiner controls.

So: ZeroShift does not detonate the transmission or the engine. In fact, ZeroShift is easier on the engine, the clutch, the transmission and all the joints and bushes on the way to the driven wheels.

------- THE REVOLUTION -------

ZeroShift is capable of replacing EVERY type of current transmission. From Racecar Engineering magazine (Feb 2004):
"ZeroShift has the potential to revolutionise automotive transmissions to the point where, putting our necks on the line here, it is reasonable to expect that in 10 years time every [vehicle] in the world will be built with a gearbox operating on the ZeroShift principle. . be prepared for a revolution."

------- 8 ZEROSHIFT FACTS -------

1. ZeroShift can be up to 40% lighter and smaller than a manual transmission, currently the smallest and lightest gearbox type
2. ZeroShift is as mechanically efficient as a manual transmission, currently the most mechanically efficient. By being smaller and lighter, ZeroShift contributes to better vehicle fuel economy
3. ZeroShift is the fastest shift - you cannot go quicker than zero milliseconds.
4. ZeroShift is the smoothest shift - driveline torque is constant across a shift so longitudinal 'g' (acceleration) is constant
5. ZeroShift further assists fuel economy (and reduces emissions) because FlatLiner eliminates fuel enrichment 'spikes' in shifts. FlatLiner makes tiny, accurate adjustments
6. ZeroShift encourages the move towards smaller engined vehicles by delivering a performance advantage between the gears rather than 'in gears'. A 1.4 litre ZeroShift car would outperform a 1.6 manual and be as smooth as the 2.0 automatic (which it would also outperform!)
7. ZeroShift is relevant to ALL vehicle/transmission sectors because - as can be seen above - it beats or matches 'best of the rest' in every category
8. ZeroShift is fastest and smoothest so the same transmission type is equally effective in an F1 car and a limousine. It delivers the best performance and the best fuel economy. The ability to marry opposite extremes is unique and gives rise to a unique new way of driving called [CLASSIFIED - embargo 00:00 02/04/04].

------- GEARBOX TYPES -------

To fully appreciate ZeroShift's extraordinary claims and the media's extraordinary prophecies, it is worth quickly reviewing the last century, and in particular the last couple of decades, of gearbox design.

------- THE CLASSICS -------

There are two basic transmission types: synchromesh manual (originated 1920s) and planetary automatics (originated 1930s). A crude but effective evolution of the synchro manual is a constant mesh manual with dog clutches replacing the synchromesh elements. 'Dog boxes' are unsuitable for road cars but highly effective in racing cars - Formula 1 cars use sequential dog boxes.

There are three (or two and a bit) 'core' transmission types: manual and auto (the classic showroom choice) and the dog box (the only choice if you are a racer). So what's happened in the last few years? Don't we have the choice of CVT, IVT, AMT, SMG, DCT, DSG, Selespeed, F1, Sensotronic, Tiptronic....? So don't we have more choice than ever? More features than ever? Read on...

------- THE VARIABLES -------

CVT (continuously variable transmission) has never caught on in volumes. It has its advocates but it replaces neither of the classic showroom choices.

IVT (infinitely variable transmission). Similar concept to CVT (ie a 'stepless' transmission) but it uses a 'variator' instead of bands and belts to give infinite gear ratios. Like CVT, it replaces neither of the classics. Unlike CVT, you can't buy it in a showroom yet.

A quick note to finish off the CVT and IVT issue: F1 teams would not have more than 7 gears even if the regulations allowed. One can conclude from this that there is no need to have more than 7 gears ...so why would you need 'continuously variable' or 'infinite' ratios? Given that engines have a continuously/infinitely variable throttle and a broad power/efficiency band, it is easy to understand why 7 gears will suffice.

------- ROBOT WARS -------

AMT, SMG, Selespeed, F1, Cambiocorsa ...are all basically the same principle. AMT (automated manual transmission) is the generic term, the others are product names for BMW, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati AMT systems. Quite often - just like CVT - the AMT option sits alongside 'the classics' rather than replacing either. However, Maserati have just launched the Quattroporte with only AMT and the media reaction has not been kind. Similarly, the AMT-only Aston Martin Vanquish has met such a fate.

So what is the problem? AMT is a manual that can masquerade as an automatic. It does this by adding weight, complexity and cost to a manual ...but the sum of all the parts is probably still a bit less cost than an automatic. AMT is a 'robot' doing the clutch and gearstick moving for you. For the 'convenience' of instructing the robot via 'F1-style' paddles, you save yourself the effort of changing gear. However, the robot - despite successive versions of software - still slams through the gears with the mechanical sympathy of a car thief!

'Tiptronic' (first introduced by Porsche in the 911) and subsequent other 'somethingtronic' automatics are the converse of AMT. They are automatics with added complexity. These are automatics that can masquerade as a manual.

AMT (manual + auto mode) and Tiptronic (auto + manual override), do not replace 'the classics'. Tiptronics are esoteric automatics. Pitched at the sports/luxury sector, they are extraordinary engineering feats and their 'functionality' and 'intelligence' is all part of the status proposition. Mechanical losses are reduced by locking torque convertors (prevents fuelsapping slip) or offset by supercharged brute force in the certain knowledge that while the planet dies, the plutocrat at the helm 'can afford it'.

AMTs are fundamentally flawed - whether it is ever possible or economic to force robots and software to have, under all conditions, the mechanical sympathy of a driving legend like Sir Jackie Stewart is debatable...

------- THE ILLUSION -------

...which is largely what opened the door to the most complicated manual transmission derivative of all: the dual clutch transmission (DCT) aka DSG in Audispeak.

DCT is a truly fascinating product. Two manual gearbox shafts are integrated into one another (one with the odd gears, one with the even gears) with a clutch on each shaft. To drive DCT requires a robot for the clutches and gear selection and a computer to choreograph the gearshifts. Dual clutch pre-selects the next gear and then releases the clutch on one shaft while engaging the other. There is a transition point where the two clutches work against one another.

The DCT transition duration is very close to ZeroShift's zero milliseconds - 20ms to 30ms would be realistic. That's faster than an F1 car's 50ms. Impressed? To expose the REAL time to shift, try 5 to 4 to 3 in a hurry, say, to overtake a truck. A DCT can only go 5-4-3 sequentially, skipping ratios is impossible.

DCT is "the Emperor's New Gearbox", an illusion of progress. It costs nearly as much as an automatic. It replaces neither of the classics - a manual is faster, an automatic is 'lazier'. DCT's "fastest gearshift" crown is stolen by ZeroShift but the value of DCT's crown was, in any case, frittered away by its weight and mechanical inefficiency. A competent driver in a manual car would outperform a DCT driver every time.

Compare the 0-60 time, the CO emissions, the price and the kerb weight of an Audi A3 with a manual transmission and with a DSG gearbox. Despite the 'fastest gearshift' before the arrival of ZeroShift, the DSG-equipped car accelerates slower and drinks more fuel. Just like an automatic...

 

The closest I could find was right at the beginning, "The ZeroShift mechanism replaces synchromesh or dog-clutches so most manual transmissions can be converted."

Whereas when describing the the DSG they are more clear: "Two manual gearbox shafts are integrated into one another (one with the odd gears, one with the even gears) with a clutch on each shaft. To drive DCT requires a robot for the clutches and gear selection and a computer to choreograph the gearshifts. Dual clutch pre-selects the next gear and then releases the clutch on one shaft while engaging the other." - Makes sense.

I'm still not clear how the ZeroShift achieves the shift in 0 milliseconds using conventional gears and clutch. Is it electromagnetic? Mechanical? Hydraulic? Pneumatic? etc. How are the gears engaged with zero lag?

 

Don't ask me... I just heard about this company from some friends, and thought it could be of some interest to some of you.

 

But I would like to know myself how it does work... the website is not that clear...

 

This is exactly the problem. If went to the website and got thoroughly confused, I never was able to figure out exactly how this transmission worked. Finally I just gave up and lost interest.

Hopefully they can translate their website into something the layman can understand, using relatively simple English.

As it is right now they use some techo-wizzy words and point to graphs of the performance of the transmission, but I can't find any meat telling me what the heck it is or how it is working. Its like all smoke and mirrors.

 

It sounds like they've created a godly transmission. I wonder how much of that website is marketing and how much of it is fact.

 

Found this thread while searching for sequential transmission info.

The website has a pretty good animation of how it works.

http://www.zeroshift.com/systemanime.htm

Steve

 

It is a very clever design and actually works. Racecar Engineering has had two articles on the transmission. They had two graphs of the acceleration of a TVR Cerbera one with a conventional box and another with the zeroshift. The zero shift had a perfeclty smooth acceleration while the TVR with the regular box had visible spots where the shifting took place. They also had a graph of a TT with a DSG box. Even the DSG has a break in power while a shift takes place.

Shifting this quick has some problems though. During an upshift for example the engine can go from 9k to 7k instantly. That is alot of inertia that needs to go somewhere. This inertia could cause shocks throught the drivetrain and cause extra power at the rear wheels. So the zeroshift team has spents lots of money making the shifts smooth with no extra torque at the rear wheels.

Zeroshift is the future for a non-cvt transmission. It is simple and light.

 

I still don't understand how it works ... I must be too dumb to figure it out.

 

I think there was an article a year or two ago in 'Race Car Engineering' that detailed this transmission.

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/

Maybe search their archives. Good publication.