Originally Posted by
fredswain
The less rotating mass thing is just moronic. Yes, technically one less idler gear has less rotating mass but it's a small diameter and that extra gear is only worth about 1% in efficiency change. Temperature has a greater effect than that. I used to design drive systems for oil drilling so I laugh at what some people believe vs what is.
I always wandered that... One small idle gear, including the bearings, probably has less rotational inertia than the spur gear, diff, clutch, and shafts at least. Then a minuscule amount compared to the motors magnets and wheels/tires.
Why I think its more of a selling point than useful point.