Sprocket Ratio calculation

Motorcycles, bicycles, go-karts and some machinery use sprocket-andchain drives to transfer power. The power transfer changes with the size
of the sprockets. The ratio of the sprockets determines the power needed
to drive the driven sprocket. Since your engine puts out a finite amount of
horsepower, it's a trade-off. Faster speed means lower power to the wheel,
and vice versa. Determining the ratio of the sprockets is easy; there is just
one simple equation. Utilizing that equation to find the "best" ratio,
however, can prove difficult.

Sprocket Equation

According to Power Masters Motorsports Academy, determining the

ratio is a matter of counting teeth. Count the teeth on the driven, or
wheel, sprocket, and divide that by the number of teeth on the drive, or
transmission, sprocket. For example, suppose the larger wheel (or driven)
sprocket has 16 teeth, and the smaller drive sprocket has eight teeth.
Divide 16 by 8 and the result is 2. Similarly, suppose your driven sprocket
has 20 teeth, and your drive sprocket has 10 teeth. Dividing 20 by 10 also
yields 2. Ratios are expressed using two numbers; for example, the
sprockets in both these examples have a 2-to-1 ratio. The ratio is not the
size of the two sprockets; it is a comparison of the sizes of the two
sprockets.

Interpretation of Ratio Speed

The interpretation of the ratio speed is where it starts to gets tricky.

To find the speed of the driven sprocket, divide the speed of the drive
sprocket by the ratio. Suppose your ratio is 2-to-1. This means for every
time the driven sprocket makes one revolution, the drive sprocket has to
make two revolutions. Suppose the drive sprocket is turning at 1,000 rpm.
The speed of the driven sprocket is 500 rpm, since 1,000 divided by 2 is
500. If the ratio was 4-to-1, the drive sprocket would be turning at 1,000
rpm, but the driven sprocket would be turning at 250 rpm, since 1,000
divided by 4 equals 250.

Interpretation of Ratio Power Transfer

To calculate the horsepower increase, multiply the ratio by the

horsepower present at the drive sprocket. Remember, however, that you
only have a finite amount of energy to experiment with. What you lose in
one form, you gain in another. Suppose your engine puts out 10
horsepower. Feeding 10 horsepower into a 2-to-1 ratio means the speed of
the driven sprocket is half that of the drive sprocket. However, the
horsepower is doubled. The wheel is actually seeing 20 horsepower. If the
ratio was 3-to-1, the horsepower would be 30, but the speed of the driven

sprocket would be only one-third of the drive sprocket's speed. If the ratio
was 4-to-1, the horsepower would be 40, but the speed of the driven
sprocket would be only one-quarter of the drive sprocket.

Finding the Correct Ratio

According to the Power Masters Motor Sports Academy, the torque

developed at the wheel is related to engine rpm and horsepower. Using a
lower ratio, such as 2-to-1, means higher top speed, but with slower
acceleration at low speeds. Using a higher ratio, such as 4-to-1, means
faster acceleration off the line, but a slower top speed. Again, it's a tradeoff, according to DIY Go Karts. DIY Go Karts has developed a calculator
that accounts for a variety of factors, such as tire size, engine rpm and
ratio. You enter all the data and the calculator determines your final top
speed.

How to Calculate Sprocket Speed

bicycle image by david harding from Fotolia.com

The speed of the sprocket in a bicycle or similar vehicle depends on the

overall vehicle's linear velocity. The faster the vehicle travels, the higher
the angular velocity of its wheels. This angular speed transmits in full to
the sprocket. The sprocket's linear velocity, in turn, depends on its angular
velocity. With a steady angular velocity, a sprocket with a greater radius
runs at a higher linear speed.

Multiply the distance the vehicle travels in feet by 0.3 to convert it

to meters. If it travels 100 feet: 100 x 0.3 = 30 meters.

Divide your answer by the time, in seconds, the vehicle takes to

cover this distance. If it takes 2 seconds: 30 / 2 = 15 meters per second.

Divide your answer by the wheel's radius, measured in meters. If the

wheel measures 0.4 meters in radius: 15 / 0.4 = 37.5 radians per second.
This answer is the angular velocity of both the wheel and the sprocket.

Multiply your answer by the sprocket's radius, measured in meters.

If its radius equals 0.2 meters: 37.5 x 0.2 = 7.5 meters per second. This is
the sprocket's linear velocity.