I was just looking at some spiral bevel gears (where the pinion centerline matches up with the ring gear centerline, just perpendicular), and was comparing them to hypoid gears... what makes the hypoid style (where it enters the axle below the centerline) better for automotive applications, than if the pinion entered the housing right on with the axle centerline? if it were like spiral bevel gears, it would save a lot on the driveline angles in most uses. Is the overall length (fore - aft) a concern? thats all i could think of... hypoid gears are more compact.... oh well lets hear what yall have to say

would bevel cut gears use more than one pinion tooth at a time? an advantage to hypoids is that more than one pinion tooth is engaged with the ring gear at a time, allowing for a smooth, continuous torque transer