CVT - CEG Archives

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

I've been driving a Freestyle since Tuesday night and I'll have it another day. The Constant Variable Transmission in this vehicle is impressive. It is much better behaved than the CVT in my daughter's Mini Cooper. The industry will most certainly be seeing more of these.

The ratio change is blended, not stepped, so you never feel a shift. The trans keeps the engine at optimum speed to literally match any driving condition. You have to drive it to understand. It is impossible to describe.

Check out this article, explains very well how they work. Excellent idea, and fights with the double clutch tranny.

article

My dads Montego has it. You do feel a slight change sometimes from a roll and then stab the gas. It's not totally seemless. New Maxipad commercials are taughting their CVT.

I have it in my Murano, I think its super cool especially when you punch it from a stop. It's kind of wierd actually.

My wife's Caliber has it. Takes some getting used to because it feels as if the tranny is slipping due to the way it functions.

If max power is made at 4000rpm and say redline is at 7000rpm, does it ever reach redline?

interestingly enough though is that on SRT-4 version the CVT won't handle the power. Had to go to a manual.

That is an iteresting anlge, anybody think that a CVT would work well with a boosted enigne? Maybe with a S/C but a turbo?

If someone builds one that can handle the power. No one seems to be able to yet though.

Originally posted by BStoneMega:
It's kind of wierd actually.

I think I gave you guys my driving impression when I test drove a 500 that had it. Very slick, but will take a liiiiitle getting used to... Not sure about the technology yet. Towing, cooling, wear, all offer up concerns as I don't know EXACTLY how the internals are set up to achieve their goal.

CVT has been used for decades on heavy equipment, but making it compact & at the same time sturdy enough to install in a passenger car are recent developments.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
If max power is made at 4000rpm and say redline is at 7000rpm, does it ever reach redline?

I wondered that too. What if max power was up near redline? Are you stuck at mid-power levels? Is there a way to get to redline?

I rode in Changs Freestyle once, the CVT can best be described as 'weird'. It almost seems like a slipping automatic.

The Wife had a Subary Justy with a CVT in it when we met back in '91, and it was couple years old then. It certainly extracted all the available powerr from that 3-cylinder motor but it was wierd to punch it at a light and have the motor zing to near redline and stay there as you accelerated. I liked it but it failed every 30k like clockwork. Thank goodness it had an extended warranty on it. Traded it in when it was ready for trans replacement #3, I think we got $500 for it but I just wanted it gone by then.

Scott

I'm not a big fan of it... the wife's car ('03 Saturn Vue) has it on the 4-cyl. It feels weaker. It's like it has no low-end whatsoever. Of course, that could be due to the weak engine.

I like the idea of a one speed transmission, but wouldn't it be bad on gas cause of a constant mid-RPM? I remember reading about the CVT about two years ago and it looks like its finally catching on.

Originally posted by KerryKool:
I like the idea of a one speed transmission, but wouldn't it be bad on gas cause of a constant mid-RPM? I remember reading about the CVT about two years ago and it looks like its finally catching on.

It's actually better on gas at cruise because it's not a one speed transmission, it infinitely and steplessly variable (within the range designed in). So at cruise it goes to a very high gearing.

As I noted with my experience, CVTs have been around for almost 20 years, but the designers have apparently worked out the reliablity issues, though I remain skeptical.

Scott