I like CVTs

"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
12/28/2016 at 20:28 • Filed to: None

well at least more than automatics anyway.

I feel like you can better control acceleration as there is no sudden change in power, in traffic its smoother. Sometimes I will forget its a CVT and it freaks me out when it holds higher RPMs for a while. I also find it to be the dumbest thing that some manufacturers will insert false shift points, taking away the best characteristic of the transmission.

It would be kinda cool if there was a jet engine style throttle that would control the ratio. It would be like a manual CVT.

DISCUSSION (29)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 20:31

Stockholm syndrome

MrDakka > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
12/28/2016 at 20:33

Here’s some Kool-Aid. While you drink that, let me tell you about the possibility of infinite gear ratios

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > MrDakka
12/28/2016 at 20:35

whoarder is tellurium > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 20:36

The only application that works:

Kinja'd!!!

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 20:38

I agree. Granted my only experience driving a CVT was a short test drive for shit and gigs, but that thing would spoil me if I bought it. It was a Civic with the 2.0, loved it. If I had the money I’d buy it in a heart beat for a DD.

jimz > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 20:39

the remaining issue with them is that the existing friction-based designs are pretty much input torque limited to about 280 lb-ft. plus they’re pretty much non-rebuildable; once that belt and the cones are shot, that’s basically the cost of the entire transmission right there.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
12/28/2016 at 20:43

the Focus is a 6 sp auto. I’d say its more like the auto makes the CVT bearable.

sometimes I want the Allroad back just because I miss the manual so much.

Then I remember how stupid that is. I really want the WRX back more than anything.

190octane > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 20:46

As far as I know I’ve never driven a CVT so I don’t know what all the fuss is about. With everything I’ve heard about them, it doesn’t seem like you should expecting an amazing driving experience with the type of cars they put them in.

404 - User No Longer Available > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 20:53

Wait... I thought it was a 6 speed DCT?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 20:53

What still gets me is...... If I may... that you ultimately ended up with another hatchback

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 20:55

CVTs are the best transmissions whether we like it or not.

OPPOsaurus WRX > jimz
12/28/2016 at 20:57

I dont think they have had the development the atuos have. over time i’d imagine the performance gap will close. Rebuilding an Auto isn;t cheap either.

smobgirl > 190octane
12/28/2016 at 21:01

That’s probably a fair assessment, but I prefer to be the control module for my shitty driving experiences. They’re only fun flat out!

OPPOsaurus WRX > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
12/28/2016 at 21:02

yep

Kinja'd!!!

if money wern’t a thing it would be the Focus RS.

jimz > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 21:18

but a traditional auto is still well understood stuff. gears, clutches, brakes. CVTs rely on friction between several elements, and if you want to turn those elements harder you need more force, which takes more pressure and thus saps more power.

Probenja > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 21:19

I feel like someone should make a tribute compilation video with cvt’s at WOT.

190octane > smobgirl
12/28/2016 at 21:19

I’m assuming they don’t have a manual mode in a car with a CVT? Of course, pushing a button isn’t the same as the 3rd pedal.

In my opinion, even a shit car can be fun with a stick... I had a blast in my ‘84 S-10 blazer. Sure, this was 1998 and I was 16 but it was still fun because of the stick shift.

OPPOsaurus WRX > 404 - User No Longer Available
12/28/2016 at 21:58

well yes, i’m not 100% sure what the difference between that and a typical auto is. It still has gears but no third pedal

bhtooefr > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 21:59

Hydrostatic transmissions on lawn mowers are effectively a form of CVT, and are manually controlled.

And, the NuVinci CVP is a weird-ass setup that uses planetary balls acting on rings under high pressure, and the angle that they contact the rings determines the ratio, and is manually shifted, unless you get the Harmony automatic shifting setup for it. (It’s horrifically inefficient, though, in bicycle transmission terms, anyway. And, bicycles are the main application...)

Then, you’ve got power split transmissions, which use one electric motor to apply load to the engine to keep it at a target RPM, and a second electric motor to drive the car... but they also have a mechanical path from the engine to the wheels through a planetary gearset. That’s my favorite kind of CVT, because they can respond damn quickly, there’s nothing that’s designed to ever slip so there’s no real wear components, and you have an electric motor to get you off the line while the engine’s being started by the other motor.

bhtooefr > Probenja
12/28/2016 at 22:02

Not a true CVT, and it’s got a 2-speed gearbox between MG2 (the main electric propulsion motor) and the axle (and due to the amount of power running through MG2, it behaves a bit oddly when MG2 has to shift), but the engine to axle isn’t going through that gearbox:

404 - User No Longer Available > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/28/2016 at 23:38

I guess to laymen it’s a jerkier “auto” transmission with more random complaints at the service bay, then getting explained that it’s normal.

PWRandSPD > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/29/2016 at 00:20

The only CVT I have had sucked so bad, no thank you. Give me a stick or a regular automatic. So bad after several trips to the dealer I gave up and got rid of the car only after 11,000 miles.

pImpOfThePerverse > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/29/2016 at 03:10

The CVT in my underpowered cube makes it feel like a hot hatch by running it straight to redline and then keeping it there til I hit forty or so regardless of throttle position. It has a pretty impressive granny low so the effect is for real. I get flipped off by people who never flip anybody off.

bhtooefr > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/29/2016 at 06:22

A conventional automatic uses a torque converter, which is a kind of fluid coupling that both naturally and smoothly allows slippage without damage (as long as it doesn’t overheat), and multiplies torque while allowing that slip. (Modern automatics have a clutch to bypass the torque converter when slip isn’t desirable.) And, most conventional automatics use planetary gearing, and a combination of clutch packs and brake bands to engage and disengage different parts of the planetary gears.

A dual-clutch transmission has no torque converter, and therefore no torque multiplication is possible if the clutches are slipping, meaning first gear must be shorter. And, the clutches slipping damages them, so the transmission computer will avoid slippage as much as possible, which affects smoothness when starting. In addition, a dual-clutch transmission is structured internally more like manual transmissions - gears are typically not planetary, there’s typically two concentric input shafts, and two or more output shafts that are then geared to the differential. All gears are constantly meshed, and the computer selects a gear and engages it to one of the shafts (input or output depending on design, I think - on the other side, all of the gears are constantly engaged to their shaft). But, a dual-clutch transmission has two manual-style gearboxes inside, and it alternates between them by switching which clutch is engaged to the engine, so it can shift the one that isn’t currently connected to the engine.

OPPOsaurus WRX > PWRandSPD
12/29/2016 at 08:13

what was wrong with it? sounds like maybe more of a specific issue than one with CVTs in general

PWRandSPD > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/29/2016 at 10:30

It would slip and slam all the time, not smooth at all like a CVT is meant to be and Honda could never fix the problem.

OPPOsaurus WRX > PWRandSPD
12/29/2016 at 11:04

i’ve driven a corolla and a Quest and they have both been really smooth. its probably worth another try with a different one if your ever in the market again.

sn4cktimes > 190octane
12/29/2016 at 15:10

Wife’s Juke has a “manual” mode. It locks the CVT into a specific range. Good for downhills.

DarrenMR > OPPOsaurus WRX
01/02/2017 at 10:12

Call me crazy but variator clutches are for scooters.