I've had a few beers, here is a great idea.

"The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock" (jukesjukesjukes)
12/31/2018 at 01:21 • Filed to: None

I was thinking. W ith new engines going down in displacement, & gaining turbos. They are getting good torque. Most remaining manuals are short ratio 6spds. To me it seems counter intuitive. Short ratios are nice peaky power bands, not wide power bands. So why can’t automakers go back longer ratios less speeds to utilize the wide power band of engines now. If the trend is more torque, soon enough auto makers could do a very long ratio 2spd manual. It be a lighter, more compact gear box, & hella cheaper to make. It also be less parts to break. Also it be up/down, no more up to right. Think of the many advantages.

DISCUSSION (21)

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/31/2018 at 01:37

Gotta think about economy too. You get best fuel efficiency when revs are low. More gears means more unique road speeds where you’re getting best economy. Closer ratios mean you don’t have to rev much before shifting . More gears means you can have the economy benefits of the close ratio box without sacrificing an overdrive gear.

M.T. Blake > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/31/2018 at 02:18

Hella... Hi! I’m from California too!!!

Berang > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/31/2018 at 02:21

wat

OPPOsaurus WRX > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
12/31/2018 at 02:29

This is why we need a manual CVT

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/31/2018 at 02:37

Drunk Oppo is drunk.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/31/2018 at 02:47

I’ve been thinking of building a manual version of the Daf Variomatic CVT. In theory I just need a device (ideally with a lever) to manipulate the vacuum pressure going to the CVT, which should allow to keep it ‘ in gear’ for longer.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/31/2018 at 07:35

I’ve had a metric shit tonne of champagne...you appear to be talking about an electric motor.

TheRealBicycleBuck > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/31/2018 at 08:08

Manual CVT? Oxymoron!

I have to say the CVT in the Nissan Maxima is brilliant. It keeps the revs in the economy range under normal conditions, then cycles through the power band when you romp on it, making it feel like a real transmission. If only the car were RWD, I’d consider buying one.

OPPOsaurus WRX > TheRealBicycleBuck
12/31/2018 at 08:20

The CVT in our Quest is pretty responsive, still lacks the fun of DIY. I guess there would still be no clutch but having a lever like a jet control would be fun (ner)

OPPOsaurus WRX > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
12/31/2018 at 08:20

the feeling of my head this morning can confirm this.

Ash78, voting early and often > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/31/2018 at 08:42

Hells yes. I drove solely manuals for over 20 years, all were 5-speed. The 115 hp could have used another low gear for power, while the 190hp car was just fine.

Occasionally in high school I drove my buddy’s old 1968 Ford pickup with a 3-speed column shifter. It seemed so simple, yet it worked (4 speeds would have been ideal...)

My dad has a VW R32 with a torquey VR6, but 6 speeds. When I drive it, I normally shift 1-3-5 or even 1-3-6 if I’m not driving aggressively. The car does this well, but it still feels like too many gears to mess with. Even my old man mis-shifts from time to time.

Warm take: 4MT would work great for most modern turbos with over 250 lb-ft. MAYBE a tall 5th for cruising, but even that might be overkill. Just make 4th tall.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/31/2018 at 09:12

Or, a wide ratio 6 speed like the Corvette's 7 speed where top gear is just a highway gear where you turn 1200 rpm going 90? That woukd be cool. Eek out some great fuel economy there.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/31/2018 at 09:13

I've been saying it for months!

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Ash78, voting early and often
12/31/2018 at 09:15

In my 115 hp (lol yeah right) Golf, my most common shifts are either 1-2-5 or 1-4. One to get on highways, one for going around town. A wide ratio 4 speed would make sense I guess?

Ash78, voting early and often > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
12/31/2018 at 09:27

Wow — I don’t think I ever skipped a gear in the 2.slo Golf :D

It needed all the help it could get. But that power was normal for the 90s and it didn’t feel slow against the competition.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Ash78, voting early and often
12/31/2018 at 09:30

I mean, 1st gear redline is like 25-30, 2nd redline is 45 ish, then I just progress up to 90 in 5th, because people in Ohio don't know how to use an on ramp. When I have nobody ahead of me getting on the highway, I'll wring out 1 2 and 3.

bhtooefr > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/31/2018 at 09:33

Worth noting that manual CVTs have been done before.

(Left hand grip is the shifter, it’s a hydraulic power split transmission, but that still gives CVT behavior.)

(This uses planetary balls and a drive fluid, but still CVT behavior .)

TheRealBicycleBuck > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/31/2018 at 09:51

The Maxima has a manual mode. It acts mostly like a real transmission. I like to use it when traffic is heavy and I’d rather be able to let off the gas and slow the car down than touch the brakes. To get to manual mode, you just have to move the shi ft lever to the left. Press forward to go up a gear, back to drop a gear.

OPPOsaurus WRX > TheRealBicycleBuck
12/31/2018 at 10:01

the Quest doesn;t have that. when you put my brother-in-laws Corolla into “sport mode” it gives the CVT shift points but I dont t hink you can shift it manually. Having a manual mode like the Maxima makes sense but the shift points like the corolla just seems stupid and goes against one fo the biggest selling poin t of the CVT

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
12/31/2018 at 10:16

Modern engines have torque yes, but generally it’s over a narrow range, hence the close ratio trans to compensate.

Older engines may not have had the big peak numbers, but they carried over a wide rpm range, which allowed them to use longer gearing.

TheRealBicycleBuck > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/31/2018 at 11:07

The Maxima has shift points even in regular drive mode. They’re only noticeable when you really stomp on it. Our Outback is the opposite. Stomp the gas and it revs up to maximum power RPM and stays there. Because of the Maxima’s behavior, I didn’t realize at first that it is a CVT.