8 & 9 speed transmissions

[meep]

my ex's escape hybrid used the toyota system. Frankly, even from a sporting perspective, I liked it. you have to learn to get your own timing right, which ANY successful enthusiast understands. recall when FI was new and the engine response was sluggish across all the brands once the acceleration pump in the good 'ole carb vanished? Everyone fussed back then. "Younger" drivers don't even know what they are missing!!

Heel-toe shifting? snap-shifts on a 65-to-25 decel from 3rd to 2nd with no clutch? timing, feel...

The engine/trans relationship at least in that "CVT" is not a dissimilar.... timing.... work the vehicle.

And to hear the cruise bring that smooth 4-pot to 6500 rpm without banging through gears on a steep incline, heck yea! It must have been printed 38 times in the manual.... "this vehicle will frequently rev the engine to high speeds. this is normal...."

At least in that one instance, I have nothing but praise for the CVT. AND.... no clutches, cogs, syncros. One planetary. Some coils of wire....

 

[Pesca]

If you like driving cars, you should not like automatic gears, you should only love manuals.

If you want to use your car to go from A to B with the risk of being in a traffic jam, a CVT is the way to go. There is no future in automatic cars as they just have inconvenients, no advantage compare to manual gears or CVT.

I always find funny why people don't like CVTs: :"I don't like when I floored it."
News Flash: CVT are not made to be floored, you have manual cars for that.
If you want to be known as a gearhead, buy a manual car, not any automatic.
Automatic (auto or CVT) cars are the opposite of sport cars, the sport cars are only the manual ones.
All the automatic cars (once again, either auto or CVT) are just appliances, they are no made to be fun to drive, just to move you to your destination.

 

[SubLGT]

ZF recently announced a 9 speed auto transmission for FWD applications.
http://www.zf.com/corporate/en/press/press_releases/press_release.jsp?newsId=21795176

 

[SteveSRT8]

News flash, pesca!

We're all different. We get to pick whatever we like and experience our cars in our own way. Let's get together sometime and go for a 180 mph run in my "appliance"!!!

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
News flash, pesca!

We're all different. We get to pick whatever we like and experience our cars in our own way.

As much as I love my manual transmission and hate automatics myself, I have to agree here.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Hey, I own both. My go-fast car is an old Healy replica with 550 horses raging through a tremec. I also have an older P/U with a 4 speed.

Very nice, super direct. Lots of fun, too, with only 2800 pounds in the Healy!

But just an auto trans does not condemn your car to 'appliance' status!

 

[yeti]

stevesrt8 --" We're all different. We get to pick whatever we like and experience our cars in our own way". exactly.
i refer to page one, where you state that some old dinosaurs here think change is bad.and, kestas replies re: the rock solid 3 speed auto. he's right. they just didn't(or very rarely)break down.even when motors were punched out, bigger cams used, intake/exhaust upgrades --- many guys stayed with stock autos, because they could take the punishment.
most carmakers have problems of some form or other with their trannies in the last about 10 years.there are just too many electronically controlled systems in recent vehicles. these recent trannies, (as well as the other "systems") are/will be very costly to fix.questionable reliability comes with sophisticated electronics to tweak mpg.
this area, partly because it's about 1 mi. away from the motor city, has always had a history of car guys, muscle cars, etc.until now, when the kids rice out cars with mickey mouse flatulence can mufflers,wings so large that an adult could lie down on them -- makes me want to wretch. just making a point that not ALL change is good.
there's even a member whose sig line states that the auto tranny is the work of the devil.
i'm not looking for a peeing match -- just food for thought.
i guess that i'm one of those dinosaurs.have a good day,man.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
News flash, pesca!

We're all different. We get to pick whatever we like and experience our cars in our own way.

As much as I love my manual transmission and hate automatics myself, I have to agree here.


Same here.

And although there is nothing all that horrid about a street version SMG, I still think a REAL racing type sequential (noise, straight cut gear whine, clanking, crashing, harshness and ALL) would be better yet, stronger, and cooler.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
News flash, pesca!

We're all different. We get to pick whatever we like and experience our cars in our own way. Let's get together sometime and go for a 180 mph run in my "appliance"!!!

Yeah an 180 mph pansy appliance.

 

[Ben99GT]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
My go-fast car is an old Healy replica with 550 horses raging through a tremec. I also have an older P/U with a 4 speed.

Very nice, super direct. Lots of fun, too, with only 2800 pounds in the Healy!


Cool, is this what is going to show me what "fast" really is is?

 

[SteveSRT8]

yep, and you can ask the new Z06 that was in Bradenton last year. It's pretty quick. With a better driver it has a nine in it for sure. And it is pure [censored] from a roll on!

Plus it has tons of hours and money in the chassis. We've been working it like crazy to try and get the handling and braking to be on par with the magnificent mouse my BIL built for it!

Always a work in progress.

Yeti, I always state here and elsewhere that I support everyone's right to pick 'em. And since I AM an old dinosaur, I can tell you that we blew tons of old automatics up when I was young and drag racing every weekend. TH400's, TH350's, 727 Torqueflite's, we blew them all up and then built them stronger. They were far from indestructible.

Then I buy this [censored] Chrysler almost six years ago and it's faster, quicker, stops like a Porsche, and can TURN! And it has a Merc designed slushbox that is nearly bulletproof and easily handles 500 rwhp. So in my world change is good.

Ignore the ricers, they'll die off one day!

 

[andyd]

meh, the 4hp22 cable operated 4spd auto still works fine at 350k miles. Maintenance has consisted of a few fluid and filter changes. Coupled to a 128 hp/ 175 pound feet of torque. If I want a little performance, I hold it in a lower gear. 72 in 2. 105 in 3 .You can feel it shift and its positive shifts result in a long lived trans. Rowing a 5+ spd to work and back does little to optimize your driving experience.

 

[Anthony]

I got my mom a 07 Altima with the 4 banger CVT combination.
When I first drove a CVT I did not like them.

I put about 400 miles on hers before giving it to her.
I LOVE it now!!
The car has great power for a 4banger ,and I credit alot of that to the CVT.
Most reviews have the 4 cyl Altima in the mid to low 7 sec 0 to 60 runs.
It loves to be floored getting on the hwy ,and has great midrange passing power.

It works very well in cruise control as well.

 

[Ben99GT]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
yep, and you can ask the new Z06 that was in Bradenton last year. It's pretty quick. With a better driver it has a nine in it for sure. And it is pure [censored] from a roll on!

Plus it has tons of hours and money in the chassis. We've been working it like crazy to try and get the handling and braking to be on par with the magnificent mouse my BIL built for it!


We'll have to line 'em up one day. I just bought this:

The '99 was totalled out in October @ Cruisin' the Coast, so I bought that.

1991 LX with 74,000 miles, Wolf Racecraft chassis/cage/ARB, manual steering/brakes, 347 @ 10.8:1 with BR stage 3 ported Vic Jrs., TFS Box-R with port matched lower, custom grind, 2" Kooks headers with 3" exhaust, PA C4 w/ PTC 5500 rpm stall converter, Aeromotive A1000 with sumped tank and a little juice. It'll be 4V Modular powered before long though. It weighs around 2700 lbs. with the iron block 347.

 

[opus1]

I drove my first CVT car in September, a rental Nissan Altima over Labor Day weekend. I could live with one if need be.

I don't know if this has been addressed yet, as I'm too lazy to go through 8 pages of posts, but Subaru also is into the CVT's, at least on the Legacy.

 

[d00df00d]

IMO, barring technical issues, ALL automatic transmissions should be CVTs, without exception. I thought that before my seat time in an '09 Maxima, and I am even more convinced now.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Ben99GT
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
yep, and you can ask the new Z06 that was in Bradenton last year. It's pretty quick. With a better driver it has a nine in it for sure. And it is pure [censored] from a roll on!

Plus it has tons of hours and money in the chassis. We've been working it like crazy to try and get the handling and braking to be on par with the magnificent mouse my BIL built for it!


We'll have to line 'em up one day. I just bought this:

The '99 was totalled out in October @ Cruisin' the Coast, so I bought that.

1991 LX with 74,000 miles, Wolf Racecraft chassis/cage/ARB, manual steering/brakes, 347 @ 10.8:1 with BR stage 3 ported Vic Jrs., TFS Box-R with port matched lower, custom grind, 2" Kooks headers with 3" exhaust, PA C4 w/ PTC 5500 rpm stall converter, Aeromotive A1000 with sumped tank and a little juice. It'll be 4V Modular powered before long though. It weighs around 2700 lbs. with the iron block 347.


Whew, that looks MEGA sweet from here. Just remember, the Healy is trying to be a great road course car, not a straight line machine. But I sure hope to see that Beeyatch of yours run soon! Nice find.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
IMO, barring technical issues, ALL automatic transmissions should be CVTs, without exception. I thought that before my seat time in an '09 Maxima, and I am even more convinced now.


After owning a Murano and some rental seat time in Maximas and the like, I must agree.

IF (and it's a big if) the programming is good the CVT is a great idea.

Their big problem is they can't stand up to much torque.

 

[Ben99GT]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
IMO, barring technical issues, ALL automatic transmissions should be CVTs, without exception. I thought that before my seat time in an '09 Maxima, and I am even more convinced now.


Agreed, I would love to see a performance-oriented CVT that can handle some power. I imagine it would be a great drag race setup.

 

[d00df00d]

An F1 team experimented with it in the early 90s. It kept the engine in its power band, allowed the engine to be further optimized for a narrower range of RPMs, and made the car much more stable in braking zones and corner entrances because of the lack of shift shock. It would have kicked everyone's tail if it hadn't been banned.