CVT transmissions??

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edwardh1

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How are they working out? I think Nissan/infinity have them. some Toyotas are 6 speed and some Mercedes are 8 speed, so seems cvt would be the ultimate?? do they help or hurt gas mileage?
any used in the tough (like NYC) taxi business? vs their old standard the Ford crown vic?
 
Never had one and would avoid them. Repair is to replace the entire unit. It also has some odd characteristics. The good is it does improve mileage. I expect will be seeing more of them.
 
I have one and love it. I worry a little about longevity, but Nissan has been using them for almost a decade now. While there were some issues (predominately in 6 cylinder and heavier cars), at this point they appear as reliable as any other transmission. My wife (the primary driver of the car) absolutely loves it. Regardless, if it fails within 200,000 miles, then I will hate it. Oh wait, that is true of any transmission for me.

ref
 
Hello 1) My friends sold their 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander to a friend so they could go out and get a 2013. Both had the same engine and CVT transmission. Mitsu calls it a "6 speed".

They live in a mountainous area and utilize the paddle shifters often. They love it. They claim 30 mpg numbers on the highway.

I've only been the vehicle a few times and never have I heard the unit shudder or flare.

I still don't like 'em. A young mechanic said to me, "It took 'em till now to 'perfect' the geared auto. These CVT's are all too new."

Also, I think CVT's were born in an era where cars were getting smaller REAL FAST due to rising fuel prices. Now the fuel is flowing again and huge, piggy engines and cars are back. The CVT designs have been tweaked to fit some of these bigger cars. Not cool in my opinion.

The cookies of an OREO represent the big power and big weight of today's engines and car bodies respectively. The unhealthy crumbly, sugar and shortening cream in the middle which you access by twisting, is the CVT.

I just don't like 'em. Kira
 
They are awkward and suffer from poor programming. They are not reliable (Nissan had to extend warranty to 120K miles). CVTs have a long way to go before they are as good as even the best marginal conventional automatics.

There are numerous videos on youtube of CVTs overheating and going into limp home mode.
 
the subaru ones are fairly reliable so far.
It uses a heavy duty chain.
details at this link.
http://www.manchestersubaru.com/cvt-transmission.htm

I however wouldnt call a CVT ultimate.

its about the wideness of the gear ratios and some of the 8,9 speeds might have some models of cvt beat.
also durability while towing etc has yet to be proven.

Also I am sick of everyone taking advantage with their epa numbers.
Seems like a large number of the larger vehicles now come with unobtainable EPA numbers.

Just because you can program the car to take full advantage of the epa test cycle doesnt mean its going to be 10% more efficient than driving a 6MT ie 22/29 forester mt, 24/32 CVT

CVT's do have a "hold mode" where you can shift it between preset ratios for more driving feel.
 
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Originally Posted By: SwedishRider
My understanding is the Chrysler CVT transmissions are actually made by JATCO, and are pretty much the same as the Nissan units.


That is correct. The majority of them in the US are Jatco units, with the rest being Aisin. You can't go wrong either way.

I love the Aisin, chain-drive CVT in my 2012 Subaru Legacy.

The comments in regards to "you can't repair them.. only replace". You think modern day automotive 6, 7, 8.. speed autos are repairable? No. They're swapped out too.
 
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I've never boughten into the whole CVT thing. The special fluid for it is a rip off, too.
 
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I have one in my '13 Altima 2.5 SL. My best mpg so far has been 38.8 but have talked to others who top 40 mpg. No problems in 26K miles. Unsure of maintenance and its cost.
 
Originally Posted By: mclasser
I've never boughten into the whole CVT thing. The special fluid for it is a rip off, too.


Did you ever price the majority of the "lifetime" ATFs required for today's conventional too many speed automatics?
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: SwedishRider
My understanding is the Chrysler CVT transmissions are actually made by JATCO, and are pretty much the same as the Nissan units.


That is correct. The majority of them in the US are Jatco units, with the rest being Aisin. You can't go wrong either way.

I love the Aisin, chain-drive CVT in my 2012 Subaru Legacy.

The comments in regards to "you can't repair them.. only replace". You think modern day automotive 6, 7, 8.. speed autos are repairable? No. They're swapped out too.


However, it *is* possible to rebuild one. Generally not cost effective.

The comments of CVT not being repairable is because when the metal belt inevitably snaps, it takes out everything inside the transmission and damages the case. Similar to when a chain goes bad in a chain driven transfer case.
 
I'm with you Miller, but on the same token, there's not too many conventional AT failures that don't send shrapnel throughout the system or break the case too, rendering the whole thing not cost effective to repair.
 
Regarding the Jatco units in the Chrysler/Jeep products, it's my understanding that there is an "agreement" that the units can only be replaced, not repaired. This is talked about on the Jeep forums.

This idea was also reinforced by my professional Mopar mechanic friend who stated frustration at having attended Chrysler "school" on JATCO transmission repairs, yet they will only let them do whole unit replacements, even if it just requires a component repair.

It's tough to gauge the CVT opinions at the Jeep forums. There is so much interweb amplification.
 
Mrs. Skeet6 has one in her new Subaru XV Crosstrek. I got the hand-me-down 2012 Forester when she got the new car, so...
My impression of it is a very, very smooth ride, and I like it, very different feel than my Foz, which has a 4 speed auto. Her car only has about 2500 miles, so I can't say much about longevity, LOL. It is fun playing with the paddle shifters, though...
Mike B
 
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Originally Posted By: Kira
Hello 1) My friends sold their 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander to a friend so they could go out and get a 2013. Both had the same engine and CVT transmission. Mitsu calls it a "6 speed".

They live in a mountainous area and utilize the paddle shifters often. They love it. They claim 30 mpg numbers on the highway.

I've only been the vehicle a few times and never have I heard the unit shudder or flare.

I still don't like 'em. A young mechanic said to me, "It took 'em till now to 'perfect' the geared auto. These CVT's are all too new."

Also, I think CVT's were born in an era where cars were getting smaller REAL FAST due to rising fuel prices. Now the fuel is flowing again and huge, piggy engines and cars are back. The CVT designs have been tweaked to fit some of these bigger cars. Not cool in my opinion.

The cookies of an OREO represent the big power and big weight of today's engines and car bodies respectively. The unhealthy crumbly, sugar and shortening cream in the middle which you access by twisting, is the CVT.

I just don't like 'em. Kira


I think they'll be fine in bigger cars and trucks. http://www.caseih.com/en_us/pressroom/news/pages/2011-08-29_case_ih_magnum_370_cvt.aspx
 
I rent Nissan Altima's all the time with CVT's. I like 'em.

However, I remain unconvinced of the 20% ++ benefit of 8 and 9 speed automatics. As compared to conventional 5 and 6 speed auto's.

Clearly, the CVT DOES NOT achieve "magic" MPG's in real world driving. In fact, I'd give the CVT a 5% "real world" advantage over a 5 speed auto and nothing over a 6 speed.

On "fuel economy.gov" "MPG results from real world drivers like you", the Toyota Camry 2.5L 4cyl, with 6 speed auto achieves 28.5MPG. Exactly the same as the slightly smaller Altima with 2.5L CVT.
 
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I'll deal with the awkwardness of how they operate (lugging at odd times or running down the highway at 5000RPM ...) if anyone can make them reliable.

If anyone can make them reliable, it will be Totota / Aisin.
 
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