Any experience with a CVT transmission?

[Fritzo]

I'm getting a new Mini Cooper S Convertible this spring, but you have to order them 4 months ahead of time. One of the options on the website is for a CVT transmission for an extra $1500. It's supposedly a single gear transmission that eliminates the need for shifting (if you can imagine an ice cream cone with a rubber band on it, when you rotate the cone faster, the rubber band would ride up the cone, providing higher torque). The dealer said they're more efficient than stick shifts---anyone ever try a car with one? I think it's an option on some of the new Fords too.

 

[SacrosanctFiend]

I used to drive an Audi A6 with CVT...smooth as glass (not bumpy glass, but smooth glass), but I much prefer a manual to it.

 

[cavemanmoron]

ever drive a snowmobile?

They use a CVT tranny system,works good,keeps the engine in the power band longer.

No shifting,its constantly Variable,hence cvt. 😉

Subaru justy had these as an option too.

Never drove a car so equipped; should work fine.

 

[DivideBYZero]

More effcient than a stick....











MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.


They are 'interesting' tho. Many cars have paddles and pre-set 'ratios' to give the sense of a manual option. Although these are often badly chosen.

I'd put the $1500 toward the 210hp Works kit...

 

[thomsbrain]

don't confuse CVT (cars) with a centrifugal transmission (go-karts, mopeds, etc). the ratios on CVT's are actively controlled, not a passive thing like you get in a moped. for economy, they can come close to a well-driven stick in city driving but still can't match manuals for highway driving. they can also come close to a stick in acceleration (no wasting time shifting!). if you want an automatic, they are a great technology.

but if you are going to buy a cooper S without a stick, you are crazy and completely missing the point of the car.

 

[eelw]

I have CVT on my Civic Hybrid. Smooth as silk. I wonder why Honda used AT with the Accord Hybrid instead of CVT?

 

[iamwiz82]

Woah here, The S does NOT have a CVT transmission. It is a normal 6 speed auto. The only CVT is on the normal Cooper.

That being said, don't get an auto in a Cooper anything. It makes baby Jesus cry... 🙁

 

[njmodi]

Manual Transmission > *

 

[Jejunum]

hmm i dunno, a cvt might do better in autox if it was setup right.

 

[Liviathan]

I got a Mini with CVT...awesome!!!!!

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
More effcient than a stick....











MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.


They are 'interesting' tho. Many cars have paddles and pre-set 'ratios' to give the sense of a manual option. Although these are often badly chosen.

I'd put the $1500 toward the 210hp Works kit...

Don't laugh...Car and Driver and a couple of other mags said the same thing. A computer controls your torque so you're always in the right "gear" (for lack of a better term). It's a neat idea, but I've never driven one.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
More effcient than a stick....











MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.


They are 'interesting' tho. Many cars have paddles and pre-set 'ratios' to give the sense of a manual option. Although these are often badly chosen.

I'd put the $1500 toward the 210hp Works kit...

Don't laugh...Car and Driver and a couple of other mags said the same thing. A computer controls your torque so you're always in the right "gear" (for lack of a better term). It's a neat idea, but I've never driven one.

CVTs are not as efficient as standard manual transmissions, in terms of both power efficiency and fuel economy.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Woah here, The S does NOT have a CVT transmission. It is a normal 6 speed auto. The only CVT is on the normal Cooper.

That being said, don't get an auto in a Cooper anything. It makes baby Jesus cry... 🙁

Really? It was listed as an option on their order site. The convertibles are a new model year, maybe they added it?

Anyway, I'm probably going to get a manual so my wife doesn't drive it. Just thought this was discussion worthy 😀

 

[radioouman]

I've driven a Saturn VUE with a CVT. I don't believe that the CVT that Saturn uses is a great example of the technology. It worked as described, but it was noisy and gave you the impression that it was slipping when you press the gas from a stop. However, it was a beautiful thing when driving up hills.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
More effcient than a stick....











MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.


They are 'interesting' tho. Many cars have paddles and pre-set 'ratios' to give the sense of a manual option. Although these are often badly chosen.

I'd put the $1500 toward the 210hp Works kit...

Don't laugh...Car and Driver and a couple of other mags said the same thing. A computer controls your torque so you're always in the right "gear" (for lack of a better term). It's a neat idea, but I've never driven one.

CVTs are not as efficient as standard manual transmissions, in terms of both power efficiency and fuel economy.

How do you know this? Links?

 

[radioouman]

They are more efficient in that they can select the most optimal ratio all the time. However, they still loose efficiency because they are hydraulically coupled, not mechanically like a manual.

 

[eelw]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: Howard
CVTs are not as efficient as standard manual transmissions, in terms of both power efficiency and fuel economy.

How do you know this? Links?

Yeah, this is true. On the Hybrid forums I read, the average MPG for CVT models are around 45MPG. For a MT Civic Hybrid, the average is around 52MPG. One individual is constantly getting over 60MPG with his MT. As for power efficiency, humans still can still think better and faster than a computer to choose the best gear for the situation.

 

[Gunbuster]

I just don?t understand why SMG transmission's are so freakin expensive, it?s just a manual with an actuator on the clutch and shifter controlled by the ECU/and some $2 plastic paddles. Yet it?s only on supercars or a $5,000 option.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Gunbuster
I just don?t understand why SMG transmission's are so freakin expensive, it?s just a manual with an actuator on the clutch and shifter controlled by the ECU/and some $2 plastic paddles. Yet it?s only on supercars or a $5,000 option.

I had it on a 1972 VW Super Beetle that cost be $750 10 years ago 😀 It was called a "Semi Automatic" and had three gears, no clutch. Fun death trap to drive!

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Woah here, The S does NOT have a CVT transmission. It is a normal 6 speed auto. The only CVT is on the normal Cooper.

That being said, don't get an auto in a Cooper anything. It makes baby Jesus cry... 🙁

Really? It was listed as an option on their order site. The convertibles are a new model year, maybe they added it?

Anyway, I'm probably going to get a manual so my wife doesn't drive it. Just thought this was discussion worthy 😀

Where does it say the S has a CVT? The S has an Aisin 6 speed manual or a Getrag 6 speed manual. The Cooper has a 5 speed Midland or a CVT made by... well... I dunno.

 

[arcas]

How about the CVT in the Nissan Murano? How well does a CVT do in 4-wheel drive in bad road conditions or off-road?

 

[Rallispec]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
More effcient than a stick....











MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.


They are 'interesting' tho. Many cars have paddles and pre-set 'ratios' to give the sense of a manual option. Although these are often badly chosen.

I'd put the $1500 toward the 210hp Works kit...

Don't laugh...Car and Driver and a couple of other mags said the same thing. A computer controls your torque so you're always in the right "gear" (for lack of a better term). It's a neat idea, but I've never driven one.

CVTs are not as efficient as standard manual transmissions, in terms of both power efficiency and fuel economy.

How do you know this? Links?

while i dont have links on hand right now -- he is correct. In theory, a cvt is capable of being more effecient than a manual (much more so) however in practice, it never happens. this is for two reasons.

a) it takes a lot of power to operate the CVT tranny. high pressure hydrolic pumps are required to keep the belt at the proper place on the cone -- sucking a lot of power away from the engine.

b) auto makers rarely set the computer to run at optimum effeceincy - becuase it really kills performance. (its hard to explain, but basically in order to keep at the most effecient engine speed, it leaves little head room on the engine for acceleration) -- so in order to compinsate for this, automakers program the computer to maintain an engine speed between best effeciency and best performance.


so in the end, its better than a standard automatic transmission - but have yet to surpass a manual transmission in effeciency.
A cvt is truly left to shine in electric hybrid configurations, when the engine can really run at the most effecient point all the time and leave the electric motor for acceleration.. etc.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Woah here, The S does NOT have a CVT transmission. It is a normal 6 speed auto. The only CVT is on the normal Cooper.

That being said, don't get an auto in a Cooper anything. It makes baby Jesus cry... 🙁

Really? It was listed as an option on their order site. The convertibles are a new model year, maybe they added it?

Anyway, I'm probably going to get a manual so my wife doesn't drive it. Just thought this was discussion worthy 😀

Where does it say the S has a CVT? The S has an Aisin 6 speed manual or a Getrag 6 speed manual. The Cooper has a 5 speed Midland or a CVT made by... well... I dunno.

It's not on their website...it was a check box in the order process. Maybe if I completed the order it would say it's not available. Dunno.

 

[theblackbox]

my civic hybrid also has a cvt. in theory, it is much more efficent because the cvt should allow the engine to stay within it's power band when driving.
while there are civic drivers getting better mileage, ask them how they drive. you wouldn't want to drive like that.
the cvt is an amazing piece of work, however, i don't see why you would want one in a mini.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: radioouman
They are more efficient in that they can select the most optimal ratio all the time. However, they still loose efficiency because they are hydraulically coupled, not mechanically like a manual.

I would say a steel chain qualifies as a mechanical (albeit lossy) linkage. Audi's CVT uses a flexible steel chain.