CVT swap? (Into 2005 Civic, replacing 4-spd auto)

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by EcoCivic

I wonder if certification tests include any full throttle operation?

Throttle position has some effect on both overall efficiency and thermal management, which is a critical aspect in regard of both fuel savings and emissions control. No wonder even some newer Diesels are featuring a throttle body.

[EcoCivic]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Throttle position has some effect on both overall efficiency and thermal management, which is a critical aspect in regard of both fuel savings and emissions control. No wonder even some newer Diesels are featuring a throttle body.

That's true. The ECU could include a fuel efficient mode for part throttle as well as an all out performance mode for full throttle though. Presuming it doesn't need to pass emissions testing at full throttle that is.

[Fat Charlie]

So it's programmed to make a focus group happy. And the driver wasn't in that focus group.

My car's transmission is programmed to make me happy. I'll keep it.

[EcoCivic]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

So it's programmed to make a focus group happy. And the driver wasn't in that focus group.

My car's transmission is programmed to make me happy. I'll keep it.

That's the benefit of a manual- You can never complain about it being in the wrong gear

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

So it's programmed to make a focus group happy. And the driver wasn't in that focus group.

To convince the driver about eventual advantages of a setup rigged to make the EPA happy is a task for the marketing department, not the engineering. It might explain why some mediocre cars are so highlighted nowadays.

[2016 Versa]

I've got a 2016 Nissan Versa with a CVT but, if I had a standard automatic I wouldn't consider changing to a CVT because of the problems that have plagued the CVT over the years. If I'd have done my homework before buying the Versa I'd have been much more hesitant about buying it. Nissan settled a class action suit on the CVT several years ago where they increased the factory 5yr./60K mile warranty to 10 yr./120K miles. In March of this year they settled another class action suit increasing the factory warranty from 5yr./60K miles to 7yr./84K miles. I love the mileage I'm getting with the CVT in the Versa but, there's no way I could ever save enough on gas to pay for a $4-5K transmission replacement. My Versa has a rebuilt title therefore I got it at a great price. When I bought it in Feb. 2019 it had 10546 miles on it and I got it for $5300, it is currently just short of 22,000 miles. I figure if I can nurse it to 100K miles I will have got my money's worth but, there are lots of the Nissan CVT's that have failed well under the original factory 5yr./60K mile warranty and have read of instances where they failed at 10K or less miles. I've personally owned a few cars with standard automatics that went well over 200K miles and never gave any problems.

[EcoCivic]

Originally Posted by 2016 Versa

I've got a 2016 Nissan Versa with a CVT but, if I had a standard automatic I wouldn't consider changing to a CVT because of the problems that have plagued the CVT over the years. If I'd have done my homework before buying the Versa I'd have been much more hesitant about buying it. Nissan settled a class action suit on the CVT several years ago where they increased the factory 5yr./60K mile warranty to 10 yr./120K miles. In March of this year they settled another class action suit increasing the factory warranty from 5yr./60K miles to 7yr./84K miles. I love the mileage I'm getting with the CVT in the Versa but, there's no way I could ever save enough on gas to pay for a $4-5K transmission replacement. My Versa has a rebuilt title therefore I got it at a great price. When I bought it in Feb. 2019 it had 10546 miles on it and I got it for $5300, it is currently just short of 22,000 miles. I figure if I can nurse it to 100K miles I will have got my money's worth but, there are lots of the Nissan CVT's that have failed well under the original factory 5yr./60K mile warranty and have read of instances where they failed at 10K or less miles. I've personally owned a few cars with standard automatics that went well over 200K miles and never gave any problems.

Cool! Hopefully it lasts you a while. If you want it to last as long as possible I'd change the fluid at least every 30K miles. No guarantees, but it's not going to hurt if you do it correctly and could help a lot. I did a drain and fill at least every 30K on my Civic with synthetic fluid and I got 243K trouble free miles out of it before it went out, it gave me no trouble whatsoever until the day it died. That's pretty decent IMO considering the autos in these cars are notorious for having major problems and failing early and I don't baby mine.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by EcoCivic

You are probably right. I wonder if certification tests include any full throttle operation? I wouldn't think they would since no one floors it because they want good mileage, but we're talking about the government here so we can't expect their "logic" to make any sense.

Not necessarily full throttle, but a certain amount of acceleration rate. Click on the test details tab and it shows a max acceleration rate of 8.46 mph per second. If the car can’t do that, they just go full throttle.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml

As far as CVTs and acceleration are concerned, I got a Nissan Sentra rental last year, and it was dreadfully slow off the line. Theory and practice don’t always agree with each other. When it was going faster it was much more eager to rev up, but it didn’t do that off the line. It also didn’t get the kind of mileage I was expecting out of it. A new car with a 1.8 liter engine and fairly tall gearing pretty much matched my 13 year old car with a 3.0 V6 and less tall gearing. Stock vs modded of course, but it didn’t meet expectations.

[2016 Versa]

Originally Posted by EcoCivic

If you want it to last as long as possible I'd change the fluid at least every 30K miles.

My plans were already to change the fluid/filter approximately every 30K miles. I just bought fluid on eBay about a month ago in preparation for the first change. I still need to order a new filter and will probably get a new o-ring gasket for the filter housing in case I need it. I'm also planning to remove the pan so I can see how much metal shavings are on the magnets in the pan and clean them off to prevent any of them from breaking loose and circulating deeper into the system.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by 2016 Versa

I've got a 2016 Nissan Versa with a CVT but, if I had a standard automatic I wouldn't consider changing to a CVT because of the problems that have plagued the CVT over the years. If I'd have done my homework before buying the Versa I'd have been much more hesitant about buying it.

No surprise Toyota went so conservative before switching from more traditional automatics to the CVT in many of its models even though in hybrids the so-called e-CVT had been successful even though it's not a real CVT, and IIRC it still doesn't resort to a CVT on 4WD versions of its CUVs. Well, maybe a high failure rate of CVTs would be a good excuse for Nissan to do a switch to hybrids, considering the ability to emulate the operation of a CVT in a hybrid setup similar to the HSD.