Continuously Variable Transmission

[MZH]

Nissan introduced this new transmission in the 2009 Maxima. Any thoughts ?

A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is a transmission which can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values.

[Mach45]

It would be great if they can build one that can handle the torque of a V8. My wife drives a Murano w/ the CVT and it's pretty smooth. It also gets good gas mileage but that's probably due to the V6 as well. Now, if they put a 6spd MT in the M, that would be something else.

[xerexabante]

I test drove an 09 Maxima. My 02 w/ 3.5 is faster and shifts better. My 2 cents. I don;t care about the push start either.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Actually, the '09 Max is not the first Nissan to use the CVT. The Maxima itself first got the CVT in '07, but the Murano has had it since 2002 or 2003 (I forget which). The Versa and Altima have also offered CVTs since '07.

It's also important to note that no Infinitis or RWD Nissans under any label have been sold with the CVT in the US. Only FWD using the Xtronic CVT.Nissan does make a RWD CVT (called the Extroid) but it hasn't been used in the US. However, there are VQ35-powered cars available with the Extroid CVT outside the US (such as the G35, or Skyline 350GT as it's known elsewhere).

One big issue with the CVT, especially when looking at it's viability in the US market, is that it historically hasn't stood up well to torque. Beyond 300ft-lb, it supposedly starts suffering. And Nissan's North American market rear drivers (and even some of the front-drivers) are all making very close to or even beyond that much torque right now.The CVT sounds like a good performance deal in theory, but it has proven less so in practice. They don't stand up well to power, as noted above, and they don't behave as well as they need to for performance oriented use. In owner experience (specifically Versa owner experience) the CVT has also not returned the impressive fuel milage improvements it initially promised. Manual transmission cars commonly match or exceed CVT efficiency.CVTs also sound odd, which isn't necessarily bad, but is something that takes getting used to.

Also worth noting is that the transmission's longevity is basically unproven. They could be very reliable over the long term, but no cars in the Us have had them long enough to really test this. The Murano's CVT has gone through a couple of major evolutions that mean the early models that have been around for ~5 years aren't the same as the ones going into cars today, so even that can't be used as a meter.

Just a few more tidbits on the CVTs themselves:The FWD Xtronic CVT found in the Maxima, Murano, etc. is a belt-type CVT. These transmissions vary ratio by changing the diameter of the two pulleys that the belt connects.The RWD Extroid used in foreign market RWD cars is a "toroidal" CVT and uses a set of twin tori (sort of cone shaped...imagine those coin funnels you find in stores) with two drive disks connecting them. This type of CVT has actually been used in bicycles as well. The tori are the input and output to and from the transmission, and the discs or wheels that join them shift on an arc so that they vary the effective diameters of the two sides. Here's an illustration from howstuffworks.com:



The CVT is a great tool for super-smooth luxury driving, but right now (at least in my opinion) it's not a great device for sports cars. I think the Maxima was better off when it had real gearboxes backing it's motor.

[Q45tech]

Before buying a vehicle you plan on keeping 150k always research the cost of a total transmission replacement that way you can calculate the cost per mile just for transmission.