rawbutt

Just interested in some other people's thoughts on the CVT in general...

Now that I've got about 2K on it...I have a pretty good feel for how it acts on the road during acceleration, different driving, etc. To me it feels a little boggy around town unless you get your foot in some. In other words, it's like it dumps it into it's highest "gear" (if that's the correct word in the CVT world) too soon for my tastes. Now obviously, if I get my foot into it enough to wake it up, the power is certainly there. I've tried Sport mode and kind of like it in some ways, but sometimes just feels a little herky jerky trying to emulate the gear shifts. It seems to give me the power in weird spurts or something sometimes...maybe it's just me. Anyway, maybe the bogginess down low is there for increased gas mileage, but at the end of the day, I think I would have still preferred a snappy little 5-speed auto with traditional gear shifts =/ As electronic as our cars are these days, it makes me wonder if there is an aftermarket tune to be had anywhere that could tweak the CVT in some ways. I'm just hesitant to jump out on any limbs as new as this design is.

Thanks in advance!

BMWHIGH1

My car use to do that. dont worry it will smooth out. Dont forget the computer is learning your style of driving. If you always step on the gas hard from a stop your computer will learn that. If you take of steady the computer will learn that as well. Your car is still being broken in. I now have 6,500 its much better.

rawbutt

wow...that's good to hear HIGH1...i knew some learning went on, but didn't really figure that would make that much of a difference in time. but it seems like what that means to me is that unless i get my foot in it on a fairly regular basis, it won't start getting the CVT act much differently at lower RPM?

lightonthehill

rawbutt - When I first got my car, I noticed the same thing, but realizing this behavior is getting me better gas mileage, I just accept it as it is. The car seems to be doing a little better as the miles accumulate (I'm now over 5K), and BMWHIGH1 may have something about the car learning.

But I still like that I can move out from a dead stop and get up to speed reasonably quickly without ever getting above 2K RPMs. I guess I may be sort of a 'low RPM' freak. That is probably as a result of my Datsun 200SX (5 speed manual) days in the 1970s. I took lots of long trips in that thing, with the tach always stuck over 4K RPMs while simply cruising along on level freeways in 5th gear at 78 mph. A tall 6th gear in that Datsun would have been so wonderful.

Even with this Maxima learning our driving style, the setup on this '09 is such that when we press down only somewhat briskly on the gas, the RPMs jump from 1100 to 4000 instantly; maybe too instantly for some tastes. Just as this car is adjusting to us, I find I am also adjusting to it. And loving it.

09Maxima_Sam

My thoughts as well. I like the feeling that you got the power when you need it. If you don't need it, then the car will just be happy to cruise along and barely sip the gas.

LVleo78

I have noticed this too... But my car doesn't even have 1K on it yet... But I too, am finding myself adjusting to it, and I like the fact that if I do need to get up and go, I am already there before I know it. Just like in my 06 Murano, a new CVT take getting used to. It took me months to adjust to that first one.

Its hard to not want to put my foot in it sometimes, but, gotta break it in right :-P

nissandriver777

iTrader: (2)

i agree with the learning comments. CVTs are things you have to learn to feel. quite a neat technology. we have had our murano for 4 years now and our 09 max for 6 months. i feel like the Max CVT is still in its 'break in' stage

eminemdpc

FALSE. My 07 is sluggish at low RPM'S. You know the STOP & GO City driving. I have almost 31,000 miles on it. It sucks! It feels sooo much better when you change gears on your own.

lightonthehill

Please clarify. What is false? And what does your admittedly sluggish '07 CVT have to do with this totally redesigned '09 CVT, which everyone who has driven says it is the best CVT they have driven? And 'changing gears on your own' is not only a matter of preference, but sheds no light on the question this thread is asking. Just trying to clarify.

CanMaxima

.....it feels a LOT boggy. Like the "please wait for service" light was on all the time. This thing is going to learn how I drive? Between my wife, who qualifies as "ballonfoot Beaudine" and me, this thing is never gonna learn how to launch properly.

rawbutt

i hear ya CanMaxima...i love this car and am trying to learn to like it, but just not wild about the feel of it so far vs. a nice 5 or 6-speed auto that it could have had =/

CanMaxima

Rawbutt, you have nailed it exactly. I too like the Maxima but I'm not really warming up to it as quickly as some of our co-owners appear to be. We clocked a lot of test drive miles and bought it based on our experience so we have only ourselves to blame. But the trans (which I'm guessing I will get used to) and other things like the "fabric" liners in the rear fender wells....that stuff just kills me. They use salt on the roads where I live. Those liners are just gonna rot the inside of the fenderso fast. Just too many places where Nissan seems to have taken the cheap way out. We drove a TSX when we were looking and if I had to do it again....it would likely be a different story. Might be yet if I could get a good price for the Maxima.

dale512

I agree completely with rawbutt. I have 1400 miles on my Maxima and it feels like a golf cart when I take off from a stoplight. It may be the drone that sets in when it feels like its lugging but I am getting used to it. I'm glad to hear that it may learn my driving habit but with two of us driving, it may have a hard time.

longisland09maxima

I do not aboslutely love the CVT but it is growing on me. I knew what i was getting, going into the purchase but I was willing to sacrifice the lack of "sport" shifting and off the line thrust for good gas mileage and a smooth ride with lots of power.

For those who seem to really dislike it:
This is not meant to offend anyone but why would you buy a 30K+ car without test driving it and if you did test drive it why would you buy it if youy dislike teh CVT so much?

gizzsdad

The fabric liner is in my 05 wells as well. Not only do we get salt, they actuall spread pure brine on the roads here. There are anecdotal reports of cars with brake lines rusted out in less than two years.

But my liners have caused no problems in 5 years and 68K miles. There are times in the winter when my suspension travel is limited because the wheel wells are crammed full of sandy, salty slush. When it warms up a little, I take a rubber mallet and a Wonder Bar to chip out the frozen concoction.

09Maxima_Sam

My wife and I call that "Ice Boogers" when it happens to our cars. They usually fall off quickly in our heated garage. Then I sweep them out the door.

MaxMus

It's not the CVT I think. I believe Nissan just let the engineers decide on how the transmission should feel and I think that is plain wrong. Let real drivers calibrate the CVT's performance, not some pencil pushing geeks.

Not saying that the CVT is total junk, but it leaves the driver without any connection to the car. I actually like it about 80% of the time, but when you really want to push it, you just don't get the type of feedback if you had a 5/6 speed auto.

There is no way that at low speeds the car should feel this sluggish. Why program the CVT to lock down so hard when coming off the line? Why not have some sort of override for this (DS mode does not work). 9000 miles later and it's hard to explain the people I let drive my car how this transmission acts.

rawbutt

I can't help but to agree with your assessment MaxMus. As much as I dearly love my Max (and am trying to learn to love the CVT), I'd gladly push a big red button that would magically switch out this CVT for a nice 5 or 6-speed auto...even if I took a hit on gas mileage.

bk2k3max

This is oh so true!! My car used to be as flat as everyone else's but now it is just ripping and ready to go when I'm at a light, I used to be somewhat intimidated at a stoplight when I know the car in the other lane wants a stoplight drag.

My car has learned my driving curve and with the Bullydog and raising my idle and RPMS my car now feels ready for the track.

MaxLoverAz

iTrader: (1)

Simple Answer = Fuel Economy

MaxMus

Then maybe Nissan shouldn't call this a 4DSC then? I like the CVT, but to offer it as standard equipment and not offer any other options is a travesty, IMHO. Don't get me wrong, I love the CVT most of the times, but it is so variable some days it throws me for a loop. When I got back from vacation for 5 days and drove my car for the first time, it accelerated like a bat out of hell from a standing start. This car was alive!!! Now, today, it feels sluggish and "unpredictable" as before.

The CVT is definitely a capable transmission and i do love the efficiency it provides, but don't just slap it on a car and put a 4DSC label. Tune it properly. Provide several different driving modes (DS mode is actually not that bad but it clamps down on the engine just like regular D mode, although not as aggressively in most driving situations).

This is the best Maxima yet. It's sporty, it's comfortable inside, it has a ton of goodies, and it could be had at a decent price. I'm hoping that in future generations of the CVT, Nissan lets actual drivers set its performance characteristics, not a bunch of number crunching computer geeks.

rawbutt

Do you think at any point, we'll be able to tweak the CVT characteristics with PCM tuning? I've done plenty of that with other cars (i.e. actually being able to use a laptop to plug into the connection under the dash and upload get .bin file "tunes" from companies online that ask me all the characteristics of my engine, etc.). Just wonder if that will be possible with this new CVT technology. It would be SO nice to be able to somehow get at the parameters of that CVT and, for example, make it hold on to some RPM a little longer if I choose instead of dropping down into that HIGH gear SO soon when loping around town. Like others have said, just wish I had at least some options with the way the CVT behaves.

dauntlessmax

Everyone is talking about how the car behaves in Manual and DS mode, but can we hear how the driving characteristics change in Manual Mode?

Mreim769

You have some interesint points there "Per" Honestly though, just because it doesn't have a stick doesn't mean it isn't a sports car. Since when does stick=sport? Shouldn't quick and nimble=sport? Maybe if we add a couple of "NOS" stickers it will be sporty enough?

Edit: I just noticed now that you didn't infact mention a standard transmission. But either way you shouldn't strip a sports car of its title just because you can't tune a CVT.

lightonthehill

Exactly.

Nissan calls the '09 Maxima a near-luxury family 4DSC. The 'S' is for 'sports', not 'race'. In a 'sports' car, HANDLING is FAR more important than instant acceleration. And I LOVE how this '09 handles. Turns are the tightest and flattest of any of the six Maxima generations I have owned. The CVT may be programmed to take things a tad easy off the line, but when we can do a 0-60 in somewhere near six seconds, have a turning radius 4 feet tighter than the 6th gen Maxima, and handle like this baby, we have a very quick, agile and enjoyable vehicle. I love my '09 Maxima.

MaxMus

Not saying the vehicle isn't capable, just saying that this iteration of the CVT transmission is not appropriate for what they are marketing the car as, a 4DSC. Sure the car is fast, has good handling while being comfortable and has a lot of nice little features, but if you can't make the car do what you need it to do because the CVT has a mind of its own, then there is a problem that Nissan needs to address.

Mreim769

Clearly I am misunderstanding you. What does a transmission, or in this case not having the ability to tune your transmission (which I am guessing you can do quite easily in other cars? I had quite the time changing out flywheels and clutches in my 300zx), have to do with the marketing of our Maxima being a 4DSC. You also have to remember that they are marketing it as exactly that, a four door sports car. They aren't marketing it as a two door mid engine v-10 w/ AWD. Sports Car Yes, Track Ready No.

dauntlessmax

Well, It's Nissan's "Intelligent CVT"!Of course it has a mind of it's own! LOL

madstylez

Anyone who buys a Max expecting it to be a sports car will be disappointed. It's a sporty sedan, not a sports car replacement.

MaxMus

Who said anything about the track. All I want is a more competent CVT programming. If they can't program the CVT to perform up to the levels of a traditional tranny can then they should drop the 4DSC label.

Again, I actually like the CVT tranny. It has its good and bad points, just like any tranny out there. Hopefully Nissan takes customer suggestions and make improvements.

michaelthepsycho

My car feels as if there's a two-tier power delivery. Low and high like all the other traditional cars I've driven. It's just how they manufacture it, even with the "learning." There are some aftermarket pedal-throttle modifications that I've read of in high-performance car magazines but I guess we should just get used to it.

made in china

iTrader: (7)

I've been looking around this sub forum as I am in need of a new car soon. Interesting dialogue on the CVT...
Seeing as how I have never driven a VQ35/CVT vehicle yet, I am no expert, but my 97 Maxima with a full 3.5 swap seems to suffer a similar "problem". Albeit my car has a 4EAT, some days the car feels like a real powerhouse, a little throttle tip in (it is drive by wire) and the car leans back and tears off quietly. Other days it feels like a 4 cylinder Camry. Sometimes I just think the ECU gets all the timing/fuel mapping, cam and variable intake manifold settings just right and the car probably is a bit more powerful. Other times I think that the ECU "decides" to be less aggressive. I have actually experienced this in nearly every car I have owned.
I guess I'll need to test drive a new Max and see if it's something I can live with. I actually prefer a trans that will "force" low revs operation.

themark1

For anyone who doesn't know Nissan has extended the warranty on the CVT to 100,000 miles. Apparently many owners have been complaining about CVT problems just out of the 60,000. mile warranty.