So I’m toying with the idea of changing jobs to a company that would have me at a 50 mile per day commute, so while I’m bored I’m looking over what I’d ditch my Jetta for to get good gas mileage. A Civic HX came to mind. They’re rated at 44mpg highway. IIRC it’s because they tuned the motor really lean. So I’m doing some reading and come across this site:
And I’m reading what he has to say and almost didn’t even catch this:
Next was an Injen intake. The first power mod for this car pays off in sound and acceleration. Unfortunately you have to knock the CVT down a gear or two to get the motor into VTEC range an really feel the gain - although most of it is probably psychological.
Think about it…
Let it sink in…
OK, I’ll paraphrase:
I have to downshift the CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION a GEAR or two to get into VTEC to really feel the gain from the intake.
Honda’s are such great cars. It’s a shame when people who don’t know what they’re talking about try to sing their praises mechanically.
Honda’s have come with CVTs for a long time (including 1998), the HXs IIRC. They were one of the first cars to come with them in the US (aside from some old ass screwbarus).
Almost ALL automotive CVTs come with preprogrammed ratios and “shift” like an automatic. It’s very odd to drive a true CVT, to the point that most people think they are broken. As such, many/most come this way, stupid americans.
Think about it.
Let it set in.
(I didn’t click the link, but I’m sure this guy is full of plenty of his own dumb anyway)
Meh, not a whole lot left. I thought it was funny that this guy who knows so much that he wanted to make a web page about modding his car was talking about changing gears with his CVT to get into VTEC y0. You make a good point that they program gear change-like ratio points so it feels like you’re shifting, but still if you’re going to publish something on modding then be accurate.
I wonder how you would know if you had a true CVT and it was slipping…
Hmm… Are you saying that the CVTs in Hondas achieve a shift-like feel through step changes in pulley diameters or ratio set points that are saved in the computer?
CVTs used in cars work via an “infinitely” variable gear ratio which they achieve by constantly varying the input and output sheaves depending on the programming they receive from the factory for any given situation. When you feel a “step” in a CVT it is because it is going directly from one pre-selected ratio to the next. It’s “changing gears” because you are changing the gear ratio through which your car is transferring power to the wheels. Nothing magic about it really.
Gotcha, so it’s a programmed step change. I wasn’t sure if you meant by your previous post that rather than being infinitely adjustable they actually simplified it by physically creating a finite number of pulley diameters. Or would that complicate it…
In case anyone can’t picture this stuff, here’s the basic idea:
Oh, and I only met pot once. It was on vacation in Jamaica and boy did I learn that the fatherland is not the place to meet pot the first time. cough cough cough cough coughConstantly trying not to fall over to the right for 2 hourssleep like a baby
Yep, and a chip + injectors would get me >250 wtq! And the guy in the first link would tell me to make sure I put in fresh spark plugs to maintain good gas mileage!
