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Paradigm Shift Happening with My Driving

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To keep the engine in its powerband.
Well, naturally the point of changing gear ratios is to keep the engine in a usable range.

But I've had a couple recent Nissan rental cars with CVTs like the poster above, and it is amazing how hard they try to pretend they aren't CVTs.

There's no engineering reason for a CVT to hold a constant ratio and let the engine rpm rise with road speed. Presumably, Nissan decided most drivers were bothered by the variable ratios and needed the car to feel 'normal' and 'shift gears.'
 
Well, naturally the point of changing gear ratios is to keep the engine in a usable range.

But I've had a couple recent Nissan rental cars with CVTs like the poster above, and it is amazing how hard they try to pretend they aren't CVTs.

There's no engineering reason for a CVT to hold a constant ratio and let the engine rpm rise with road speed. Presumably, Nissan decided most drivers were bothered by the variable ratios and needed the car to feel 'normal' and 'shift gears.'

They person I quoted specifically said the CVT would "hold the car at a certain RPM" which is exactly what a CVT does in order to keep said engine in its powerband. That said, RPMs can and will vary in a CVT for multiple reasons.
 
They person I quoted specifically said the CVT would "hold the car at a certain RPM" which is exactly what a CVT does in order to keep said engine in its powerband. That said, RPMs can and will vary in a CVT for multiple reasons.

You're right, that's what he said. I don't really think that's what he meant (though I could be wrong.) :)

The first Nissan rental I had last year did such a consistent job of pretending to shift between fixed ratios that it took me a couple days to convince myself it wasn't an extremely smooth automatic with an unlocked torque converter. (The only thing that wasn't consistent was when it settled in to highway cruising, where it seemed to have several different top gear ratios at speed - which of course it did have, being a CVT. But if you got on it, it would quickly snap back to the same lower ratio, wherever that left the engine in the powerband.
 
You're right, that's what he said. I don't really think that's what he meant (though I could be wrong.) :)

The first Nissan rental I had last year did such a consistent job of pretending to shift between fixed ratios that it took me a couple days to convince myself it wasn't an extremely smooth automatic with an unlocked torque converter. (The only thing that wasn't consistent was when it settled in to highway cruising, where it seemed to have several different top gear ratios at speed - which of course it did have, being a CVT. But if you got on it, it would quickly snap back to the same lower ratio, wherever that left the engine in the powerband.

You're both right! I worded what I was talking about poorly. I didn't really mean to couple the RPM holding to the "shifting" I just dun rite gud :confused:

What I probably should've written was that when accelerating up to speed the car would pull for a bit, then lurch as if it had gone to the next gear, then pull again. And if I floored it (which I ended up doing when I realized i wasn't approaching merging speed as quickly as I have become accustomed to) it acted like my Towncar when it wanted to overdrive a gear.
 
Yup- me too. And CHG-ON said the same thing:
I used to like driving faster than everyone else, always in a hurry.
Now, I take my time and don't care so much- amazing change, and maybe related to being older.
......but maybe related to being able to go 0-100 in 3 seconds flat!! Do you think that stops you NEEDING to go fast?????

Honestly, I do think it does. I have had pretty quick cars all my life, except for my first car: a 197 Datsun B-210. "Dick Datsun the White Shadow" was his name. I loved him... Not super fast or super high end. But good burners. I was always cranking it to the max for, I guess, the thrill and to massage my ego. Now that I know that I can simply blast off at any time, completely effortlessly, I don't have the same need. Don't get me wrong, I still do it. But now I do it politely and discreetly. I don't feel that I have as much of the "need" to do it, if that makes sense. I also think age (read: maybe I am finally growing up) has a lot to do with it. My fragile male ego takes much less tending than it used to. Though it still does!
 
A Tesla is different things to different people, but even for (most of) those who don't focus on the power
the mere presence of that power improves the experience even if it is rarely used. In the long, long term,
though, I would agree that focus on power/speed/etc. will increasingly be a throwback to ICE cars as the entire
paradigm of personal transportation shifts (as gradually as that may be).

I kind of agree. But I think there will always be the boy racer in us. At least I hope so.
 
Just did 300+ miles on an interstate in an extended test drive.

AP made it so stress free. I'm a guy who drives 5MPh over the speed limit, that's it. I always stress about and so focus on making sure I was at a safe distance yet in a lane not obstructing traffic flow. So setting TACC to 70 and staying in right lane, just sat back. As somebody above said it's like sittng in your couch and going places.

The defining feature for me along with the instant torque.