CVT - simulated shifts - what are your thoughts and opinions?

[fgbrault]

I love the CVT. I have not owned another car with a CVT, but know I would hate it if there was a lot of droning, vibration/noise due to high rpm every time I stepped fairly hard on the gas. I especially like how, when using adaptive cruise control, it uses engine revs to slow the car going down hills, or just slowing down; and saves the brakes.

 

If 'holding gears' reduces noise and vibration, then it is not simply a gimmick. It is a trade-off for more smoothness when driving, which I appreciate.

Edited September 5, 2017 by fgbrault

[Timothy.B]

I drove the new Impreza Sport hatchback recently and I have to say, the shift points and paddles are pretty much pointless. The power felt to be mostly around 2500-3500 or so. That was the only time I felt the car trying to go anywhere. There's no annoying drone or at any RPM. Compared to my 3.6R which I found to be quite noisy in comparison. Could be that transmission bushing insert...it's not annoying to me, but in comparison it's a noticeable difference.

 

They should just do without the fake shifts from factory. I know it can be tuned out though, atleast. Also, the Impreza didn't seem to struggle much taking off from a stop. I'm curious how the 3.6R CVT compares. I should test drive one at some point.

[YeuEmMaiMai]

3.6R with CVT drives pretty much effortlessly. The ones I drove felt like a regular automatic....

[ripstik]

I had an impreza as a rental for a few days last week.... must say i can;t stand the simulated shifts. they are completely negating the advantages of a CVT by using them. stick the engine at peak HP and use the variable transmission when i give it the beans like you're supposed to. the car is slow enough, don't make it slower for all the idiots that don't understand CVT's.

[tmoney468]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but I think I'm experiencing the very same thing.

 

I drove a 2012 Impreza CVT for the past ~7 years, I got used to the way the CVT drove.

 

I recently got into a 2016 Legacy CVT after totaling my Impreza, and the CVT behavior is a lot different from the 2012. It's hard to explain, but it feels like it is hard to keep a smooth cruising speed or acceleration. There have been times on the highway where driving and it feels like micro-adjustments in the throttle occur. I guess this could be due to the simulated shift points?

[airken888]

Pressing the VDC button seems to turn off the fake shift points. Edited April 5, 2019 by airken888

[laz]

Pressing it on or off?

[Eugene Onegin]

Fake shifts are nice to play with .

[airken888]

Pressing it off.

 

Pressing it on or off?

[gathermewool]

There have been times on the highway where driving and it feels like micro-adjustments in the throttle occur. I guess this could be due to the simulated shift points?

 

Accelerate from a stop up to highway speeds at more than 25% throttle and you'll know what simulated shifts are. For my '15, if I keep the pedal at ~20% and 2k RPM it will park there and not simulate shifts. Above that point and it will simulate shifts.

 

While at highway speeds, I figured the increase in RPM was due to the torque converter unlocking and the RPM increasing commensurately, though this might literally be only the CVT changing ratios only. Why? Well, because I always found this odd, since I figured the torque converter on a CVT could lockup at nearly any RPM and vary CVT ratio to achieve the best economy for the RPM requested.

 

Fake shifts are nice to play with .

 

Sarcasm? Well, I hope so, because even the HTCVT in my '14 FXT is pretty bad...

 

The "shifts" in my '15 Legacy 2.5i are almost comically slow and rubberbandy! When I say this, I mean that it reminds me of what a car maker might use an example of how BAD CVT's are compared to traditional AT's regarding shift timing.

Edited April 6, 2019 by gathermewool

[DrD123]

I am driving a 2019 Legacy sport as a loaner - I thought the simulated shift points were weird, as that seemed atypical for a CVT, but it works just fine. I didn't realize you could turn them off - I would have thought they would make it behave like a normal CVT in drive then like a regular automatic (with shift points) when in the manual mode where you can play with the paddles...

[BobbyR]

I quite like the simulated shift behaviour in our 2018 but I wasn't aware that this feature could be disabled. How is it done?

[bowenx]

It took me ages before i had pressed hard enough on the gas to where i felt them. I think now that cars with cvt are more common they could do away with them.

As for the paddle shifters, i thought i was going to use them all the time but found i only use them like 1%. Using them kills the mpg and the engine doesnt seem to enjoy the higher revs. What i do like is the smooth linear acceleration.

That being said i am also glad for other toys that let me shift for real.

[lolibater]

When I go flog the car in the twisties (inb4 != wrx), the simulated shift points function great about 95% of the time. The car seems to do decent with holding the high RPM, and I've only had it refuse to downshift 2 times before when I thought that it most definitely should have.

 

Keep in mind I drive this thing harder than most people, and can't really see any issue with how it performs, all things considered.

 

It's great to slap it back into D after that and have a leisurely and comfortable ride home.

[Fiatz79]

It would be great to have the option to turn them off.

[lolibater]

It would be great to have the option to turn them off.

 

I read this in another thread where someone wanted to disable them. The paddles are held in by removable pins. You can just punch them out with a small metal rod, and remove them from the carriers; they pull right out.

[ammcinnis]

The paddles are held in by removable pins.

Removing the paddles will not disable the programmed fake shifts.

[lolibater]

Removing the paddles will not disable the programmed fake shifts.

 

Correct, I assumed he meant that he wanted to avoid accidentally hitting them.

[gathermewool]

Correct, I assumed he meant that he wanted to avoid accidentally hitting them.

 

No need to assume anything; just read the thread. The whole conversation this thread revolves around is the simulation of shifts in automatic...

 

Pressing the VDC button seems to turn off the fake shift points.

 

Is this true?

 

I'll have to take a look, but I didn't think you could disable VDC in the more sedate Subies. Are you thinking of Traction Control?

[airken888]

The button is a symbol of a car with squiggly lines behind it.

 

 

Is this true?

 

I'll have to take a look, but I didn't think you could disable VDC in the more sedate Subies. Are you thinking of Traction Control?

[lolibater]

No need to assume anything; just read the thread. The whole conversation this thread revolves around is the simulation of shifts in automatic...

 

 

 

Is this true?

 

I'll have to take a look, but I didn't think you could disable VDC in the more sedate Subies. Are you thinking of Traction Control?

 

 

Jeez dude, no need to be rude about it. Was just trying to help. And people wonder why there's low involvement here lol.

[SubieN8]

Yep, ammcinnis is a sweetie.

[lolibater]

Yep, ammcinnis is a sweetie.

 

It always seem like him as well as the usual repeat offenders exuding their "superiority" over everyone else. It's about the most off-putting thing about this forum, and 100% certainly reduces membership and involvement.

 

But go ahead, tell more people to "use the search bar" and the typical laundry list of canned ... replies they dump out.

 

this forum is a joke.

Edited April 10, 2019 by ammcinnis
Offensive language

[ripstik]

 

this forum is a joke.

 

we may be small in comparison to the 4th gen forum but that's mostly due to the much lower production numbers of the fun cars in our model years. I've personally gleaned plenty of information from here and have found tons of help. there will always be someone suggesting you read the thread or use the search bar on any forum.... but not sure why your calling out ammcinnis when all he did was make a small factual statement... it's gathermewool that could have toned his response back a bit and provided no information what so ever... but also don't get so butt hurt, its the internet and i thought your comment was silly too but it provided some info and I'm not a douche so i said nothing.

[lolibater]

we may be small in comparison to the 4th gen forum but that's mostly due to the much lower production numbers of the fun cars in our model years. I've personally gleaned plenty of information from here and have found tons of help. there will always be someone suggesting you read the thread or use the search bar on any forum.... but not sure why your calling out ammcinnis when all he did was make a small factual statement... it's gathermewool that could have toned his response back a bit and provided no information what so ever... but also don't get so butt hurt, its the internet and i thought your comment was silly too but it provided some info and I'm not a douche so i said nothing.

 

Yeah, it's just that he's a repeat offender himself too. Either way, I'll shut up now and let you guys get on with meaningful discussion. I'm not butthurt, just pointing out that the admin/mod attitudes on here don't foster involvement.