The Pros and Cons of Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Popularity in Modern Cars
Here are the answers to all your CVT questions, including what is a CVT, what makes CVTs different from traditional automatic transmissions, and what are the pros and cons of CVTs?
by Ron King
Published on September 4, 2023 10:37 pm
Audio By Carbonatix
Car enthusiasts recall when most vehicles had manual gearboxes and only higher-end models had automatic transmissions. Now, the continuously variable transmission (CVT) is increasingly replacing the traditional automatic transmission. If you’re shopping for a new vehicle or enjoy knowing how cars work, you likely have questions about CVTs. In this article, we’ll answer the following questions: What is a CVT? What makes CVTs different from traditional automatic transmissions? And what are the pros and cons of having a CVT in your car?
What is a continuously variable transmission (CVT)?
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MotorBiscuit Contributing Writer
Ron King
Ron King started as a contributing writer for MotorBiscuit in 2020. He spent 22 years as an aerospace machinist and aircraft structures mechanic for Spirit Aerosystems. An expert in explaining complicated subjects earned through 16 years as an adult educator, Ron currently teaches precision measuring and shop math at Tulsa Technology Center. He travels the country in a travel trailer, so Ron is most interested in new trucks, solar charging systems, advancing battery technology, and the EV wave to come.
Truth About CVT Transmissions Reveals Reliability and Costs of Having One
Here’s the latest need-to-know info about whether CVT transmissions are reliable, should you avoid buying a car with one, what are the costs of owning a car with CVT, and which transmission is best in modern cars today.
Posted: August 13, 2022 – 10:59AM
Author: Timothy Boyer
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Transmission Worries and Woes of Car Ownership
When shopping for a used car, you need to consider what type of transmission it has and whether or not is has a history of problems. In an earlier article we dealt with the some of the benefits and tradeoffs of a car that has a CVT type of transmission.
A CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) basically is a transmission designed to use pulleys connected via a steel band, rather than using a hydraulic-based system to engage the gears in older model cars and trucks.
The move by automakers toward using the CVT type has more to do with economy rather than performance improvement and reliability. The benefits of a CVT over a traditional automatic transmission is that it increases fuel economy, uses fewer components, is cheaper to manufacture, and is significantly lighter in weight. The tradeoff of a CVT is that it limits the power of the engine used and has a higher maintenance requirement.
These arguments and issues of lower power and higher maintenance behind owning a vehicle with CVT has been ongoing and was recently reviewed on the Scotty Kilmer YouTube channel where he talks about CVTs and how his opinion of them has changed.
Even more recently, however, the Car Help Corner YouTube channel addresses the arguments for and against based on issues with CVT to help clarify for car shoppers whether or not car shoppers should really steer clear of vehicles with CVT; and if so, which makes and models.
In the video you will find out:
• What a CVT looks like and how it works
• How it differs from a conventional automatic transmission
• What the downsides of a CVT are
• What types of cars you do not want a CVT type of transmission unstalled
• What models of car have CVT
• Signs and symptoms of a CVT problem
• Why repairing a CVT is unlikely should yours go bad
• How much a remanufactured CVT is going to cost you
• Which car brand has the worst CVT reliability history
• If CVTs have really improved over the years
• The difference between a conventional CVT and an ECVT (one used in Hybrids)
• How CVTs compare with Non-CVT Dual Clutch transmissions used in modern cars
• What car brands still use the conventional automatic transmission
• What all of this boils down to for used car shoppers
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Are CVT Transmissions Reliable? The Truth About CVTs (Good and Bad)
And finally…
For additional articles about transmissions, here are few selected ones that cab be exceptionally helpful for car owners:
Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.
The Pros and Cons of Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) Popularity in Modern Cars
https://www.torquenews.com/14093/truth-about-cvt-transmissions-reveals-reliability-and-costs-having-one
