i would buy another infact my mom is buying one because she likes mine so much! their quality is top notch for this car

just had to say 7 speed CVT? hahaha CVT is 1 SPEED they put in shift points because the customers want to feel a shift rather that none

 

*threadjack*

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...nt-bumper.html

i have a really hard time believing 26 pages worth of complaints is unwitting mistreatment.

 

CVT has an infinite number of speeds, not just one, but you're dead right about them putting artificial shift points in.

 

And you need to look at the cutaways in the latest SAE for CVT's and Nissan's to see how they work. There are multiple gears with the CVT acting in each one so in essence you have multiple gears with the CVT active in each. Thats about the only way it could work; just one gear wouldn't come close to covering the range of gearing needed by vehicles. And there is no faking the gear change; it actually happens. Seven gear ranges just might be a bit much but I'd like to see.

 

Visit your library to read the SAE journals and you will find that the input shaft to the CVT changes rpm with each gear selected. Each gear has different ratios to the engine rpm. The CVT offers a range of rpm in each gear for better performance and better gas mileage. Where in the world did you get this fake shift from?

 

Hi folks,

Thank you for all the replies! I really appreciate your input. I really surprised that by the number of replies. I think it reflects the passion and/or excitement owners of this car seem to have. I would, however, ask that the unrelated discussion about the transmission be taken elsewhere.

Again, if you can answer the question as to whether you would buy a Fit again or not, please feel free to reply and elaborate.


Best Regards,

Lanmizzle

 

The CVT's have a limited working ratio range so the designers used gear changes on the CVT input shaft. In essence a CVT transmission is a 'normal' auto gearbox with a variable belt fed from the changed gear. The input changes to let the CVT vary in each gear, thus making it a multispeed CVT .

 

mahout, I think your understanding of CVTs is flawed. You are right in that a CVT has a limited ratio range that it can cover, but it is simply incorrect to claim that the CVT in the Fit has seven different gears to make up for it.

Some CVTs have two "semi-final" drive ratios, high and low. The crossover between them is undetectable, as the changeover point is chosen such that no RPM change is evident. This is done to preserve the benefits of a CVT: Always being at the right RPM for the situation.

A CVT, as originally envisioned, has one forward position on the gear selector and no discrete ratios. Flooring the pedal prompts a ratio change to spin the engine up to its ideal power-producing speed, while releasing the pedal causes the ratio to change to put the engine at its most efficient RPM. In between the two extremes a ratio is chosen, from an infinite range, to provide the best balance between power and efficiency for the current conditions.

Unfortunately, enthusiasts hated it. The revving up under throttle ("powerboating") felt like a slipping clutch to those accustomed to conventional transmissions, and the sensation of acceleration was reduced becaused the engine note wasn't rising. The car was accelerating (and usually quicker than a conventional transmission) but their ears were telling them that they were at a steady speed.

So manufacturers created a clever compromise: Get the CVT to impersonate a conventional, discrete ratio transmission. In drive, the CVT would behave normally, as described above, but in "manual" mode the driver could select from a number of predetermined ratio and listen to the revs rise and fall with speed as they expected. Note that the number of preselected ratios is entirely arbitrary and determined by the transmission's software, the transmission has an infinite number of ratios to chose from and the software just sticks to 5, 6, or 7 of them. So the CVT in the fit is just a software change away from being a 4-speed, or a 12-speed; Honda's engineers (and likely marketers) determined 7 to be ideal.

Here's the funny part: When used in manual mode the car will not perform as well as when in normal continuously-variable operation, because the engine must stray from its peak performing RPM. It feels faster, because we are hearing the sounds we've come to associate with acceleration, but is actually slower on the stopwatch. The manual mode also promotes uneven wear on the varying mechanism as it is forced to stay in in a limited number of positions, creating greater wear in those positions and less in the ranges between them.

 

You're going to have a hard time getting that through customs. The U.S. effectively killed the gray market in the 1980s with a bunch of oppressive laws.

It makes no difference that the Fit sold in Thailand may be 99% the same car we get here. Without all of the USDM, DOT and EPA specific approved parts its illegal in the U.S. Actually replacing all the window glass, bumpers, headlights so and and so on is very cost-prohibitive.

Unless you are a foreign diplomat or you are a foreign citizen here on a work visa and you are going to EXPORT the car back out of the United States within one (1) year or you are willing to spend $1000s and deal with legal wrangling to pull it off, it ain't gonna happen.

It would be a lot cheaper and easier to buy a CVT and the disc brakes and install them on a USDM Fit honestly but that would still cost a fortune, you're probably going to need a different ECU for the CVT etc, etc.

 

You took me seriously. I have gotten the parts for converting the rear discs already and yes it takes some machining work to fiit the different axle used in Asia but they work fine. AJ's is cheaper and works just as well.
And yes I am investigating getting a 7 speed CVT.

 

[quote=Red Iron Crown;338880]mahout, I think your understanding of CVTs is flawed. You are right in that a CVT has a limited ratio range that it can cover, but it is simply incorrect to claim that the CVT in the Fit has seven different gears to make up for it.

Some CVTs have two "semi-final" drive ratios, high and low. The crossover between them is undetectable, as the changeover point is chosen such that no RPM change is evident. This is done to preserve the benefits of a CVT: Always being at the right RPM for the situation.

Since I have not taken a CVT apart myself I'm sure my knowlege is flawed. Worse, after decades of manuals I know little about automatic transmissions. However I owned a CVT Versa and the shop manual indicates there are two input or output gearss, which you would expect from D and L shift positions. So its a two speed CVT. Now considering the 'drive' to have as many speeds as possible now - BMW and Lexus are 'leading'- it seems that a 7 speed would not be a far reach although I have no idea why as the mph range wopuld be ridiculously narrow. Maybe they skip gears except under full acceleration.
My Versa and Sentra shop manuals have two gear ratio inputs to the CVT. It doesn't look like a big deal to add 2, 3, 4. or 5 more input gear selections other than cleverness of the designers. The transmission shown in this months SAE monthly sure looked like it had a multiple set of gears where the Nissan had only two. So I don't know what 7 speed really means when you say 7 speed but its likely more than two. And maybe 7.
Lexus, BMW and Honda are known well for pushing the envelope.
Thanks for the heads-up.
cheers

 

Yes, by all means, let's get back on subject as the OP requests.

I have owned my Fit for two months. I've yet to be disappointed by any aspect of the car, and I would certainly buy another one if necessary. Part of my decision in purchasing a Fit was based on the fact that Hondas traditionally have kept on doing their job, and doing it well, for a long time. In a way, I look at my Fit as a bridge between standard sedans and future innovative designs, such as high-efficiency diesels. I figure I'll be able to drive a gas-efficient, spacious subcompact that will hold its value, and then, some time in the future, to switch over to a car based on new or improved technology (assuming it's as good-looking as the Fit!).