The term CVT wasn’t that frequent in Pakistan until the last few years. The first locally produced car to have CVT was Honda City Vario back in 2003-4. Later, Toyota Indus introduced CVT in Corolla and Honda launched it in their 10th Generation Civic.
RELATED: Getting the right gear oil for your car
Although our market had already been bombarded with JDM cars having CVT but the term wasn’t quite common, and people did not understand it. However, it is becoming increasingly popular, and people know about this type of transmission. But like a conventional automatic gearbox, CVT also comes with its bit of care.
Today we will be talking about five things you should never do in a CVT vehicle:
1. No need to put it in neutral at a stop
You don’t necessarily need to put your car in neutral every time you stop at an intersection. If your CVT is a traditional CVT with a clutch it will automatically disengage, and the factor of wear and tear of the clutch is completely removed, so it’s completely ok to keep your car in gear at stoplights.
2. Don’t hill hold with throttle
In the case of an eCVT or a CVT with a torque converter you can get away with this but with a traditional clutch based CVT don’t hold your car on a hill using the throttle. By applying slight throttle continuously, the clutch will wear down quicker than under normal conditions so it’s better to just put your foot on the brake or use a Hill Start Stop function if your car comes equipped with one.
3. Don’t coast in neutral
CVT’s are more fuel saving than normal automatic transmissions, so there is no need to put your car in neutral after a little acceleration. If your car is a Hybrid, it is better to keep it in gear as it will regenerate that electricity.
4. Don’t neutral drop the car
For a launch, some people keep the car in neutral, rev it, and pop it into gear. You don’t want ever to do that a CVT gearbox in a vehicle. It can easily damage the transmission as well as the clutch. Instead it is completely safe to floor the car at lower RPM’s after the car has been shifted into gear.
5. Come to a complete stop before changing direction
This principle also applies to normal automatic transmission as well. Always come to a complete stop before shifting from drive to reverse (changing direction forward or backward) or vice versa. If not then it can easily damage the gears inside the transmissions.
CVT transmission is a significant advancement in technology, has lots of benefits and can last longer than traditional automatic transmission if kept with care. Bear in mind that CVT gearbox cost a lot more than normal automatic transmissions, so it is better to drive your car with care then damaging your transmission and ending up with a huge repair bill. It can be as reliable as any other transmission. Just make sure you use good quality CVT oil and follow these tips. your CVT gearbox will last a lifetime.
