Ok could someone give a little better breakdown on ther operation of the manual mode of the CVT

 

Gimme a break folks. I drive a bloody truck that was made last in 1996 so this new fangled stuff is alien to me.

I never bothered with it on the soon to be ex-wife's Mini so I was wondering what to expect.

 

While you're explaining, how about a word or two concerning the auto mode? Is it just one speed with no discernible gear change (like a Polaris fourwheeler or a go-cart)?

 

I did feel changes on the previously mentioned Mini in auto mode.

 

sport mode keeps the rpm's higher..
steptronic mode will manually shift when peak rpm is reached or you can shift yourself!
its really a better trans. than most people could imagine!

 

I almost always use my CVT in the manual mode.
You use it just like you would a manual except you
don't have a clutch pedal to push. Put the shifter in
"D" and push it to the right. You are now in Sport
Mode. This is also an automatic mode were it will
shift for you but at higher RPM's. Pull the shifter
down and you are in first gear. Each pull down will
shift to the next "gear". Each push up on the shifter will downshift.
When you get to the 6th gear, you still have one more.
Pull the shifter to the left and you are back in "D" which
drops the RPM's down another 300 or so.
So it is a 7 speed manual. Great fun!!

Jim

 

>>While you're explaining, how about a word or two concerning the auto mode? Is it just one speed with no discernible gear change (like a Polaris fourwheeler or a go-cart)?

Yes, you are right. You will not have any noticable gear change
in auto mode unless you really tromp on it and the servos need to
make large changes to hold the RPM's. I believe this is what
snowmobles use but there are other cars out there that use CVT's.

Jim

 

I highly recommend driving the Cooper CVT in "Sport Mode" while on the highway or Intersate...is simply AWESOME! Today I drove 60 miles up I-95 in Sport Mode and the car simply FLIES...total effortless acceleration and the CVT programming keeps the RPM's high at 3K and above putting all that midrange power right at your foot.

You have to drive @70 to 90MPH in the highway in Sport Mode to fully understand what I am saying.

 

That is why I did notice a "gear change", I am a bit heavy on the throttle.

 

>>That is why I did notice a "gear change", I am a bit heavy on the throttle.


That's called the "Kickdown" feature activated when you step on the E-gas pedal. Another tip: If you want to get good acceleration from the get go in your CVT (In either of the 3 modes) resist the temptation to "Floor it". These cars do not respond well when you mash the accelerator because the E-gas pedal has no physical connection to the engine (Think of it as the remote control for your TV) and the programming settings don't seem to translate this too well to the engine.

Instead, depress the pedal gradually until about midway and you'll see the car take off nicely, smoothly and very linear power.

Take it from me....a CVT Cooper veteran with 11.5K+ miles on the clock.

 

I'm having a similar issue with my new cam on my Bronco. The computer is hating my nailing the pedal down. It seems to respond better to 2/3 down. With that the shift points drop to where I like them.

With my new Mini (2 weeks estimated wait) I'll take that to heart especially as I'll be babying the new engine for a bit.