Hi folks,

Hope you can help me. I just bought a 2008 Cooper S with an automatic transmission. I used to drive (and still have on my driveway!) a 2002 Cooper base with the CVT so I'm used to the driving feel of that car.

I notice when driving the "S" that going from a stop/red light the car revs quite high to change gears (up near 3000) Once it's in 3rd gear it's smooth. IS it because I'm not used to this type of transmission and I'm basing everything off the CVT (which is smooth)

Oh and also I notice that after I turn the car off there's still a fan or something that runs for a while afterwards (about 30-45 seconds) Does that have something to do with the turbocharger? I apologize if these are silly questions - after 5 years of driving my '02 I'm trying to get used to all the '08 noises etc!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

CVT means Constant velocity transmission. The velocity that is constant is the engine. It varies the gear ratio to allow the engine to run at the best RPM range for economy/power.

All other transmissions have fixed gear ratios (one for each gear) and what varies is the engine speed. So, CVT drives differently from every other car. Also, 3K rpm is not high. It is right in the middle of the engines operating range and just about where the car starts making power.

 

Very creative interpretation (I like it), but CVT = Continuously Variable Transmission.

 

lol, no more Bud for me...lol

yea, but what's in a name. Is not a rose by any other name as fair?

(I got that wrong too)

 

The noise after you shut down the car is either the car cooling off the turbo or the fan. Happens almost everyday to me.

 

SR-71. Awesome! Saw them @ Kadena.

 

Yeah I thought CVT = Continuously Variable Transmission as well, so I was right!!!! I think I'm just getting used to the more "sportier" feel.

I really appreciate your help guys Glad to hear about the fan. When my '02 made that noise I had to get a new compressor!!! Hence my concern.

Anything else I should know about the '08 S?????

Cheers

 

It's not the fan. It's an auxiliary water pump for circulating your coolant through the turbo to keep cooling it. Good idea for longevity of the turbo

 

I think that's pretty typical behavior of the auto. (Un)Fortunately I have a 2010 auto, and it behaves the same way. I've gotten used to it. It definitely feels as though it's over-revving. Sounds too noisy for first gear, but it seems to be the computer doing its thing.

I think as long as you're not hitting red, or something above 4k in 1st, you should be ok.

 

That's exactly how it sounds ianjenkins - thanks for clearing that up for me

Thanks everyone for your replies.

 

Going from a CVT that uses a belt and two pulleys to a normal geared transmission you will feel its very different. Where the CVT is changing the length of the belt by increasing and decreasing the diameters of the pulleys the normal geared transmission needs to physically shift into a different gear.

How Stuff Works - CVT

 

Thanks pheatton!!!!

OK, here's another question - the steering on my 02 Cooper seems to be a lot stiffer than the 08 S. Does that sound right? The "sport mode" stiffens it up a bit but not nearly as much as the 02.

Just wondering! Thanks