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Inconsistent WOT behavior with Lineartronic CVT

2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  NoVA Crosstreker 
#1 ·
Regardless of what Subaru you drive, if it has the Lineartronic CVT, has anyone also noticed inconsistent behavior?

Almost exactly a year ago, I performed some WOT acceleration tests. The CVT almost always utilized virtual gears to simulate the shift shock of a conventionally-geared automatic trasnmission.
test 1 https://youtu.be/tTBceneBfrU
test 2 https://youtu.be/BvoA5mtmVYQ
test 3 https://youtu.be/ZPP6mQr-d_0
test 4 https://youtu.be/1Q8hiMNPxg4


Then one run, I managed to make it perform like a regular CVT:
test 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOYfmfuhZ34


But subsequent attempts with the same conditions (brake torquing in automatic mode "Drive") almost always did not elicit the same results.

I am aware later model years got updated software to add in the virtual gears, negating a lot of the CVT advantages. These are the vehicles in particular I am interested in for owner feedback on this behavior.


DISCLAIMER: I currently do NOT drive a Subaru vehicle with a Lineartronic CVT, I am curious if anyone else has experienced the same strange behavior with the updated software designed to simulate automatic fixed gears with the occasional proper CVT behavior as shown in test 5.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
I have, and I own a 2017. It’s really odd. Some times, when passing a car, it will act like a CVT and not “downshift”, just incremental Mph gains. Most times, it simulates the shifting. It’s the weirdest thing. It’ll also hit the rpm lull occasionally, but sometimes, the VVT cross over happens seamlessly, the flat spot in the vvt is really noticeable. It also “shifts” 1st to 2nd WAY too damn soon. Like @2k! It makes the car a dawg off the line, which is “muy cuidado” when pulling out in front of someone like normal, only to find you have an automatic, 3 cylinder, geo metro, with ten fat chicks in the back.
 
#3 ·
Hard to say on my 18 because, like a good new car owner, I am going easy on acceleration for the first thousand miles (it's just shy of 200 now). I understand the CVTs in the 18s have seven faux 'gears' programmed in, and I've seen them in action each time I've driven the car so far. Question: is acceleration quicker when the CVT doesn't do the fake gears? Or is it equally pokey regardless? Acceleration is definitely smoother (and quieter) in the 18 compared to the 16 Crosstrek I was driving before. But I have yet to gun the engine, so I can't speak to any major lulls. At 2k-2.5k rpm, the car gets up to 45 mph at a decent clip (not blazing fast but decent, with steady acceleration). Going from 45-65 mph (merging onto the interstate), the car feels less zippy, especially since I'm not allowing rpms to go higher than 3k during the break-in period.
 
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