s, l, gear in cvt

NoHonor937

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Anyone know what s, and l stand for in a cvt. I assume L stands for lower gear and is used for traction.

Honda Civic 10th gen s, l, gear in cvt 1D1CEF51-903D-40B2-AF0A-7262D95BF32F
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Hondaman_MI

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Anyone know what s, and l stand for in a cvt. I assume L stands for lower gear and is used for traction.

1D1CEF51-903D-40B2-AF0A-7262D95BF32F.jpeg
Drive (S): Used for better acceleration, increased engine braking, or driving in hilly terrain. Low (L): Used for stronger engine power and braking when driving in hilly terrain.

Page 97 in manual.

S is great for passing, hilly terrain. L increases engine braking, and is better for extreme hilly terrain.
 

gtman

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S mode will keep revs higher than D to keep it in the powerband at the expense of MPG's.
 
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Hondaman_MI

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The one time I drove in L mode, I thought I had a transmission problem. Didn't like it, and will probably never use it again.
 

shoegazer

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Back in the day; 'L' kept an automatic transmission from upshifting beyond 2nd or maybe 3rd. It was useful for driving at low speeds in muddy or snowy conditions. I suspect that Honda has a software simulation that tries to accomplish the same thing.
 


kalvin126

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L mode is also the mode where the transmission is a true CVT. There are no simulated gears. If you did a 0-60 run, L would probably give the lowest times.

S mode will keep revs higher than D to keep it in the powerband at the expense of MPG's.
L mode does not make it run like a true CVT. It just makes it run just like Hondaman_MI said.

If you are referring to how CVTs were when they first launched, it would have decreased gear ratio continuously as vehicle speed increases. L keeps a fixed ratio.
 

gtman

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What I was referring to was that in L there are no simulated gear shifts like S and D.
 
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gtman

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There is no way L can get you to 60 MPH lol
Seriously? Stop spreading misinformation. Low mode is not "low" like the old automatic transmissions. Matter of fact, check out the original reviews on the Civic turbo when it first came out. Alex on Autos and Edmunds and other review sites got their best, most consistent 0-60 times with the car in L.

Start watching at about the 9:20 mark:


Yes, L has better engine braking and is good for hills as Honda says, clearly. It also happens to give the fastest 0-60 acceleration. Personally, I prefer the more traditional feel of S and D with the stepped "gears" and really never use L.
 
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Gruber

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What I was referring to was that in L there are no simulated gear shifts like S and D.
There are absolutely no simulated gears in D and S unless you use the paddles.

Personally, I prefer the more traditional feel of S and D with the stepped "gears" and really never use L.
Sorry, there are no stepped gears in automatic D and S.
 


gtman

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jred721

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There are absolutely no simulated gears in D and S unless you use the paddles.



Sorry, there are no stepped gears in automatic D and S.
Wrong, @gtman Is right. If you go full throttle on any CVT equipped Civic then it simulates "gear shifts" up top to make it feel like an automatic. L eliminates these shifts which in reality make the 0-60 run slower and it makes it act like a regular CVT by just holding the revs up there rather than "shifting". No one is saying there are actual gears but rather computer simulated ones.
 

PhilF

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Can't speak for other trims, but my 19 Touring Coupe has "D" & "S" only & paddles, no "L" In "S" I can shift through all 7 simulated gears using the paddles. While in "D" at road speed, say 60-65 mph, I can force a simulated downshift to 6th for passing by tapping the "-" paddle, then it automatically upshifts, when I back off the throttle. Do the CVT's on the trims with the 2.0NA engines still have the "L" ?
 

kalvin126

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I don't think L would give the best 0-60, maybe a more consistent 0-60. The best acceleration is at peak Power which is not necessarily at higher RPMs.
 

gtman

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Hmmmm... aren't you the same guy that posted it wasn't even possible to get to 60 mph in L? ...
There is no way L can get you to 60 MPH lol
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