interesting CVT behavior

Long story short.
the car has 20,000 miles so it is broken in :
I decided to "air-it-out" a bit on this long straight remote road (on private land).
Flooring it from a stop.
The transmission is in D, the CVT does its thing, revving the engine towards 6000 while at the same time moving the CVT cones, just as normal CVT operation. I can't remember at what speed it reached it apex, but when it reach 6000 RPM it stopped being a smooth acceleration and it acted like a conventional trans being paddle shifted to next gear... or could also compare it to a manual trans revved to red line. The engine RPM dropped suddenly from 6000 to 5000 with a little slurge, than kept revving to 6000 and did another shift. At this point it was going about 89 mph. so there was 3 definite distinct shift while producing some pretty good roaring engine sound.
Here is where it becomes interesting (if we can call it that).
Shifting the trans to S -sport, same procedure, flooring it and holding it there.
This time there is no RPM drop, no shifting point, just goes to 6000 and stays there as the car accelerates.

Has any one tried it? is it normal?
I will give it an other try next week when I am out on that road. Out - in the sticks.

I believe that the CVT will do simulated shifts between 5,500 RPM and the redline to give the car a more "sporty" feel? Since "S" is designed to let the CVT breathe a bit easier, maybe it doesn't do the simulated shifts?

Try doing a flat out run in L as well... it totally gets rid of the simulated shifting, and according to tests, actually produces the quickest 0-60 times of the 3 drive modes. Sport is actually the worst for 0-60 runs and is better put to use once you're already rolling (i.e. passing, going uphill, quick bursts of acceleration). D and L do better from a stop.

What is L? Not seeing that on my base Hatch Sport w/CVT.

oh...
we have PRNDSL o the selector,
so during acceleration in S mode is keeps the engine rpm in the 3000 RPM range,
L (low) keeps the engine in the 4000 RPM range.
YOu could use it to slow you -more engine break- on long downhill descents.
I pre-select S often before trying to pass someone ( driving a slow commercial truck) on single lane roads.

this is not my car, itis stock web image

RobbJK88 said:

Try doing a flat out run in L as well... it totally gets rid of the simulated shifting, and according to tests, actually produces the quickest 0-60 times of the 3 drive modes. Sport is actually the worst for 0-60 runs and is better put to use once you're already rolling (i.e. passing, going uphill, quick bursts of acceleration). D and L do better from a stop.

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scintillating response. but isn't all this shifting bad for the transmission.

HatchorNada said:

scintillating response. but isn't all this shifting bad for the transmission.

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Transmission is always shifting, your lever controls tweaks the default software a bit. I have an '03 civic EX and routinely shift the automatic from D to 3m 270K miles and transmission works well.

HatchorNada said:

scintillating response. but isn't all this shifting bad for the transmission.

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I would think the stepped or preprogrammed shifting in a CVT would cause more wear than the continuous smooth movement plates/cones.
Same goes for engine RPM, let the PCM set it to the most optimized range or position for the task on hand, be it acceleration or cruising.

HatchorNada said:

scintillating response. but isn't all this shifting bad for the transmission.

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I wouldn't believe so. If I'm not mistaken, the shifter is a shift by wire type of system so all it does is send an electric signal to the ECU to do X. If it's not safe to do, the ECU should override your decision and continue doing what its doing until its safe to do so.

In a traditional automatic or DCT driving in "L" (low gear) the whole time locks you into first or second gear which is pretty bad for the car if you go faster than like 30-40 MPH (if you have a 2nd gear lockout) or 20-30 MPH (if you have 1st gear lockout). But then you simply bring it through the gears yourself using L1, L2, L3, ..., D. Don't try this, but if I'm not mistaken, in most modern cars, if you're going like 80MPH and shift into "L" (speed is too high and would cause overreving), the car should decrease the lowest gear it can then eventually make its way into it's low gear so to not damage the engine.

Edit: note that if you do drive in L all the time, even when you wouldn't blow your engine, it can prematurely wear your engine and possibly transmission (as you're keeping higher revs and putting more stress on the vehicle). It will also (generally) reduce fuel economy.

Most automatics or DSG with the optional manual mode or paddle shifter the car will protect itself from a stupid driver and only allow certain gears to be switched to.
It will not allow over lugging (too low RPM) or over-revving.

Ive driven in L up to around 95 mph and it never "shifts" It just sits there. D however does simulate a shift at certain speeds during WOT. and as to shifting to S or L, its just a computer mapping and it wont let you "overrev"

99% of my driving is in D. It's definitely the best all around mode even with my tune. I only use S for ocassional engine braking and the rare passing move where I need to be in a higher rpm range. I've literally used L once and it felt like one time too many.

gtman said:

99% of my driving is in D. It's definitely the best all around mode even with my tune. I only use S for ocassional engine braking and the rare passing move where I need to be in a higher rpm range. I've literally used L once and it felt like one time too many.

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Same for me, rarely use "S" mode, too high revving and good for spirited driving on twisty roads.

The "S" is not for Sport - It's for "Second" (a throw back to the old days).

wilbur_the_goose said:

The "S" is not for Sport - It's for "Second" (a throw back to the old days).

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Wilbur, that's just not the case. Here's a blurb directly from the original press kit for the Gen X Civic sedan:

"S-Range Control

To allow the driver to alter the operation of the CVT, the console-mounted gear selector includes an "S" or Sport mode that provides a sport-shift schedule that delays upshifting for more available power, and provides greater engine braking."

http://hondanews.com/releases/2016-honda-civic-sedan-press-kit-powertrain?page=2