The controversy about the advantages and disadvantages of variators has not subsided for several decades since they began to be installed instead of traditional mechanical and automatic transmissions. Abroad, it is known under the abbreviation CVT, which means "continuously variable transmission".
Instructions
Step 1
The principle of its operation is based on the interaction of two pulleys with sliding conical halves, interconnected by a special belt. Depending on the engine operating mode, the pulleys move or move apart, changing the area of contact of the belt with them, which provides the required gear ratio. But here there is one problem that is worth remembering. After all, not all car owners are devoted to the intricacies of their internal structure, and many simply do not need it.
Step 2
In a word, how to determine the presence of this unit in the car, if the data sheet does not say anything about this, and even more so there are no external signs? There remains one thing - to get behind the wheel. Indeed, there are no external differences from a car where a conventional automatic transmission is installed.
Step 3
However, as soon as the engine started and the car started to move, you can feel the difference. A car equipped with a variator does not have fixed gears. There, each gear corresponds to the degree of load on the engine, and switching between them is very smooth, almost imperceptible.
Step 4
You can find out about the presence of a variator from the first seconds of acceleration. Instead of the sounds typical for the automatic transmission, the driver hears something that resembles the hum of a sewing machine. Here, for example, how a Honda Civic with a 1.6L gasoline engine behaves after a gas release. At first, it slows down due to the operation of the engine, then the speed decreases to idle, which leads to a limiting decrease in the transmission ratio. There is a feeling of driving in neutral.
Step 5
There are no peculiarities of using the braking system in a car with a variator. When operating at extreme loads ("Sport" mode), the engine begins to emit a monotonous, rather loud sound, and at this "high note" the car continues its rapid takeoff.
Step 6
The transmission selector is almost identical to that of the automatic transmission. A car with a variator behaves equally confidently on mountain roads, in no way inferior to its competitors. Thus, we can talk about the main advantage of the variator - the possibility of more convenient and comfortable gear shifting while driving.
