CVT is not a new technology. The Continuously Variable Transmission has been around for half a century. The modern incarnation of the CVT has been around just a few years, though, becoming much more popular in other countries than it has been in the U.S. Interest has risen for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that vehicles with CVT tend to get better gas mileage than the same vehicle without CVT. For this reason, many Honda cars today feature the CVT technology.
CVT isn’t a new technology. In fact, the technology involved in CVT has been used for a variety of industrial applications, such as running light duty drill presses or lathes. As vehicle parts like advanced hydraulics, high-density rubber belts and microprocessors have appeared, it became more and more likely that CVT would be ported to the automotive industry.
A CVT is much simpler than a traditional transmission. In fact, there are only a few components to a CVT, as opposed to many more with a traditional transmission. A CVT includes a driving pulley that’s operated hydraulically, a driving pulley that is mechanical that senses torque, sensors and microprocessors, and a high power, high density rubber belt.
CVT is becoming more and more compatible with powerful engines, as well. Increasingly, CVT transmissions are being used with engines larger than 1.2 litres, and even being used with some V6 engines.
Come see us at your Lehigh Valley Honda Dealer . Check out the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid CVT, which not only utilizes CVT technology but saves greatly on gas with its hybrid technology.