aginter

I have a '09 Maxima, great car, fast and comfortable! Is it normal for this car's rpm to surge 200-300 rpm at highway speed with the cruise control on? It is more pronounced the faster the speed or if there is a headwind. Perhaps this is one of the peculularities of a CVT, just seems odd to me. The dealer said this is normal. Thanks

kilo870

I think that it is normal with the CVT. I have also noticed this.

silver7thgen

I have also noticed this at hwy speeds its noticeable between 100-110 kms brought it into the dealership but it doesn't seem to do it when they have it.. So idk

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

If this happens when going uphill, I would say its normal. Since the CVT is continuously variable, it can make small adjustments like that to give a little more power when needed. With a normal automatic, it can only jump full gears so it typically wouldnt do it while in cruise control.

gizzsdad

I think it's pretty normal for the CVT. Likely caused by wind gusts or very slight changes in road gradient - affecting the engine vacuum. The same way the mpg indicators vary widely if you watch them.

lightonthehill

I sort of expected this with the CVT. Even my old-fashioned automatic trannies searched for the right gear when under cruise control unless the road was exactly level and there was no appreciable wind.

I loved cruise control in those 'long ago' days, especially on the empty roads of the soputhwest or great plains. But it is useless within a hundred miles of where I live in middle GA. Even if the road were level (which it isn't), the traffic is absolutely spastic.

Some vehicles move below the speed limit, some move at the speed limit, and some move above the speed limit. Some drivers love to cruise side-by-side with other vehicles (blocking everybody), while others will come up from behind like a bat out of .... until their front bumper is underneath my rear bumper, and there they sit, mile after mile, slowing down when I slow down, etc, etc.

But BY FAR, the worst drivers are those on cell phones, convinced they are driving safely, but blissfully unaware they are bouncing off the lane lines and driving other drivers to distraction by speeding up slightly in areas/situations where slowing down slightly would be the expected action, and slowing down slightly in areas/situations where speeding up slightly would be the expected action. Totally inconsiderate and very dangerous.