I believe that's the function of the CVT, to always run at the low rpm sweet spot to get the best mileage. I don't think there is anything wrong other than you are not used to CVT compared to fixed gears. The Drive Sport mode and the paddle shifters simulate the fixed gear feeling. Aside from that feeling, I believe that if you leave the transmission in normal D mode, you will get the same or better acceleration. What you won't get is the shifting of gears since there aren't any. Welcome to the world of CVT.

 

Does anybody know about the process of tuning the CVT to perform at a higher level? What type of equipment is involved and would an inexperienced enthusiast be able to do some tweaks without breaking anything? It would be awesome if we could just load custom tunes to match the type of driving we would be doing. For example giving more low end acceleration for twisties, or an eco mode to save gas for day to day driving.

 

There's a reasonably current thread about a TSB involving the CVT that apparently improves part throttle off-idle response.

Be careful what you ask for - if you're operating at a high enough lateral acceleration, you may not want a lot of acceleration to come online too rapidly. What you do want is the ability to modulate this response in a reasonably linear fashion.

I'm pretty sure that Nissan's default programming already is skewed toward fuel economy goals.

Lightonthehill may be able to suggest ways that enable you to select economy or performance from what's there. What I won't promise is that you'll be 100% happy with what it takes.


Norm

 

Thanks for the input Norm. I actually got the tsb applied and they reflashed my ecu. I definitely felt the improvement and that was what got me thinking that throttle response and overall performance could be improved with more "aggressive" settings. I have no experience in this so these are just general ideas.

 

Thanks for the feedback. It's definitely going to take me some time to get use to the CVT. As I'm writing this I just got to thinking. While the re-flash would be greatm, giving more acceleration from idle starts, what's going to happen in the winter time? Seems with all that extra power one's wheels might be spinning too much. Anyone experience this yet, or provide any insight?

 

i just bought my 2011 Maxima SV w sport and the CV Tranny is probably the worst thing they could have done to the car. I previosly owned a 2006 with out the CVT and it was snappy, quick and very responsive. Why have all that power and no way to use it? Its like having a race car with all terrain tires on it

 

The Maxima has moved upscale (and upweight - 3600 pounds) to near-luxury. It is no longer a race car.

Addressing your true complaint, the problem with the 7th gen is not the CVT; it is the way Nissan programmed the software for the CVT that is causing these 'mushy' startups.

If you dig around a little here, there are a few threads going that discuss the TSB that applies to many 7th gen Maximas that changes the software to give more snappy starts. Several here have had that TSB applied, and noticed immediate improvement. If I were you, I would definitely look at that option first.

 

Dunno. (but maybe there's a little more to having power & performance than zero to sixty times, quarter mile short times, and leaving rubber )

What's it like from 30 to 70?


Norm

 

No test drive first? Most tests show 6.3 or better 0-60 while 3 of the first 4 google results show this...

2006 Maxima 3.5SE with the 5-speed auto @ 7.1 seconds 0-60 MPH, numbers can vary 1 or 2 tenths depending on who did the tests, temps, etc...But, 7.1 sec. is the general consensus. One showed a manual transmission 2006 doing 6.5 which still loses to the 7th gen.

The noise isolation of the current car can cause the feeling of acceleration to be muted so that may be a factor. They do feel slow to 30 but really aren't when compared to other cars. All newer automatics of any make have some kind of torque management that controls wheelspin...afaik.

I got 6.3 hand timed when mine was brand new and it is quicker after the transmission re-flash for certain.

 

Not everybody beats on the test drive car just to seat-of-the-pants verify what you can read from several places.

I don't, and never have - either the car is exactly the one I will buy, in which case I don't want hard use on the powertrain happening early in its life, or the test drive car will end up being somebody else's car and I still shouldn't be beating on it.


Norm

 

If I gave that impression, it was not intended. No cars were harmed during my test drive. It was my own car that I once timed.

 

Norm, that approach is DREADFULLY 'old school.' The fact I have always followed that same mantra just means I am also dreadfully 'old school.'

After witnessing a few young and stupid drivers race off on test drives of new Maximas at my dealer's back in the mid-1990s, I knew I had to go at this another way.

In buying my 2000 SE and my 2004 SL, I took the trouble of finding exactly the car I wanted on the nissan.usa site as it was being put in the dealer's online inventory, but before it had arrived at the dealer's lot, and immediately negotiated a sale price with the dealer's internet manager, conditional on the car being in perfect condition, and not having been test driven.

Those were the two most trouble-free cars I have ever owned. At least until this '09. But I still have a few years left in which the '09 could go 'south' on me.

 

If I had to guess, I'd say that being one generation or less removed from the Great Depression of the 1930's has something to do with the attitude of taking care of things so they'll last. And taking even greater care of things that belong to other people (or will belong to other people, in this thread's subtopic's particular scenario).

Reading about the 1930's in a history book just doesn't convey the same sense of urgency as the word of mouth from and the attitudes of those who lived it. Passing the class quiz at the end of the week doesn't mean that any implied lesson "took", as it were . . .


Norm

 

Nor does reading about the great depression in a history book replace having gone without shoes because we couldn't afford them. Or undo the damage to my feet because, once I got shoes, I wore the same pair for three years as my feet were increasing by several sizes. I still have overlapping toes from that awful time.

I cut open the toothpaste tube when it is 'empty, and get another dozen brushings from the paste left in the neck of the tube. And I still use only a dab of toothpaste, use only the minimum soap necessary to get clean, and take quick showers using a low-flow shower nozzle.

Some of those habits evolved well after the depression, based on, as you say, an 'attitude' of conserving that was critical to survival in the 1930s, as well as during WWII years, when almost everything was rationed.

In the 1930s, we took weekly baths in galvanized tubs, and all six of us kids used the same bathwater. We answered the call of nature in our two-holer at the far end of the back yard. We were priveledged, as our neighbors only had one-holers. The older Sears-Roebuck and Montgomery-Ward catalogues were 'recycled' to the two-holer as toilet paper, as most folks around where I lived did not have the money to buy toilet tissue.

I remember the excitement when electricity arrived in our rural area. No more studying by the weak flickering of an oil lamp. Electricity meant radio! Although there were no stations near us, the atmosphere was not yet cluttered, and I could easily pick up WQXR New York, KDKA Pittsburgh, KMOX St Louis, and stations in New Orleans (WLW?) and Chicago (WJL?),etc, etc.

Although there was great suffering during that depression, those were also truly exciting times. Keeping this along automotive lines, I often helped the two families in my county that had automobiles (a Ford Model A and a Terraplane) by hand-cranking the engine from in front of the car to start the motor. Cars did not have starters at that time. All tires were either 'tubed' or solid rubber, and flats were frequent. I never heard the word 'garage' until the 1940s. The two families near us with cars just parked them in the yard at the foot of the front steps.

But I'm really rambling now.

 

From catalogs and newspapers to squeezable soft Charmin...from balky manuals to the smooth CVT. Progress!

 

As long as "progress" does not get translated into "license to waste or be wasteful" or an attitude where everything is eminently disposable / nothing needs to be durable" . . .

Which, sadly, is what this
is an example of.


Norm

 

this disposable society is disgusting

 

It bothers me that it costs more to get an electronic appliance repaired than to replace it these days (and that assumes we can even find someone who can properly fix one).

If we could actually see the true volume of things being trashed/discarded in this country every day, I dare say some folks would be shocked. It would probably be a hundred million cubic feet or more.

Im not in favor of going back to the days when American Indians treasured all resources of the earth, and tried to limit their 'footprint'. But these days, even simple things can be packaged in several layers of various materials that may not decompose in a landfill for a thousand years.

Coal is still an important energy source, but knowing how polluting using it can be, and how it is often obtained by simply scraping beautiful mountains into ravines, creeks and rivers, with the trees simply being piled up and burned, makes me sad.

But this is the wrong forum for that. I do try to keep my Maximas in perfect condition so that, after I trade them in, another family might enjoy many more trouble-free years before they have to be recycled.

 

I had the CVT TSB applied to my car a few days ago. I've driven about a hundred miles since. My impression is that it's an improvement.

* The car is much more willing to jump to 3500 RPM and above with less throttle. This as opposed to Ds, which jumps to 5500+ RPM in the first third of the travel, and the original D, which was reluctant to rev at all without very abrupt throttle inputs. This TSB seems to split the difference.

* The 1200-1400 RPM range that causes cabin resonance isn't used as much, though it'll still sit there for slow acceleration with very light throttle. The RPM rises before the engine lugs, so most of the heavy vibration is gone.

* It can still be reluctant to rev if you slowly roll on the power. Even Ds is a bit sluggish in this scenario, so no surprise there.

* I have to check what the dealership did with my tire pressures before I say this for certain, but the car doesn't seem to lose as much speed in a coast. Maybe it's the TSB, maybe not. My tires could be overinflated to the benefit of rolling resistance.

More generally, the car seems a fair bit more energetic around town. I wouldn't go so far as to mirror Alan's response, but I'm really enjoying this.

 

Honestly, I think the CVT is the best transmission by far around, but it's not fun. It doesn't rev high enough for me, which is why I almost always use the manual mode. But after a long day when I just dont have the energy to worry about so many things while driving, it's relaxing to have a transmission that revs low.

 

This is my first car with a CVT, and although at first i was reluctant to like it, I have turned out to really enjoy it. Its the best of both worlds. I mean yes, I am not so happy with the lack of being able to precisely be where i want in any RPM range in any gear I want. But I love the fact that if I am doing a highway pull from 40 to top speed or 80to top speed, that the RMP range stays right in the 6500 area under WOT... which happens to be right in the power band for our max HP. Also I am quite pleased that under normal driving I get a few more pennies per mile then when I had my 05 Spec V...

just my .02

 

+1

I share your sentiment but I can't go as far as to say its the best transmission by far. If it last to 150k miles without any problems then I would say its the best transmission around!

 

Look guys...G35... yes gangsta...and rwd really doesnt make much of a difference these days...thats like saying imports cant hang with muscle anymore...fwd have been doing a lot these days and it has nothing to do with which wheels are turning...power to weight ratios are a huge deal... and lets not forget the max is huge compared to the G35...age also has nothing to do with it...im 24 and i got the max and its great....and previously i had a c32 benz and before that a f150 harley...i love this max and i dont even use the cvt...but not feeling or hearing or even thinkin of a tranny problem we all need to agree is awesome!!

 

Does anyone know if the 10 year/120000 mile CVT extended warranty applies to 2011 models? I just checked the Nissan website and apparently it only covers 2003-2010.

 

I just bought a 2010 Maxima and as the finance manager at the dealership was going through the warranty with us, he didn't mention the 120K mile CVT warranty. I asked him about it, and he said, oh, I forgot that you bought a 2010. He said that the 2010 does have the warranty, but the 2011s no longer have the 120K CVT warranty.

 

Thanks waynejs, although disappointing to hear that Nissan no longer stands by their CVT. Was ready to take the plunge on a 2011 Maxima SV but having second thoughts now. Either they had too many repairs under this program or it cut into their extended warranty sales. Whatever the reason, the customer is screwed.

 

No problem, Beach. Have you considered a 2010 Maxima? There are still dealers with remaining 2010 inventory. Nissan is offering a $2,500 rebate on 2010 models or 0% APR for 60 months, plus $500 customer rebate until the end of this month. I bought my 2010 SV with premium package last week and I think I got a pretty good price on it.

 

I would definitely consider the 2010 but here in Florida the dealers are pretty much out. I'll look into the Nissan extended warranty as I always keep my cars up to about 100K miles and have had bad experiences with trannys in the past. It does seem a little odd to me that Nissan no longer covers the CVT for the 10 year/120k miles - it's only about a year ago that they added this for the 2003-2010 model years.

 

Sure does seem a little odd. I didn't read any announcement about this; it just seemed to 'happen' with the release of the 2011.

Of course the first tendency is to wonder if Nissan is having problems with the CVT. But we haven't had but one or two serious CVT problems that I have seen on this board during the two and a half years the 7th gen has been out. This CVT seems to be reliable. Maybe the extended CVT warranty was cutting into the overall extended warranty business?

At least the CVT is part of the power train, which has a 5 year 60K warranty.

 

I bought my 2011 Maxima Sport Package with Premium Package and Technology Package yesterday. I love this car. I wanted one since my brother bought a fully loaded 05' in late 04'. I also have a 2004 Mazda 6s with 3.0L V6.

CVT: I love it, and I love to drive a manual too. For this CVT, I love how you hit that peak RPM and it just keeps accelerating - It freaked me out the first time. I really love the fact that you're not slowed down by shifting and don't feel any shifting!

Early posts on this forum were right. The car industry is shifting more toward this transmission, but mostly high end imports and luxury cars.

I seemed to have been forming the impression that Nissan made some improvements in the 2011 CVT, hence the lack of an extended warranty. This makes sense as they would not want to permanently up the warranty periods. It is cheaper to fix any issues with reliability, which I suspect they did. I will definitely do my research to know for sure, but at least I got the extended warranty!

 

Welcome to the ORG, supared. Very nice choice in vehicles.

It took me a little longer than it did you to adjust to this CVT, but I have grown to really like it. It just makes sense that, once it is perfected, a tranny that has no shift breaks will eventually outperform trannies that do have pauses for shifting, no matter how brief. This 7th generation Maxima CVT seems to be a clearly better tranny than those CVTs of several years ago.

 

I was driving home from work and a guy in a Honda Accord, maybe '99, pulled up next to me after I passed him. We stopped at a light. I pulled off kind of quick but not plunging it or anything. You could tell he was flooring it, then you see his front end drop as he switches gears and fades back several feet as I kept going steady. I love it!

The other thing I noticed, and maybe they had already done the re-flash on my model, but when I flick my shifter to the left and put it into Drive Sport mode, it is drastically quicker in terms of response. It controls the power band much tighter not caring for gas mileage.

The paddle shifters are nice. Getting used to it better, and I see that it can take three pulls on the downshift to get where I want to accelerate. Two pulls in Ds.

 

There you go, having fun already!

I'm sure you are aware the 7th gen Maxima weighs over 3600 pounds, so isn't exactly a track car. It also comes from the assembly line set up more for fuel-efficient driving than for maximum performance. That said, this car can move if we want it to. Keep in mind that the fastest elapsed times on test tracks with the 7th gen Maxima have come with the tranny in simple 'D'. Of course simple 'D' is not the most fun, so . . .

 

Ive slapped around a couple of cars and most of the time I just play with people I dont floor it, or even get to the point before the sticking point. This trans is great and this car is soo smooth no jerkiness nothing like that. Go to myg37.com and see how many people complain that the 7 spd auto is jerky and uncomfortable.

 

Congrats on your new Maxima! How much did you pay for the extended warranty? Any wiggle room on the price with the dealer?

 

Car dealers aren't as desperate as they were even last year. I looked on all the local dealer's lots for new 2010 models --- none! Maybe it is just this area in Cincinnati, OH.

With that being said, I think I got a good deal. Sticker was $39,8__. I paid $37,5__. I could not get him lower. Quotes from similarly equipped vehicles did no good, because they were for like $42k+. I had some quotes from Chevy for a Traverse and told them my wife was set on that SUV, but I wanted the Maxima. I told him the only way she would go for it was if they could beat the price of the Traverse as compared OTD and I would not take anything less than the car I was looking at. They did, so I was happy. I needed to make a deal, and I got tired of shopping around and haggling. They were not hard up for customers, and they were not letting my car off the lot for less than what I paid.

The good thing is the 0% financing for 60 mos. The Gap insurance and extended warranty was $2k.

What do you think?

 

Unless the 37.5k is out the door it's not the best deal I've seen on here but what really matters is that you are happy with the car. And the 0%/60 mos. is great. I'm looking to get the extended warranty as well. Is there a choice of coverage and length of contract? And is it simply an extension of the factory warranty?

 

Hey Beach,

Yeah, usually the warranties give you a choice of coverage and length of contract. Be careful though if buying a warranty from the dealer because each dealer can have an agreement with different 3rd party warranty companies, and some of them are shady. You don't have to buy an extended warranty from the dealer, you can always shop online for a 3rd party warranty. Here is a good site that has tips on buying a car as well as buying a warranty.

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/warranty.htm

 

OK, so I just have to say.... I have owned many high proformance cars. I've owned many Z cars. I own a S/C Firebird, 700HP Camaro and a 2003 Corvette.

What I found was a peace and quickness that is easily performed in my CVT Maxima. A bit of peace that I can not find in any of the other vehicles. Ease on the gas and it goes. Touch the gas in traffic and it gives you a nice bump to get through traffic. Mileage up there with the best of them, except my Prius.... nothing going to come close to 50mpg for right now.

Compared to my 350Z she is quicker, more comfortable and easier to drive fast. I was just floored by how good this car was. We leased it for 15 days and converted it to a purchase because it is the best balanced vehicle that we have owned. It does everything except tow my boat.
No worries ... I have a '05 Jeep with a HEMI in it for that duty.

We can not say enough good things about this car.....

Oh, and my Vette is a 6 spd with magnetic ride. That car kills all but, the very expensive cars or highly modded ones out there.



I'll post up a picture of the Maxima as soon as I can..... it's nice but, a lot of you have even nicer ones.... ;-)

 

Mecinois - Nice writeup. Nice car collection also.

I bought my '09 Maxima with some concern about the CVT. Earlier versions of the CVT I had test-driven did not impress me as being 'ready for prime time.' But this 7th gen Maxima CVT grabbed me right from the start. Took a little getting used to, but I have had a lot of fun finding ways to 'control' this CVT (via the throttle and speed, etc) without even taking the tranny out of regular 'D' mode.

I have driven many manuals in the past sixty-some years (yes, I am OLD). I loved the manual when it was the most efficient tranny, but it is now the THIRD most efficient tranny, and is no fun in gridlocked traffic. Maybe if I lived in the Rockies . . .

I am now a big CVT fan. But I'm still a 'sporty youngun' at heart. No Buick or Avalon for me.