So I'm going to ask this as simply as I can.

What is the best way to make this car go fast?

If it was a manual I'd be downshifting and feeling out what RPMs are best for shifting. If it was an automatic I'd try letting off the gas pedal to encourage it to change to the next gear. With the CVT though I have no idea how to consistently get this thing to behave the way I want.

Sometimes when I floor it off the line it will be in "economy" mode or whatever and my car barely moves and RPM's barely jump. This is seriously annoying and I feel like the only way to get it to stop is to lift your foot and mash the pedal again.

Most of the time when I'm accelerating, I notice my car makes a HELL of a lot of noise (probably due to the Takeda intake) and the RPMs jump but I seriously don't feel like my car is going much faster than if I was accelerating normally.

So back to my question, how in the hell do I encourage this thing to go fast when I want to go fast? Should I be in DriveS mode? Should I be using the tap shifters to force myself into the next gear if the RPM's go high? Should I be more gentle with the pedal instead of mashing it? For example I burned rubber one time off a stop sign and haven't been able to do it again since then. Even my old Spec-V ripped tires whenever I wanted to, but this car I feel like I need to trick it or something...or maybe there is a sweet spot for RPM's that I'm overshooting.

It's a freaking gamble right now, 50/50 chance of me either going slow and making noise, or the car hauling a$$ and pushing me back into the seat. I know this question makes me sound stupid but I've never run into this issue with automatics or manual transmission cars. I don't have any roads to go try this on so was curious if anyone could weigh in with their experience so I didn't have to risk getting a ticket to figure it out on my own. People with experience at the track are welcome.

 

Ive noticed my car has never pulled off the line fast due to weight im sure. This car is really nice once its rolling

 

You actually asked this same question a few months ago

http://forums.maxima.org/7th-generat...vs-drives.html

The fastest times out of any car magazine that tested the 7th Gen Max were when the trans was left in regular ole "D" mode. This lets the CVT pick the optimum powerband and keeps the revs at max capacity.

My trip to MIR last October proved the same. Tried "D", "Ds" and manual shifting when doing the 1/4 mile. Anything other than "D" mode proved to be .2-.4 seconds slower.

Now if you're on some twisty backroads, Ds or manual mode is better as the revs stay up so when you hit an apex, you aren't bogged down at all. Your corner exit speeds will definitely be higher with either of these modes.

So, in short... leave it in Drive and let the trans figure everything out for you if you wanna go fast in a straight line

 

I do realize it is a similar question, but I'm still curious as to how people are pushing/mashing the gas pedal. Sometimes when I'm cruising I can hit the gas and man this thing takes off. Most of the time though it just revs up RPM's and doesn't go much faster. I feel like I'm missing a sweet spot in the RPM's or something.

It's kinda weak when a V6 Accord is keeping next to me because my car wants to make noise instead of speed. Is this where I should ease off the gas and pump it a little more or something? So far yelling hasn't been able to get it to go any faster.

 

Gotta remember that from a standing start, there is torque management software built into the tranny to keep it safe. Also, peak hp isn't until 6,400 RPM's and peak torque isn't until 4,400 revs. I experience this "boggyness" off the line as well. At cruising speeds, it definitely rips to redline in "D" mode for me.

This car definitely isn't a stoplight to stoplight sleeper. Doesn't sound like there's anything wrong with your CVT programming, but might not hurt to have the dealer verify that everything is OK.

 

The Maxima is not a track car. It is heavier than the Accord, and is in the near-luxury category. But the real problem is twofold:

1 - Nissan has this CVT set up for very good MPG, which, for its weight (3600 lbs), is good. I have gotten over 30 MPG (as measured by fuel consumption) several times on freeway trips.

2 - Nissan has some kind of limiter on their CVT vehicles that limits the power until around 40 MPH. One of the Maxima CVT TSBs reduces that limitation, giving brisker off-the-line times, but they have restricted that TSB to a small range of VINs.

I personally feel Nissan should have made that TSB available to all Maxima owners who choose to have it done. Probably 90% of Maxima owners are not only unaware of any such TSB, but could care less. Why not let those who want it have it?

 

This information is helpful, thank you. I wasn't expecting the Maxima to be a track car, but I was curious why it seemed so inconsistent with how it responded when I pushed the pedal down. I wasn't sure if I just "hadn't learned how to drive the CVT yet" or if these were limitations of the vehicle itself. It's definitely weird because sometimes I hit the gas and man this thing TAKES OFF. Others, usually when I'm trying to get ahead of someone, it just revs up high. If it were an automatic I'd say it wasn't shifting to the next gear, but it's a CVT so that makes no sense.

 

 

I burn rubber all the time when I mash it sometimes a little too much, and even from a small roll. I think the pull is better though from a roll then a stand still. 60 to 100 in this car is insane, and I never ever need to push it past the clicking point in the pedal.

 

Exactly.

And the place I usually need power (for passing on two-lane roads), from 40 to 80, takes my breath away, and blows any lurking Hondas aside.

I never have been interested in elapsed time from standstill.

 

From standstill, yes, our Max is a bum. But for instant power while on the move already, the cars we leave behind are left wondering. I especially love how other cars think they'll be pulling ahead of me when slowing down at the tolls...only to find out that once they hit 40mph, we're already doing 60mpg and have overtaken them without passing going over 2K rpms.

Sure we use premium gas, but it makes the car a hell whole lot more fun to drive

 

Plus, that's usable, "real-world" power you can use every day. I've got plenty of friends with 370Z's and they all say "how the hell do you get up to speed so fast from an off-ramp?".

w00t!

 

To me, all that power isn't needed from a standstill on a FWD anyway

 

The ad copy for the 2009 Maxima claims that the CVT has over 700 shift profiles. In most cars, the accelerator position alone dictates the transmission profile. This is less true with the Max; it also accounts for, at minimum, the speed at which you press the pedal and the last few seconds of driving.

In practice, the car doesn't like to change profiles once it's picked one, so if you're gradually feeding in the throttle from a slow roll, you can have the pedal nearly to the mats before the engine breaks 4000 RPM. The solution is to press the pedal slightly quicker from whatever speed. Your take-offs won't be quite as smooth, but the transmission will hold the revs higher as you accelerate, even at the same pedal position.

If you're already moving and the acceleration at full stroke is inadequate, push past the stop near the end of the pedal travel. The result may not be the most linear speed increase, but you'll definitely get the transmission's attention.

 

Thanks for this explanation, this actually helps a lot. Definitely feels like it has different driving profiles as you mentioned and when it gets into one it's hard to move it into another. The less I try the faster this car goes, feels like the sweet spot for the pedal is 1/3 of the way pushed down and you just kind of "pump it" around there. Driving this car feels like a video game, especially with the tap shifters.

 

Compusmurf is around the corner guys! SHHHHH!

 

Definitely not disagreeing with you there. From 40-100 this thing surprises the heck out of me.

Through experimenting I think the most dependable way to accelerate quickly off the line (at least for me?) is putting it into "manual" in 1st gear and flooring it off the line while in "1st". At least in my tests it really seems to get up to 50-60 much faster than the mushy acceleration under "D" mode. From there it's hard to tell if shifting to "2nd" and gunning it more works best, or switching it back into "Ds" mode, but at least I found a reliable way to get consistent results off the line. Now what this is doing to my mileage? That's another question...

 

Hmmm interesting. Might have to give that a try at the track this year.

As far as your fuel mileage is concerned... its gonna go here:

 

wel i personally don't think that fuel mileage will get that messed..