https://maxima.org/forums/1-4-1-8-mi...i-a7-3-0t.html

Confirms my suspicion, car is a bit sluggish off the line, then comes on pretty strong, then fades at 80+.

I'm a bit bummed and feel slightly ripped-off.

I get the thought, take it easy on the CVT at launch and save me from myself at +80mph. Honestly tho, I don't need Nissan to be my big brother.

I had performance mods planned, but what's the point? tune for a sweet spot of 30-80mph?

I'm not a street racer, and don't drive much above 80+, but occasionally, very occasionally like to nail it at speed.

Looks like the UpRev Tune solution will not resolve the issue either.

I don't see why I would performance mod at this point, Y-pipes, better exhaust, intake manifold spacers....just all different paths AROUND the wall.

/rant
/whining

I'll get over it...maybe in time someone will find a workaround.

sigh.

 

So the dealer won't turn etc up full if asked? What about the timing advance? Does this help if turned up +2? Just wondering why make a car and then instead of detune it they actually build in a governor for the accelerator. This is really crazy and has anyone pursued Nissan or a dealer about this? What was the result?

 

U gotta talk to ghozt, he knows all about the throttle and uprev tune. As far as I know the electronic throttle is limited to certain points for the cvt and gas mileage, I think the uprev can turn off the electronic throttle which would make this car go with wot all the time, and you'd lose the cruise control...like I said talk to ghozt, he knows all about this throttle issue

 

Front Office: Looks like we are ready to finalize plans to go to production. Are you sure everything is reliable?

Engineering Dept: Everything looks good.

Front Office: Are you absolutely sure?

Engineering Dept: :group huddle: Very slight possibility that repeated hard launches could heat the CVT a bit.

Front Office: Just make it go a bit slower from 0-30.

Engineering Dept: Wait, what?

Front Office: Detune it off the line.

Engineering Dept: Ahhhhhh. Okay I guess.

Front Office: How fast will it go?

Engineering Dept: Smiles all around, It'll go really fast and get there pretty quickly.

Front Office: The lawyers say slow it down a bit after 80.

Engineering Dept: Ahhhhh, Okay I guess.

Engineering Dept: :group huddle: Hey, why don't we just put a four cylinder in it?

 

Thanks, I have seen some of his threads, unreal car.

 

Uprev tune will take care of it. But make sure you take it to a shop that knows how to tune CVT cars

 

https://maxima.org/forums/7th-genera...other-mod.html

How did you get around this? did the UpRev tune fix this?

Originally Posted by Racerbox77 View Post
This is 100% accurate and basically says what I said initially.
Not knocking anyone but some just are not going to believe.

I did get an answer about the throttle cut from Omar @ Uprev. He said in my Rom and I'm assuming all 7th gens there is a setting to turn off "electronic throttle" . But that will make the car extremely touchy. So the tuner has to alter the throttle settings after disabling the electronic throttle.
He also said since he's been there (4 yrs) he's only delt with 1 other 7th gen Maxima personally. He's in tech as well. So he basically said they're not going to do anymore to the software for our cars because of the lack of interest. He also didn't know that the throttle cuts after 80 mph until I told him that it's been proven by me and the tuner. He only knew about the no WOT until 30mph.
Hopefully Cinmotorsports will have time to do this soon for me. I'll keep this updated.

 

These sort of posts confuse me more than anything else.
Why did you buy this car? Was it because you thought it would beat a $70,000 supercharged Audi? It won't.
I guess I just don't get it. Unless you plan on racing your car, which again makes no sense to me, why do you need WOT past 80?
This car isn't quick enough for you? 0-60 in 5.7 with a 1/4 mile in 14.3 isn't quick enough?
Think about what directly competes with the Maxima: Taurus SEL, Avalon, Impala.
Taurus SEL: 0-60 in 6.6. 1/4 in 14.9.
Avalon: 0-60 in 6.0. 1/4 in 14.2.
Impala: 0-60 in 6.1. 1/4 in 14.6
This car is not in the same class as an Audi A7, BMW 5 series, etc.
If you want to compete with these cars, get one.
If you want a great looking, comfortable, sporty sedan that can be used to haul people around in style, the Max is a great value.
Aftermarket exhaust with a CVT will probably disappoint you anyway.
Granted, I totally support YOU doing whatever YOU want to YOUR car, but maybe I'm just having a hard time understanding why someone would buy a $35-38k car and pour another $10k into it to make it almost as quick as a $42k BMW 335. Just get the 335, no mods necessary.
Or, you could always do what I did: find yourself a low mileage, never abused C5 Corvette or Mustang GT even. That way, if you want to blow the doors off of an Audi, you have a car that can do it (and sound great along the way)....
Maybe I'm just not hip to the culture, but in my opinion, mods should be done because you like them for some reason or another, not so you can do impossible stuff to make the car competitive with cars that cost double...
But what do I know? Good luck!
I remember when I had a 4 cylinder Accord, some guys on that forum spent what the car was worth to turbo charge it so it would beat Mustangs. They blew up some motors, constantly needed fixing, and weren't reliable, but they got their Mustang beater...

 

Ayyyeeee I'd like to dream my car looks like your average family sedan and then it BLOWS your eardrums out and snot out your nose and other stuff outta other areas when the Maxima jets right by you.


EVERYBODY has a mustang. Everybody has a BMW. To me, it's something different. And it'd make it that much better if it could even just keep up with said cars. Just my 2 cents.

I just like to have fun.

 

The A7 post was simply used to illustrate the fact that the superb 3.5L engine is governed to use 50% throttle below 30mph. I'm not a street racer, and as stated in the OP I rarely drive over 80, usual max. is 70-75mph. This is my 4th Maxima, had 3rd 4th and 5th generations. I simply find it abhorrent that due to the CVT transmission the car is restricted below 30. Why engineer that wonderful 3.5L engine to restrict it? It's not a race car, however it would be nice (and expected) to allow the engineering to perform as it was designed.

 

Uh, actually 40%, if you have an OBDII reader you'll see the throttle drop to 40% and stay there once you reach past 85mph or so. It's a gut wrenching feeling seeing that drop, all that potential... gone.

 

So far Cinmotorsports hasn't called me back. I've pretty much given up on that shop. Need to find a qualified tuner near Charlotte.

 

Yep, the 7th gen Maxima is truly an affordable 4door family sedan with a sporty touch, dressed in Italian styling with a 'fast' appearance.

For the money, it is exactly what I wanted. There is nowhere to do time splits or over 80 in the county in which I live. In fact, it is difficult to go three miles without encountering a Deputy Sheriff on patrol. So the known performance questions do not apply to my situation.

Nissan did indeed slow down off-the-line starts, as well as over 80 performance. There are other cars on the market that are intended to fill that niche. Nisan felt it was essential to protect the new CVT to prevent major failures that would destroy the already questioned reliability of CVTs.

Nissan developed a new CVT a few years ago that was intended to address the slower off-the-line starts, as well as the 'over-80' slowdown, but it has had problems in the new Altima and the new Pathfinder. And that is why we are still waiting for the 8th gen Maxima.

 

you can turn off electronic throttle control with Uprev if you really want to, but its there to protect you from destroying the transmission. i think people tend to forget, the CVT isnt made of gears that can be pushed against each other, its 2 cones held together with belts and your gear is controlled by pressure solenoids and all kinds of electrical calculations based on your throttle, speed, etc. the throttle control is most likely in place to protect you from destroying this (i say this because a few who have turned it off and gone around racing have needed trans servicing shortly after).

speaking from someone who is running into lots of fun issues with the CVT tuning a boosted build, this trans is definitely odd. its surprising how electronic it is, and how it is always trying to determine what to do on its own. i never ran into an issue over 85 mph, my datalogging shows the drop off in throttle above 110 with ETC on.

 

Yeah, I get it. Just having an issue with the reality of it.
I'm moving past anger to acceptance.

Probably will not go thru the time and expense of the UpRev tune to turn off the ECT.

Good luck with the boost project, I've been watching. Some of us will have
to live vicariously thru you!

 

Uprev told me the throttle is too unstable when the ETC is turned off. So the result is poor drivability and no cruise control.

The only mods I plan on doing to my Maxima is springs, RSB, wheels/tires and driving lights.

A7s turn into 12 seconds cars with very little money, careful .

I have owned a few Maximas and this last version to me feels the most like a transportation appliance.

The CVT has a rubber band effect and wants to get to 1,500 rpm as quickly as possible making the VQ lug and frankly have no more smoothness than the '13 2.5 Altima I had. The newer CVT is actually better, I liked the CVT better in the '13 Altima but it is nothing like a conventional box.

I b!+ched and complained on this board my dissatisfaction with the CVT in the past. I eventually had enough complaining, gave my Maxima to my wife and bought something with a conventional tranny.

I feel the best Maxima built to date was the 5-5.5 Gen. The quality of my '01 and '03 was miles better than my 6th gen or my 7th gen. Having said that I hold out hope Nissan produces an impressive 8th gen but with the dreaded CVT it will too be a transportation appliance.

 

Honestly the CVT is great you just have to come to terms with you can't STOMP on it and have it respond. If I'm gentle with the pedal I get way more response out of it, and around 40-100 as we all know the Max is a demon. Once you learn to drive it effectively you won't want an automatic ever again. I drive autos for work and they're clunky feeling.

 

except a GTR automatic. id take that.

 

Yes the new cvt in the Altima is a beast! The 2.5 honestly feels as fast as the max from 55-80+. I'm driving it as a rental and the transmission is so much more responsive. As soon as you shift into gear or step on it the thing is ready to go!

I love my max but I know it's short comings and quiet frankly the cvt in it has a long of delay/lag.

I look forward to the new cvt in the 8th gen max

 

as far as turning ETC off and killing the trans..im no expert but heres my thoughts on this. From what I understand and correct me if im wrong...this same trans is used is a heavy SUV and turning ETC off is prolly less stressful on this trans then being in a heavy SUV and it seems to hold up fine in a SUV. Plus off the line when theres more power coming out of the motor at lower speeds due to ETC being turned off the power will just fade off into more wheel spin. Not like its holding it in like on a AWD car, the power is just going through the drivetrain and bleeding off. Now I think the real issue is with heat with ETC being turned off. On a Altima 3.5 CVT with a tune and ETC turned off I seen these cars go up to almost 170mph. With ETC off and the car going full throttle past 80mph and hitting those higher speeds the CVT is getting very hot. I think people who turn off ETC and just go racing around like idiots im sure never thought to install a Huge trans cooler for the CVT to keep it from cooking itself. I talked to a couple of people that have turned ETC off and they said over and over again...install a big trans cooler to keep temps down and you should be fine. Its like with anything you do to your car, you upgrade or tune something for more power...something else will need attention. I mean you cant turbo your car for example and not upgrade the clutch and motor mounts and what not. You get the idea. But also just like with any transmission..geared auto..cvt..or manual it can only hold so much power until it slips and dies(clutch in a manual as well). CVT's don't have rebuild kits out there like they do for geared autos or clutch upgrades for manuals for when you want to make real power (turbo/supercharger/spray) so your kinda stuck with staying NA with this trans. Ghozt I think will be the guy to tell us what its real limits are with all the testing he is doing which I think is pretty awesome. I do believe with ETC off and good cooling you should be fine. Again..these are just my thoughts.

 

this is why the pathfinders and stuff have big *** OEM trans coolers, and trans cooler fans. heat may be the issue, nobody who turned it off has installed any temp gauges to do any monitoring to figure it out. off the line it wouldnt be a heat problem, i believe it is throttled back to prevent hard off-the-line launches that may snap the belt or stress it too much. above 90, it could be heat possibly but again nobody has tested.

 

Well based on the info out there..its clear the CVT gets hot..just under normal load. Long drives and hill climbs causing whines and protection mode. Plus the factory cooler is alittle under sized I think lol. A lot of peoples problems have been solved with big coolers installed based on what I read. Ya I mean no one has hooked up a temp cauge to see the temps but considering the info out there..kinda speaks for itself. So far under hard launches my CVT has been holding up good..at the strip I would powerbrake off 1800rpm and cutting 2.1 60's with 14.1@99mph. CVT is quiet and runs strong off the line and all the way down. I did 14.2@99 stock and 14.1@99 with intake/ypipe/exhaust/trans cooler. No tune(yet) plus the throttle cut at 80mph I gained pretty much nothing from the mods lol. My rsx-s back then showed big gains just from intake/rh/e but I heard with nissans..you might lose power alittle from mods unless you tune. Hondas on the other hand lean out like crazy with bolt ons and my Altima didn't seem to do the same but its a totally different car so. To take it a step further a read on here a guy with a 7th gen maxima was running sticky tires and cutting 1.9 60's. That's pretty strong for a FWD car and his CVT held up pretty good. Also..he even had ETC off. If the CVT was going to break..I think cutting 1.9 60's would of done it..trans I think it pretty strong. I heard (correct me if im wrong) but the pressures in the CVT to hold everything together was like 4 tons of pressure..could be true but who knows since I heard it once from one source.

 

Have you been drinking?

Two thing blow me away. One, saying the Maxima is a demon from 40-100; maybe when compared to a Honda Fit.

Two, you say you won't want an automatic. Have you driven a modern auto lately?

 

Yup. Not a fan bro.

 

i have running the sprint booster for a few months now. takes off the throttle delay so as soon as i hit the accelerator, there is no lag and you get wot. i have it on the red color which is the most sensitive and takes away the most delay. its a bit touchy in rainy weather with the crappy rsa tires though so i switch it to green in rainy weather.

all of my past cars, i have done this mod, as i hate the lag and love the wot even though i do not race. a few members on here warned me about the sprint booster and the cvt transmission but i am the guinea pig here i guess...

 

Well by all means Mr. Test Subject 1, keep us updated as the time drives by lol. I myself keep telling... myself, that I should wait for Ghozt to find more information within his build and share it with us. So we can learn from mistakes made and so on. Ultimately sounds like turning off the ETC and getting a trans cooler would be the way to go without breaking the bank on a build. Buuuut I'd rather somebody else make the move first.

So I sit here patiently, waiting...

 

^^^^^^^^ What He said ^^^^^^^^

I support all trailblazers!

 

See here:

https://maxima.org/forums/7th-genera...cvt-temps.html

The CVT doesn't run hot. And opinions are opinions - mine is that this is the best transmission ever put in a vehicle. I have no lag issues off-the-line and have no problem with it responding slowly. If it's that slow to respond, put it in Ds mode. It is temperamental - some days it is a little slower to respond and some days, it pegs the rev limiter when I go WOT. Just depends...it's one of the things I like about it.

I don't know about you guys, but off-the-line, mine goes to 90% at WOT immediately and stays there. Until 85mph, then it drops to 44% throttle. Mine is a 2010 3.5SV. 114Kmi and going wicked strong.

 

Was your 40-100 or 0-100 runs with ETC off? if not then that's why your trans isn't getting hot..thats why Nissan put it there =P Turn it off and watch your temps again. Plus those few seconds of doing 40-100 isn't really a test. Do some real testing like going around a road racing course with up and down hills with constant high rpms for a bunch of laps which can be for over 10 minutes long. Or do some highway driving up hilly terrain for awhile. If your seeing 190-230F with just alittle 40-100 runs and highway driving on a flat surface(im assuming you were on flat ground) then id say that's pretty warm considering its not really going under any real stress like said above. I watched a video of a maxima (7th gen) racing around a road course with small hills and after a few minutes of racing the trans started to whine really loud and the car was slowing down like it was about to go into limp mode. Then watched another video of a g37 7at racing around a road course as well for a long period of time..no issues. If you could do some of these tests id really like to see what temps are produced. Talked to another guy with a Altima 3.5 CVT that turned ETC off and ran from crusing speed (don't remember start speed) to 163mph. He had a big cooler installed but if he didn't im sure the CVT would of been real hot lol. Not trying to argue but I would like to see some testing done that's in this post =)

 

Agree 100%. I've had my car for 4 years and have no issues with CVT overheat. Many of the trips I've made are all day at interstate speeds and some of them through mountain passes where the car is going up 3-6 percent grades uphill for an hour at 60 MPH. I never turn off ETC or any other safety feature on this car just to get a perceived performance. Not one time did the car ever go into any limp mode. If your car goes into limp mode you are over extending the designed performance of the car, by doing a lot of bad driving. Just my opinion but this car is not a track car and will never be regardless of what is added on. Just wasn't designed for it. Appreciate the car for what it is.

 

Agreed. Around 200 degrees is a good healthy temp for a transmission to run. The only time I had issues with heat creeping up was at low speeds. The transmission cooler on this car is fine. It's not perfect, though. It's like anything other kind of cooler, it has to have air moving over it to do its job. This car isn't really built to run on the track. The G37 is a different bird. You're comparing apples to oranges. If you're looking for a car you can beat the snot out of and not have heat problems, then probably ought not get a Maxima. It has nothing to do with CVT. It runs exactly how it was designed.

Ask the dude in the G37 what the engine oil Temps were. I am guessin 250ish. The 3.7L power plant has lots of issues with going into limp mode because of this. I had a 370Z so I know.

Late,
Trav

 

I'm actually content with the car's performance. I knew going in what the car was, & what it was not. It fit exactly what I wanted, a nice looking sporty sedan. Once I made some changes to the suspension, I was good to go.

 

Anyone know of a shop that has successfully tuned our cars? I'm gonna see if maybe I can ship them my ECU.
I can't locate a good tuner near Charlotte, NC.

 

You might be overstating your opinion a bit. This is not the best transmission ever put in a vehicle.
However, this combination of a powerful V6 with a CVT is quite excellent.
The CVT in the Sentra/Versa is pretty awful. The engine goes right to the nasty NVH zone and stays there, screaming at you. It makes lots of noise and that noise doesn't correspond with appropriate amounts of acceleration.
Having driven a Ferrari 458 with a dual clutch (granted it was only for three short laps of a very short course), I'd wager that's a bit better....
:-)

Ds doesn't do it for me either (with or without paddles). It goes through those fake gears and seems slower.

 

Was that out in Vegas by chance?

 

It was not. I believe that company is the same one, though. They did it locally (the Chicago area).
It was really cool to do, but it was like riding a roller coaster - lots of build up for what feels like a few seconds of fun.

 

Gotcha.
All I can think of is that Nissan wanted to ensure longevity and cut down on the chance of CVT failure/damage.
I remember when they first started pushing CVT's and they were less than reliable. Nissan doubled down and extended the warranty to try and calm consumer fears.
Back on the Honda forums, people would argue that the only reason CVT's aren't allowed in F1 racing is because they would give an unfair advantage. I think it has more to do with complexity and robust-ness of the parts.
Have you ever seen how tiny the CVT is? Crazy!

 

Jeffislouie nailed it. This Maxima CVT setup is not conducive to off-the-line acceleration, but, in my driving, I want my acceleration between 30 MPH and 75 MPH for passing on two lane highways, and I get superb acceleration from this CVT in exactly that range. So I am very happy.

Having a 2009 Maxima built in September 2008 (SIX years ago) that has had no problems, and is still on the OEM tires, brake pads and rotors is also a big plus. I have been driving since the late 1940s, and NEVER came close to this reliability in any American make vehicle.

 

My original Goodyears only lasted 38,000 miles (one year of highway miles). I am replacing them with Michelin Pilot® Sport A/S 3, Goodyears are horrible tires. They stay in business by attaching themselves to OEMs.

I agree the 40-70 passing is decent in the Maxima but if trying to get in front of anyone from a stop it's embarrassingly slow.

 

That's because 30-80mph is the only time you actually have full throttle. Damn Nissan tune