the cvt is designed to keep the car in lower rpms by changing the ratio's often. this is obviously designed with gas mileage in mind. sport mode keeps the rpms higher as well or once you get used to it you can learn where to apply the gas in the rpm range.

 

Well... i guess it is normal for the rpm to stop going up for 1 second at 3k on first gear then.... weird because on second 2nd and 3rd, it goes up consistently fast from 2k to 6k

 

Well the CVT doesn't really have gears... it has artificial speeds programmed into the "gearbox". The reason it is slow to start is so you don't lunch the CVT with a hard launch. Basically Toyota's engineers covered their ass on this so teenagers and reckless hooligans like myself don't trash the CVT in a week of ownership.

In other words, it is normal for their to be a "shift" of sorts even in the manual mode on the CVT. And it's normal for their to be a considerable amount of lag right off the line. I find almost any car with a traditional gearbox will overtake my car right off the line, but once my corolla gets into the power band, it takes off without any issue.

Also, the car has traction control, yes, but it's not going to do anything unless slip is applied, and even in that case, the corolla uses a brake type traction control vs. a differential controlled setup. So the lag or shift you are describing is not really caused at all by the traction control system. In my experience with snow, the RPMs don't really drop when the system is active because it isn't cutting power to the engine, it's just applying brakes to the wheel with less traction.

If it doesn't appear to be behaving in a normal manner though, take a video and share it with us so we can get a better idea of what you are describing.

 

I just looked at the diagram for the primary pully speed vs. vehicle speed and this is normal for all CVT's in the Corolla to have this characteristic in manual mode.

HERE IS THE DIAGRAM FROM TOYOTA

 

The car is dreadfully slow off the line, yes.

 

It doesn't feel any faster. Seems like it's making lots of some kinda noise. Either engine or exhaust.

 

This was linked in another thread but it discusses the cvt a bit in the article that may give some more solid reasons you are after

http://toyotanews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+2014+corolla+efficiency+driving+dynamics.htm

 

I've gotten rowdy with a few CVT Corollas and grease them every time. I know in automatics (and it should be the same with a CVT), one thing you can do to help the launch is hold the brake with your left foot, add throttle and release the brake just before the torque converter hits the lock RPM (usually around 2500-ish on a stock car). You DO NOT want to hold it at that RPM as it'll heat up the transmission fluid, you want brake, rev, and no brake the second you hit that RPM (and this will wear on the car like a 4000 RPM launch will wear a clutch).

Christopher, TCS typically doesn't activate the brakes. VSC activates the brakes. TCS reduces the engine power (since using the brakes whilst in full throttle would wear out the pads for no reason). Since I don't hear the engine missing, it most likely throttles back on the drive-by-wire system versus killing the fuel injectors.

I've done hard launches and had the TCS nanny kick in and it definitely reduces power until the car stops slipping. If it was using the brakes I'd feel the front end of the car dipping when spinning out and that doesn't happen (and you feel the lack of power for a half second after the tires stop slipping). The reason you don't see the rpms drops is because the transmission is coupled to the engine and you still accelerate, just not as rapidly. When taking a hard corner and the VSC nanny kicks in, I can hear the brakes pulsate.

 

Christopher, TCS typically doesn't activate the brakes. VSC activates the brakes. TCS reduces the engine power (since using the brakes whilst in full throttle would wear out the pads for no reason). Since I don't hear the engine missing, it most likely throttles back on the drive-by-wire system versus killing the fuel injectors.

TCS does pull engine power, but it also most definitely uses the brakes. It pumps them as it would during a full ABS stop. It works the same in the Corolla as it has in all of my other vehicles. I became well acquainted with the TCS in the Corolla back in January during a freak GA snow storm. The ABS pump can be heard and felt in my car with TCS active. And you are correct it brakes individual wheels when VSC is active.

 

This transmission is absolutely terrible. There's no joy to driving this car because of it and my fuel economy isnt even that much better than the 10th gen auto we have in the family to warrant this change. Honestly atleast 2x a week I dread having bought a 2nd 2014 when my first one was totalled because of this trans and sadly depreciation has hit this car hard after just one year of ownership. Given all that, as hard as I have to be on this car to drive it given traffic conditions here I really question how long this trans will actually last.

 

Toyota uses the Asian car market as a test bed, before putting any equipment into cars bound for the U.S. market. It's best to view customer complaints in Asian forums and learn what to expect. Toyota and Honda don't carry a reputation dependability all over the world.

 

If the TCS is using the brakes, I've never noticed it. I have noticed it when VSC kicks in though.

 

I just looked at the diagram for the primary pully speed vs. vehicle speed and this is normal for all CVT's in the Corolla to have this characteristic in manual mode.

HERE IS THE DIAGRAM FROM TOYOTA

This pause does not happen in automatic mode. Does that mean automatic mode keeps a shorter pulley ratio (does not have the bend you see in the 1st pulley ratio in the diagram) and is faster for acceleration than manual mode?

 

Here are the other relevant diagrams regarding CVT ratios. Looks like automatic mode is faster off the line as it maintains a lower ratio longer than manual mode.

 

I have had my S-Plus CVT for 1-week+, and the shift paddles and revs are fine. I'm coming from a 6-speed stick (Audi) and would be persnickety if the Corolla shift action wasn't perfect. The mpg's are great.

 

There is a learning curve with the CVT coming from a 4 speed Toyota Automatic. I can tell you that. I normally give it enough pedal to reach about 4400 RPM (is peak torque being at 4400) and let it carry me to the speed I want. It's not like other transmissions but has good aspects. I like it.

In D mode I treat it like a 2 speed.
I'm still playing with S mode.

I had a guy in a Chrysler 200 look over at me at a spot light with open road ahead and a 60MPH speed limit. I thought.....okay I will show you what a 2015 Corolla can do....haha.....he blew my doors off. Left me in the dust. The Corolla isn't a race car.

 

Ran a bunch of real world tests. The CVT is fastest in D mode. A little slower in S mode. Slowest in M mode. The reason is D mode keeps the revs in the power peak longer. These gimmicks Toyota added to simulate gear changes, all they do is make the car slower. :thumbsdow

 

^^^^^Agreed with the statement above. Just tried out all modes this past week, and all I can say that Drive mode is the fastest out of all modes.


Sport mode is very useful when going uphill as you can increase the RPM range to zip through the hills.


Manual mode is just for fun. How I would use it is when I'm in the Drive mode from a complete stop, I slowly press the pedal, and after about a few seconds, I switch the shifter to M mode and you can make it feel "faster". Also a fun tool when going on the freeway since you can redline it all the way to speed limit.


Another tip: If your in drive mode, just press the left paddle shift (-) while driving and you can stimulate the same use of sport mode by throwing it to the highest gear possible. Basically, it your dash will show that your in D mode and in you press the left paddle shift, It will throw it to 3rd or 4th gear automatically so you can speed up.

 

I've noticed when I try to shift from 1st to 2nd, especially when the engine is cold, it won't shift at all, in terms of acting like a normal automatic or manual transmission. Once it warms up though, it's better.

I think that in the manual mode, the predefined ratios are just a suggestion, the computer can override if it's not safe to shift that way.

Occasionally it holds revs while accelerating, the CVT is probably changing ratios, but not holding them like you think they would in manual.

Also, if you're going for example 35mph in 3rd, and you switch to 4th but don't hit the gas the entire time, the CVT ratio won't change until you have your foot on the gas (cvt ratio doesn't change while engine braking)