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has anyone else seen the CVT (continuously variable transmission) in the newer nissans??
it seems someone finally got the brilliant thought to take technology we have had in snowmobiles for decades and put it into a car... and who woulda guessed they haul ass and get awesome mileage. i just drove a rental versa around, you can hold it to the floor and it never feels like it is going to slip and you dont feel te change in ratio just the speed going up. you can stay at a constant rpm pretty much all day going 20-60 if you want to set it up that way.

i was looking on ebay and the cvt from a wrecked nissan is under $500! if i could adapt one to my spare g180 block and make it work i think it would be about the most epic drivetrain swap for a g series engine so far.

any ideas, opinions?

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

A version of your newly discovered "technology" was available in a 1958 Chevy Impala, so it's hardly a new concept in an automobile.
As far as adapting it to your LUV engine it would have to be a one-time fully customized affair that would cost a fortune and I doubt you would be pleased with the results. The tranny works by constantly slipping, which means the engine must produce more power than can be transferred to the ground- the Chevy version meant lost power & lower fuel economy and made lots of heat compared to a conventional tranny. I suspect some of those problems are still in the Nissan version. With the available power of high-tech engine coupled with the control of a sophisticated EFI in a lightweight vehicle it can be made driveable, but this does not describe a LUV.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

hasnt been "new" technology for a long time but it hasnt been used in a car as a standard option that i knew of recently. i have heard they do have issues with getting pretty hot but the nissans seem like pretty solid units.
i know they make snowmobiles FLY and they run great in the new nissans which also run a 1.8L. i do not expect to bolt one up to the luv and go i am just curious about what info anyone may have about them or how well they function on a day to day.
they seem like they would be great once installed and operating properly its been over 50 years since 58 so they have had plenty of time to get them figured out.

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

The idea is from the 14xx... Leonardo da Vinci conceptualized more than 500 years ago. Sort of weird when driving one. You keep waiting for it shift. My 03 Saturn Vue has one but it is a bad design. They finely have aftermarket parts for it. Mine was replaced at almost 75K which was the new cutoff. They were going to replace it again but Saturn close down.. The Factory rebuilt was the only way to get one, which is what mine is. Used is also a option. I like my Saturn, and most people are upside down on them. 165k so far now.

They are not all bad. Just ask around, almost all new ones have a case that you can get into.

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75 Luv, 350 V8, TH350, Camaro rearend. New 1975 Luv Step side. Stock for now.
Grandmaster of the "Shade Tree" way.. I can't see the yard for all the cars. Come on down and we will sit on the porch and watch the grass grow.

The CVT was an option on my 2005 Ford Five Hundred. (They call it the Taurus again now days) It was going to get less MPG than the 6 speed automatic. So I got the the 6 speed.
Also, I rode a quad a few years ago, Kawasaki I think. It had the CVT and hauled ass. It was comforting to not have to let off, or let go to pull in a clutch. I just kept a grip and layed into it and it went. Pretty neat.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

my older brother drives a saturn. its a nineties model. not sure which since he lives in arizona. but he swapped a newer saturn motor in it and he smashes o nthe rice burner civics with it. saturns have th eadvantage of being light as a flipping feather so and kind of real power to the wheels will make them launch like bottlerockets!! and my dads ex had a nineties saturn also... that thing handled like a go-kart and had enough power to accelerate like a monster!
honestly i am a fan of saturns...

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride