Was this car ever produced in Japan? If so, we need those trannies for our G's.

 

Yes it was/is and you can't buy it in North America because the extroid CVT can not operate at the low temperature extremes experienced in some parts of the country.

 

Very interesting.

 

bottom of the attached page...

http://www.jatco.co.jp/ENGLISH/PRODUCTS/cvt.html#fr

 

so make it regional... doesn't japan get on some islands of the country too?

they did something similar with the 6spd twin turbo supras cause cali people couldn't get them except the tt autotrannies....

 

CVTs suck anyway. If you like the sound of your engine running throught the RPMs, DO NOT BUY a CVT!!!

I hate them. It's like driving a boat. 1 rpm!!!

 

That doesn't make any sense. A lot of Japan is cold and snow covered in the winter (like the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano). I've heard the reason the CVT wasn't offered here was because it would have exceeded NNA target price for the G35.

 

Apparently the low temperature extreme in North America is lower than Japan, something like -40 degrees if I recall correctly. Try searching with google. A quick search didn't turn up the 3-4 year old article I am remembering, but I did find 1 reference to it, although the site requires a subscription. Google gives you enough of a glimpse to confirm what I've stated.

 

If you want to out accelerate a manual or automatic any day of the week, buy a CVT. They feel terrible - call it a rubber-band effect that the vehicle lags behind the engine speed. However, the simple numbers don't lie - CVTs are faster.

 

You are correct, North American design extremes are -40C to+150C. This IVT design has had trouble with its tractive fluid. The transmission design is very effective but it had a tendency to destroy the lubricant. Eventually somebody found a fluid modification that worked but I guess not across all temp ranges.

You can also research Torotrac (sp) for a more open discription of the developmental history.

 

there is no rubber-band effect on the Extriod CVT, it actually have a torque converter and drive no different then a 5AT, but alot smoother.

and the 350GT-8 have 8 preset gear ratios, and shifts as quick and smooth as the DSG, not to mention they have F1 pedal shift behind the steering wheel

 

The rubber band effect is a result of the stable engine RPM for changing speed. If you use the 8 preset gear ratios, you loose the benefit of having a CVT.

CVTs (or IVTs) work better because there is no gear change. The DSG is as good as a stepped transmission can get - but it still deals with a set number of non-optimal ratios.