Rover 100 cvt

Graham, I have had the 'normal' automatics in Montegos, Rover 416, and others. I have had a 1.8 Rover 45 with CVT for about 18 months now. I will not be returning to the 'old' style. The CVT is actually Licenced from a company called JATCO. This is the Japanese Automatic Transmission Company. A lot of different makes of automatic cars now use the CVT pattern. The 'baby Jag' is similar to the 45 in that it uses the EM6 (Electric Mechanical with 6 gears). You definitely have go get use to it sounding like the clutch is slipping every time you want to overtake!! I find it very smooth, and more economical than any of my older automatics. The only problem I experience, so far, is a slight whine at low speed, but this does disappears. The electronics have self correction, to compensate for ware. It is basically two steel belts, made of different diameter steels, sliding across two tapered shafts. (The original DAF system used rubber belts). That is the Mechanical side of it. It also has much electronics, giving it the Speed, and the 6 speed Preselectors. Phil

|| Graham, || I have had the 'normal' automatics in Montegos, Rover 416, and || others. I have had a 1.8 Rover 45 with CVT for about 18 months now. || I will not be returning to the 'old' style. || The CVT is actually Licenced from a company called JATCO. This is || the Japanese Automatic Transmission Company. || A lot of different makes of automatic cars now use the CVT pattern. || The 'baby Jag' is similar to the 45 in that it uses the EM6 || (Electric Mechanical with 6 gears). || You definitely have go get use to it sounding like the clutch is || slipping every time you want to overtake!! || I find it very smooth, and more economical than any of my older || automatics. The only problem I experience, so far, is a slight whine || at low speed, but this does disappears. The electronics have self || correction, to compensate for ware. || It is basically two steel belts, made of different diameter steels, || sliding across two tapered shafts. (The original DAF system used || rubber belts). That is the Mechanical side of it. It also has much || electronics, giving it the Speed, and the 6 speed Preselectors. || Phil

I remember driving a Daf (Dutch And F****ed) (gf fathers) maybe 20+ years ago ' forward to go forward, back to go back!' the one thing I really remember was as you accelerated the revs were actually dropping, sounds strange, felt stranger still, are the new CVT's the same?. I also remember helping him change the rubber bands er belts!...... I remember it felt quite nippy for the size of engine and it was economical and very reliable, for all it was serviced (or not) ah memories........

Des

automatics.

Thanks for that Phil. I feel confident enough to go automatic with the next Rover. Certainly it would seem that auto boxes have come a long way in the last decade or two. *crosses fingers and wanders off to the dealer*

Graham W

Hehehehe, I remember that system well, I had the DAF-derived system on a Volvo 340 some years ago. It was remarkably reliable too. I suppose the nature of CVT means you can run the engine at optimal fuel or power performance, so logically I suppose there is the opportunity, at least in theory, to get excellent performance from little engines. My Volvo had the Renault 5 1.4 engine, and I was amazed it could shift so many tons of Volvo with relative ease. Still never quite got used the the idea of using elastic bands to shift so much metal though!

Graham W

The CVT used on the Rover 216 (bubble) is a Ford CTX, not a JATCo transmission. I believe that the same transmission was used on the Metro/Rover 100.

I have one fitted to a 216Si, and it shifts, easily out accelerating many hot hatches in the process. The stated acceleration time (0-60mph) is 10.3 seconds, but since these acceleration tests are carried out in kick-down in drive (max revs does not equal max power), with careful manipulation of the throttle in (especially Low Ratio in which you can drive at 70mph, if you feel like using lots of petrol), you can easily exceed this. Acceleration in this car can feel a little odd, the engine is doing a constant 4000rpm, and the car is accelerating, but you don't feel a surge in power either.

The box can be a little fragile (main bearings can go, expect to pay around £450 for a specialist repair - its a bit like having a clutch changed on a manual), and some examples with a 1.6K engine can rattle like a Diesel in Park. But overall, for an auto transmission, you get no loss in performance and little loss in fuel consumption (espeacilly if you drive it smoothly).

Liam