Palut
Senior Member
- First Name
- Ben
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2022
- Threads
- 3
- Messages
- 65
- Reaction score
- 51
- Location
- Washington
- Car(s)
- 2023 Integra
- Thread starter
- #1
I've done some experimentation with CVT drive modes while cruising in top gear, and I want to share them. I hope you might find this beneficial.
For anyone who hasn't noticed, the CVT's D mode utilizes a significantly taller top gear ratio than S mode. As an example, on level ground at 68 mph in S mode I will see approximately 2,700-2,800 RPM. The gear ratio is identical in both automatic S mode, and in S mode with 7th gear selected. The same vehicle speed in D mode yields approximately 2,100 RPM. This results in a significant improvement in fuel economy.
I've tested this on a 120 mile round trip highway route I frequently travel, and I've driven this route a few dozen times since buying this car in July 2022. I frequently fill up right before the drive, resetting the trip meter, so by the end of the drive I will see the ECU reported mileage for just this section of highway. I generally set the non-adaptive cruise at 68 mph due to very heavy speed enforcement on this route. Up until January I would do this exclusively using S mode, gear 7. This fairly large sample size was usually in the 34-35 mpg range, with 36.7 mpg being the best ever recorded. That best ever trip was in approximately 70° weather with absolutely no traffic slowdowns and no unnecessary braking.
Since late January I've done that same drive a half dozen times in D mode. The weather is typically 35°-50° F, and I've had light to moderate traffic slowdowns on most of these drives. Despite these conditions being tougher for fuel economy, D mode has consistently yielded 38+ mpg as per the ECU. I've seen as high as 40.1 on a trip, and that drive included a 10 mile side trip of stop & go city driving.
For anyone who hasn't noticed, the CVT's D mode utilizes a significantly taller top gear ratio than S mode. As an example, on level ground at 68 mph in S mode I will see approximately 2,700-2,800 RPM. The gear ratio is identical in both automatic S mode, and in S mode with 7th gear selected. The same vehicle speed in D mode yields approximately 2,100 RPM. This results in a significant improvement in fuel economy.
I've tested this on a 120 mile round trip highway route I frequently travel, and I've driven this route a few dozen times since buying this car in July 2022. I frequently fill up right before the drive, resetting the trip meter, so by the end of the drive I will see the ECU reported mileage for just this section of highway. I generally set the non-adaptive cruise at 68 mph due to very heavy speed enforcement on this route. Up until January I would do this exclusively using S mode, gear 7. This fairly large sample size was usually in the 34-35 mpg range, with 36.7 mpg being the best ever recorded. That best ever trip was in approximately 70° weather with absolutely no traffic slowdowns and no unnecessary braking.
Since late January I've done that same drive a half dozen times in D mode. The weather is typically 35°-50° F, and I've had light to moderate traffic slowdowns on most of these drives. Despite these conditions being tougher for fuel economy, D mode has consistently yielded 38+ mpg as per the ECU. I've seen as high as 40.1 on a trip, and that drive included a 10 mile side trip of stop & go city driving.
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