okay I think I got you...to call it a 6 speed, or a 7, or a 7 +OD, would all be misnomers anyway...it's really just the computer making 7 hard shifts out of a CVT anyway?....theoretically a program could run and make it a 12 speed auto if you really wanted to?

 

yea you got the right idea now. the name explains it all. continuously variable transmission. there are a couple different designs but basically they dont have actual gears that have to be engaged or disengaged. when you switch into S or tip mode, the car uses a driving program to imitate the feel and function of actual gears. audi makes a program that tells the transmission to stay in a certain range, like a traditional gear. so theoretically, you could design a program and create any number of 'gears'

 

p.s. iv driven a nissan maxima with cvt and it was pretty cool. it had a v6 and plenty of pull and felt good gettin on the highway and what not. takes a little getting used but i would recommend if quattro is not necessary for you. up here in ny i like my quattro

 

thanks!

 

forgot to tell everyone that i had installed a K&N filter...not seen a large jump in mpg with it...but then again i was using the half phone book size stp manufacatured filters.

 

Do any of you that have CVT's get a little shudder from the drive line at about 10MPH when coming to a stop? The loaner I had did that. It was almost like the CVT wasn't adjusting gear ratio's fast enough, causing the engine to lugg for a second or two. I was curious, so I did some investigating, and found that there is a TSB about this very thing. Apparently there is a software tweak that gets rid of the shudder/lugging sensation.

 

i havent seen it...must of got the software upgrade in a campaign???