On Friday, April 16, 2021 at 7:16:49 AM UTC-5, trader_4 wrote:

I had never heard of CVT transmissions until this thread. Seems they took
the slipping belt idea that self-propelled lawn mowers use and put it on cars.
Similar idea, but I guess the two pulleys change width so the belt doesn't
slip a lot. Seems they are more failure prone and more costly to replace or
fix. I wonder why they are more costly than a regular automatic? Seems
they would be less complex to me. Also I see a lot of people don't like them
because they don't behave like the automatics they are used to, with shift
points. Good to know when looking for the next car.

The variable speed pulley thing goes back to the 1940s. My dad had it on a
Minneapolis Moline set up as a combine. Those became the New Idea Uni System.
One could use those as a corn picker, combine, or hay chopper.
Dad's had a normal three? speed transmission plus the variable speed. A V belt connected
two pulleys that could expand or contract. I think there was an arm connecting them so
one expanded while the other contracted keeping the belt tight.