CVT and Off-road

I can’t think of any off road situation requiring full throttle, at least not in a turbo Subaru.
 
Well you have got me there, I have done almost no sand driving. I can’t help but think if I applied full throttle I’d just dig holes or go way too fast.
 
Some soft sand need a lot of power, even with deflated tyres. This type of sand is named "fech-fech" in the Sahara.
 
I have driven off road, and in deep water, with the NA engine when full throttle was required. But knowing what the turbo engine can do, I would not have needed full throttle with that engine. I’d be interested to hear from those with a turbo engine if they have and under what conditions. And I don’t mean “full throttle “situations as above when the ecu doesn’t allow full throttle even when the accelerator pedal is floored
 
I only used full throttle on the track with but those were with cars before.

I also cannot think of situations where full throttle is required even when I was driving 4x4s but it might be because I am more of a traction person than momentum and power. Now, I am seeing many souped up 4x4s just go full throttle on mud here and the problem is they go way past their tyres' best static friction. I am not a fan of their style. They dig monster ruts and will just winch themselves out. I am talking about non-road legal mud rigs.

On my recent trip doing sand on our local sand island, 4/5 trucks got stuck on that semi-compacted sand where people usually avoid but my SG was able to tread it with just 50% throttle and I tried to maintain 2000 rpm in first gear. I could see the awe in the faces of the owners of the trucks. I even offered them my traction boards and my shovel.There was really soft and dry dunes on that island and the SG was able to get up no problem but not without momentum that people usually use one their 4x4s. I just used 50 to 60% throttle and tried to minimise front suspension compression on the way up and stayed at 1900 to 2100rpm at second gear. The 4x4 trucks can't get up with either momentum and traction. It is a no-go zone for them.

On the most recent video, I am not sure if it's actually right to floor it. I am just assuming that the TCU will restrict a lot of power to prevent the belt from breaking, sort of like an emergency mode. Again, I haven't driven a CVT yet, so I can't really try and test.
 
I agree. My style is more like yours. I should have qualified my statement above by saying I have used full throttle but only because I had to, towing the trailer up a steep hill, so I do say rarely.
 
Interesting read. There were a number of comments in defense of the more recent models which I agree with given I own one, being a naturally aspirated 2016 SJ.

I am not too interested whether ultimately it is the most capable or not but my Forester gets me many places off-road in comfort and without undue difficulty. I don't go looking for difficult tracks but I have been in testing situations and it has performed without problem. Since it is also my daily driver I can think of few other cars that I would prefer to have that does it all. This one does everything I have asked of it without complaint.

Having said all that I would be interested in doing that track 'west of Sydney', all in the name of research. It is a bit far to come from Qld just for the test but if I was ever down that way...
 
It is south west of Sydney in the southern highlands. There must be countless numbers of people for whom their car does all that they need it to. So understandably they are more than happy. For those who want to go a bit further, it’s no bad thing to know the limitations of the car.

I’d love to take you on that track. No one else in Sydney wants to try their hand at it.
 
Well when I am down that way I will let you know. I have gone across the Simpson Desert, done some pretty difficult tracks in the Victorian High Country (I was a day late re Billy Goat Bluff Track) and a week on Fraser Island doing just about every track.

So I have probably done more than the typical Subaru driver might try and haven't got stuck yet. I am sure I'm not the greatest driver but the later models are still capable even for those looking to be more adventurous when required. I am sure I
will get stuck one day and maybe your track will be it. I have a sump & CVT guard and 2 inch lift so if I can come away with no damage either way then all the better!
 
I never got stuck in the OB either. There were 4 spots on 4 different trails where the vehicle struggled a great deal but never got stuck. Since I was careful in choosing my trails, it was only stopped once, by a big sandy hill on which my approach angle would not allow me. It started at a serious angle. H6 5EAT.
 
There are plenty of times doing soft sand dunes that a turbo Subaru will be at 100% throttle. Usually the same dunes that the 4wds won't try lol

On muddy tracks & esp rocky tracks, it's more about maintaining traction
 
I did some rocky tracks with an XV with CVT on the weekend and the CVT honestly seemed better then the auto's that I've seen. This was surprising as the internet had me believing the opposite. Even with just the 2L the CVT was able to reverse up hills and do extended climbs that I'm pretty sure the 2.5L 4eat and H6 5eat would have had issues with based on other trips. To be fair it wasn't a back to back comparison and the XV had small wheels that would have been easier to turn. It was just that the CVT did surprisingly good and the other autos did surprisingly bad. Hopefully get more vehicles in one place next weekend for fairer comparison.
 
H6 5 EAT and issues on climbs? Hard to believe considering what I have done including at elevations that do not exist in Australia.

Reversing, that would be interesting. Surely Subarus have a terrible reputation for reversing, at least the autos. In reverse in rocky terrain, the H6 5 EAT was problematic, yes. It was one of the fundamental issues I had with offroading my Subarus. Lots of unnecessary stress...
 
Reversing was the main issue with the H6. It couldn't get started reversing up a small sand hill. The 2.5 4 speed was better at reversing up hills but worse at going forwards up hill, while we haven't found the limits of the CVT yet.
 
Red XS said:
Reversing was the main issue with the H6. It couldn't get started reversing up a small sand hill. The 2.5 4 speed was better at reversing up hills but worse at going forwards up hill, while we haven't found the limits of the CVT yet.
Click to expand...


Ok, that makes sense. What H6 model was that?

Good to hear that the CVT is better. I know the early CVT on the OBs could not reverse over a curb but I think they fixed the programming later.
 
Gen 3


Anyone know how the reverse in the cvt works? Does it have access to the same range of ratios in both drive and reverse?
 
I would imagine not. But I could give it a try, unfortunately a little busy with my new job. Been working hard for 3 weeks getting up to speed at work. Gee I miss my Forester.
 
That's good to know @Red XS. The usual assumption that engineers love CVTs and motor journalists hate them may be true. That being said, I was told by a Subaru "expert" never to look for information or opinion the source is the North American market as they have very different issues there. He said that his customers' CVT transmission ticks like a clock with proper maintenance and that he only encounters problems when the transmission is used when towing more than the rated limit or when towing a house.

Many first time Subaru owners claim that there is more directness with the Subaru CVT vs other ones. Did you experience that on your endeavour? Cheers.


EDIT: To add to the insight of [MENTION=12952]Red XS[/MENTION], there is also the factor that he knows how to Subaru whereas most motor journalists try to drive the cars like they do with their Jeeps/Land Cruisers. Even ladder-framed 4x4s themselves have different ways of driving them.
 
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It's also wise to keep in mind that the cvt transmission has been adopted by Subaru to allow it to meet emissions regulations rather than add to its cars' off-road ability. Manufacturers with a more off-road heritage are opting for 7 or 8 speed autos (or more).
 
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