Help 2016 automatic Chevrolet Spark

[Quinmarc 0]

Hi to all

I would like to know if this car comes with overdrive system please

Thank you in advance

Regards

Quinmarc

[GammaRadiation 12]

I presume you have a CVT transmission? I have been looking for the published gear ratio range and have not found it yet. If anyone has this information please post it. The highest gear ratio is certainly an overdrive gear. At 45mph the engine isnt turning much over 1000 RPM. These wouldn't get a published 41mpg highway without OD!

[Skids 108]

the 14/15 dont have an OD.. i doubt the 16 does.. possible but unlikely

[Retired old Gearhead 201]

I presume you have a CVT transmission? I have been looking for the published gear ratio range and have not found it yet. If anyone has this information please post it. The highest gear ratio is certainly an overdrive gear. At 45mph the engine isnt turning much over 1000 RPM. These wouldn't get a published 41mpg highway without OD!

1,000 RPM is way too low at 45mph to get any power..no torque and no HP to move you quickly faster.

[GammaRadiation 12]

On 6/23/2016 at 5:37 AM, Retired old Gearhead said:

1,000 RPM is way too low at 45mph to get any power..no torque and no HP to move you quickly faster.

It does. At 70 it's around 2000 RPM. The torque curve on this engine is like a ruler. I suggest driving a '16, it's definitely a marked improvement over the previous year models. 

 

The CVT's highest gear ratio is certainly overdrive. It took me a bit to get used to and except for the occasional hesitation out of the hole, which can be partially mitigated by turning the traction control off, I prefer it over the old slush boxes. Even with the simulated shifts (wish it didnt do that) you can tell the difference. The CVT is also faster 0-60 than the manual!

Edited July 25, 2016 by GammaRadiation

[Retired old Gearhead 201]

After some research on the new LV7 1.4L engine specs, you are correct. This engine apparently has a long usable torque band...1,500 to 5,000 rpm. Apparently there is sufficient torque at 1.5K to 2.0K rpm to give some decent response without use of a turbo..however only a turbo will give an almost 'ruler' like linear power curve. Apparently this engine produces some decent torque at lower rpms, normally not associated with small displacement engines. Your 70mph at 2K rpm is indeed much higher torque than would be expected from a 1.4l. IMO the CVT (still Jatco-7) is still the weak link in the '14 to'16 Spark. The higher torque at lower rpm's on the '16's should definitely be an improvement in the torque requirements for this version of the CVT to work a little better getting of the line.

[GammaRadiation 12]

You seem quite knowledgeable. Do you have more info on the transmission? I'd love to find out the max recommended torque input and whether it can be reprogrammed to nix the simulated shifts. If this car serves me well I plan on tinkering with it once the powertrain warranty expires. There is ample room for a turbo, but my fear is the transmission is the weak link as well. My dad just bought a Sonic sedan and they dont offer CVT, only 6spd auto. There is probably a good reason for that.

[sparkfanatic 70]

The Nissan Juke has a turbo and is much more powerful than the Sonic turbo and   uses the same Jatco trans as the Spark .

[GammaRadiation 12]

Thanks, I'll do a little more reading on the Jatco.

 

To answer the OP's question, the transmission is infinitely variable between 2.2:1 and 0.55:1 which means the tallest gear ratio possible is a very tall overdrive.

[Retired old Gearhead 201]

18 hours ago, sparkfanatic said:

The Nissan Juke has a turbo and is much more powerful than the Sonic turbo and   uses the same Jatco trans as the Spark .

That is what is lacking on the 2014-15 Sparks...power to operate the CVT as designed.

 

On 7/26/2016 at 9:34 AM, GammaRadiation said:

You seem quite knowledgeable. Do you have more info on the transmission? I'd love to find out the max recommended torque input and whether it can be reprogrammed to nix the simulated shifts. If this car serves me well I plan on tinkering with it once the powertrain warranty expires. There is ample room for a turbo, but my fear is the transmission is the weak link as well. My dad just bought a Sonic sedan and they dont offer CVT, only 6spd auto. There is probably a good reason for that.

I think you can go fairly high before you exceed the Jatco-7 torque requirements...It's going too low that is the problem and GM seems to have possibly resolved the problems with the Jatco-7 CVT when used on one of their new "wide band torque" engines like the one on the 2016 Spark....for now that seems to be the case.. You cannot run a turbo on the 1.2L LLO engine in the Spark, nor the new all aluminum LV7 1.4 in the 2016 Spark as the compression ratio is way too high for an OEM turbo unit... "My dad just bought a Sonic sedan and they dont offer CVT, only 6spd auto. There is probably a good reason for that". Yup, I pretty well think GM has had enough complaints on the CVT to warrant on various models to go back to basics on that.

[GammaRadiation 12]

10.6:1 isnt terribly high for a low boost turbo. It only needs another 30-40hp and the car would be a hoot to drive.

[sparkfanatic 70]

Consider the Mirage , Versa Note and a host of other cars sold worldwide all use the same Jatco trans , none of them have torque . I have driven a Versa Note and it drives like any other CVT . There's an issue perhaps with tuning or some issue with trans itself  else but CVTs were designed strictly for tiny low HP/ torque motors . Only since Nissan and Jatco pushed the envelope to make CVTs work with high power motors . It's also a newer trans and might have bugs that will be worked out later.