Subaru continuously variable transmission

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

We are giving consideration to a Subaru as our next TV, so I have been poking around the Subaru forums. It appears finding a hole in the firewall for the controller wires is a bit of a challenge as is finding a place to mount the controller. Since towing anything over 1000 lbs requires brakes, you have to wonder why the wiring isn't there? Let us know how the install goes and good luck on the new TV. Raz

This is the issue I encountered while contemplating purchasing a cvt subaru. No one at the dealer had installed a brake controller, trailer wiring nor trans cooler and I was told that if it were done elsewhere my warranty would be void. The 200 lb t/w is another critical point, buy yourself a Sherline t/w scale, my trailer is a whopping 375 lbs. I contact Subaru America but could not obtain any information. So I went on to another tow vehicle that advertises it's towing capacity and already had factory wiring and hitch.

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

This is the issue I encountered while contemplating purchasing a cvt subaru. No one at the dealer had installed a brake controller, trailer wiring nor trans cooler and I was told that if it were done elsewhere my warranty would be void. The 200 lb t/w is another critical point, buy yourself a Sherline t/w scale, my trailer is a whopping 375 lbs. I contact Subaru America but could not obtain any information. So I went on to another tow vehicle that advertises it's towing capacity and already had factory wiring and hitch.

You need to get away from that dealership. They CAN'T void your warranty for having things like that installed. Check out the Magnuson Moss act. They can only deny a warranty claim after proving that the aftermarket part in question caused the damage. Also, at least here in Maryland, Subaru goes through 3rd party arbitration for warranty disputes. Everything is on your side, legally speaking.

Subaru does advertise it's towing capacity. The Outback is 2700/200. Too low for your heavy tongue.

[Eddie Longest]

Jesse
I recently installed a Curt Hitch on my 2011 OB. The instructions tell you to drill extra holes in the bottom of the frame tube to insert the bolts into the frame tube. You can take the back bumper off and insert the bolts without drilling any extra holes in your frame. Also if you raise your spare tire cover there are two holes covered in tape directly over your rear hitch mounting bolt holes. I enlarged these holes and instaled the bolts through these holes, this worked out much better for me. To enlarge the holes I used a step bit from Harbour Freight.
My trailer wiring plug was burried under the left rear wheel well cover. I had to remove the spare cover and floor panel in front of it to dig out the plug. The floor panels are held in with plastic buttons, I carefully pried mine out and was able to reuse them.
Any questions send me a PM with phone number And I will call you back.
Do you know about the $150 rebate on the Subie roof rack?
Eddie

[terryjeffers]

Originally Posted by Glen G

How about this ...

A 2000 Metro and a 17' Casita .... NO !

A 2002 PT Cruiser & 17' Casita .... Uh, NO

A 1984 Datsun 4 cylinder P/U and 17' Casita ....only to move it in the driveway.

Just for clarity, this is not me or my PT Cruiser! Terry

[mcbrew]

Wow, thanks for the info! I may pull the bumper and not enlarge the other holes. Good to know. My hitch and wiring converter should be here Friday. I will probably install them that night, as long as I have access to my father's lift.

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by mcbrew

Wow, thanks for the info! I may pull the bumper and not enlarge the other holes. Good to know. My hitch and wiring converter should be here Friday. I will probably install them that night, as long as I have access to my father's lift.

You can check the Subaru Outback forums for some good installation tips, and frequently some good photos. I went there when I installed my hitch and also when I added a transmission cooler to my 08 Outback.

John

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

We are giving consideration to a Subaru as our next TV, so I have been poking around the Subaru forums. It appears finding a hole in the firewall for the controller wires is a bit of a challenge as is finding a place to mount the controller. Since towing anything over 1000 lbs requires brakes, you have to wonder why the wiring isn't there? Let us know how the install goes and good luck on the new TV. Raz

The wiring for the lights is there but not the brakes. My controller was mounted to the left of the steering well and slight down on the fuse box cover that is located just above the hood release latch. The theory behind mounting it there was I can replace the fuse box cover that the holes were drilled through to mount the controller pretty easy when I sell the car and the new owner will not have any holes in the dash to worry about. Thre was also a spot just behind that area that the wires where put through the firewall.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

This is the issue I encountered while contemplating purchasing a cvt subaru. No one at the dealer had installed a brake controller, trailer wiring nor trans cooler and I was told that if it were done elsewhere my warranty would be void. The 200 lb t/w is another critical point, buy yourself a Sherline t/w scale, my trailer is a whopping 375 lbs. I contact Subaru America but could not obtain any information. So I went on to another tow vehicle that advertises it's towing capacity and already had factory wiring and hitch.

They did not do brake controllers at my dealer either but they did point out that all the trailer wiring is factory pre done and showed me where the plug was under the spare tire cover and indicated that all that was needed was the plug in harness to it which who ever installed the hitch would be able to do easy and it was. they indicated they could do the hitch and wiring if I wanted but it was cheaper to go elsewhere. Re the trans cooler they also indicated that Subaru does not make them as if you towed within their specs they did not feel it wasnt really necessary. I have towed for 5 years without one but if I spent a lot more trips into the mountains or in higher temps than I do then I would probable add one.

Agree the tongue weight limit on the Subaru is a challenge and I am usually between 20-40lbs over on that no matter how carefull I stow the trailer.

[honda03842]

Agree the tongue weight limit on the Subaru is a challenge and I am usually between 20-40lbs over on that no matter how carefull I stow the trailer.

Carol do you have dual batteries or dual propane tanks?

[Carol H]

I only have one battery (group 27) and one propane tank up front. Its a side bath and I dont tow with more than a gallon of water in the head. I could get it to 200lbs or under without much trouble but just find that if its to light on the tongue it doesnt feel as solid of a tow - I have only every had it do what I would call a wag (suspect most would actually call it a little wobble rather than a wag) on me and I admit I was going *way* to fast on the freeway and hit a large bump - a simple tap of the brakes sorted it out fast but it was enough to make me realize that things could go wrong fast if I did not watch my tongue weight and my speed! :-)

[mosquito13]

I tow our camper with. A 2019 outback. Did go for the 3.6 flat six engine. No issues though do recommend electric brakes as it's a light car. Most of my tow experience has been with dual axles boat and car trailers behind a e250 or a f150. So the little camper feels fine with no push feeling at stops. Outback has plenty of pull , not sure how the small ltr turbos will do as I have no experience with that engine .

[DaveLevenson]

We have a '21 Subaru Ascent with a Subaru dealer-installed tow package. We use it to tow our 17' Casita. The trailer weight is a little under 3,000 lbs; the towing capacity of the Ascent is 5,000 lbs. We have towed several thousand miles with this combination. It has plenty of power and plenty of control. No maintenance issues, so far. The CVT is smooth; we never feel it shifting or hear the engine straining. (I have driven a Toyota Prius, with an electronic CVT, since 2008, and appreciate that technology.)

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by DaveLevenson

We have a '21 Subaru Ascent with a Subaru dealer-installed tow package. We use it to tow our 17' Casita. The trailer weight is a little under 3,000 lbs; the towing capacity of the Ascent is 5,000 lbs. We have towed several thousand miles with this combination. It has plenty of power and plenty of control. No maintenance issues, so far. The CVT is smooth; we never feel it shifting or hear the engine straining. (I have driven a Toyota Prius, with an electronic CVT, since 2008, and appreciate that technology.)

The conventional belt-and-pulley CVT used by Subaru and others in gas drivetrains is a completely different animal than the eCVT used in the Prius and now a number of other hybrids.

Older CVT-equipped Subarus came with a caveat in the manual that the tow rating was reduced by 50% when ascending long grades in high ambient temperatures. Since we're tagging onto a 12 year-old thread, I'm thinking that restriction may have gone away in newer models. Can any owners of late model Subarus confirm?

[Pygmy owl]

The cvt does not have very much holdback. So using "your gears so to say" to help with keeping you slower down hills is not very helpful. Yes, I have owned a Subaru with the cvt tranny. I have also driven a 15 Outback with the cvt tranny. A lot of people do say the cvts are nearly indestructible. Since I live in the rocky mountains I prefer something that has a little more compression.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Pygmy owl

The cvt does not have very much holdback. So using "your gears so to say" to help with keeping you slower down hills is not very helpful. Yes, I have owned a Subaru with the cvt tranny. I have also driven a 15 Outback with the cvt tranny. A lot of people do say the cvts are nearly indestructible. Since I live in the rocky mountains I prefer something that has a little more compression.

Don’t know about Subaru, but the CVT in my daughter’s Corolla has a “B” detente on the shifter. That’s “B” for braking. It works well, albeit loudly. Sometimes too well- I wish there were an in-between setting providing light engine braking for long downgrades at higher speeds.

I’m having a hard time imagining any manufacturer not providing a way to hold back speed on downgrades using engine compression. Some CVTs have buttons or paddles that simulate downshifts.

[Pygmy owl]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Don’t know about Subaru, but the CVT in my daughter’s Corolla has a “B” detente on the shifter. That’s “B” for braking. It works well, albeit loudly. Sometimes too well- I wish there were an in-between setting providing light engine braking for long downgrades at higher speeds.

I’m having a hard time imagining any manufacturer not providing a way to hold back speed on downgrades using engine compression. Some CVTs have buttons or paddles that simulate downshifts.

Things may have changed in recent years. The models of Subarus I owned or drove were 2012 manual(very high geared), 2015, 2016 ( CVT paddle shifters). The vehicles I like to tow with are a manual s 10, Tacoma manual, or 3/4 ton diesel. Just like the diesel has more compression than my s 10 which has more compression than the subarus that I have driven. So the transmissions on the Subarus are different than what I like drive. Much different beasts.
For example 1st "gear" in the outback was like second gear in my s10. The gearing so to say is much higher to keep the RPMs down for better fuel mileage in the subies. I can not comment on the corolla cvt because I have never driven one.
Subarus are good commuting cars. A lot of folks like them.

[woodentoy]

I tow an Escape 19 with my 2021 Subaru Ascent. I have so far in just over a year towed it 13,000 miles. The tachometer has never gone over 3000 RPMs with the elevations that we have here in the East. Western mountains would certainly be different but I still think that it would do the job with some careful driving.

[iamjiwjr]

We pull our Parkliner (2500 lbs roughly "nekkid") with our 2021 Subaru Ascent with factory tow package. The CRV has been flawless for 45k miles. Great towing vehicle.

[Jon in AZ]

That’s certainly encouraging, and there’s no doubt CVTs have come a long way, but I’ll reserve judgment until the 200K mile updates.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by woodentoy

I tow an Escape 19 with my 2021 Subaru Ascent. I have so far in just over a year towed it 13,000 miles. The tachometer has never gone over 3000 RPMs with the elevations that we have here in the East. Western mountains would certainly be different but I still think that it would do the job with some careful driving.

I am curious to know how your Ascent manages to handle the tongue weight of your 19'. Have you weighed your hitch, BTW? Mine is a little more than 500 lbs.