2015 1.8 CVT build and destroy.....

#1
For everyone that wants answers concerning the CVT transmission and what its limits are. Im reaching out to any and everyone thats interested. I will be building this car and running it hard to find the cvt failure points. I will also be doing videos and pics of the build as it progresses. I will also be designing a rear mounted turbo system and supplying parts lists and diagrams anyone interested in doing them theirselves. Check out my go fund me campaign and help if you can. Open to anyone interested.


www.gofundme.com/corollabuild
 

Thomas

New Member
#2
I'm not interested in donating, but I imagine those who might (if there are any) would want to know specifically what the money is going towards. Your description makes it sound like you are going to use your own vehicle to test the limits, so then what's the 15k for? To buy a brand new one after you trash yours? How much would a new CVT and its replacement cost? Why not just raise money for that amount?
 
#3
I would avoid a rear-mount turbo system. There is a reason why pretty much every rear-mount turbo kit manufacturer went out of business. Lag, oil delivery issues, etc. etc. etc.

And dude, asking for donations to build up a turbo car to blow up your CVT (which probably will happen even with just 6 psi of boost) is pretty tacky, I won't lie. If you do get donations, I would suggest using them to design and machine the oil delivery system to keep more pressure on the belt versus seeing how far you can push a bone-stock CVT.
 
#4
Well thanks for the input. But as far as rear mount turbos go there have been quite a few advancements over the years and problems have been solved. As well as oiling and lag. The rear mount is the best situation for the corolla in aspects of reducing engine heat and wear. Keeping the turbo from using hot engine oil is another issues which has been resolved. So as far as the trans goes, you may be correct but the whole point of this testing and process is to find out what fails and then have someone make new stronger more durable replacement parts.

So while you may not understand that in order to do so, things will and must need to break. Then you are y thing never get redeveloped due to being scared to push limits.
 
#5
I'm not interested in donating, but I imagine those who might (if there are any) would want to know specifically what the money is going towards. Your description makes it sound like you are going to use your own vehicle to test the limits, so then what's the 15k for? To buy a brand new one after you trash yours? How much would a new CVT and its replacement cost? Why not just raise money for that amount?

The 15k will be used to supply a new transmission if and when mine goes bad. As well as being used to work with machine and trans shops to redesign and the failed parts in the old trans and to build the car to levels that could do such damage to at some point in the process point out the weak links in the trans. So while i am putting funds of my own in its going to take quite a bit to get these answers and many many hours of work and garage time. Im not building a top speed dragster. I am trying to give cvt owners answers and a source for replacement upgraded parts so that we can all safely build and risk less damage to the drivetrains. Hope that helps.
 
#6
You bought an economy car, want to turbo it, run it hard, grenade the CVT, and have people pay to fix it? I just want to make sure I'm getting all this. I'll bypass my despise for the entire GOFUNDME/cyberbegging thing. You realize this is not a performance car right? And will not without dumping tens of thousands in it and leaving little more than a shell. It's a 130hp econobox with a CVT designed to get max mpg, with acceptable performance. You're not going to be able to do any major changes in the "tranny" other than destroy it. It will last longer than you think with a rear turbo, because..well..they suck. There is no source for major upgrades for these car because there is no demand for it. You can add wheels/chrome/paint/etc, it's still going to be a car that struggles to break 80mph in the quarter and takes 17 seconds to do so. Heck, my base model with the non-cvt tranny has better times. You'd be just as well off spraying the car with wd-40 to allow it to slip through the air better.
 
#7
You bought an economy car, want to turbo it, run it hard, grenade the CVT, and have people pay to fix it? I just want to make sure I'm getting all this. I'll bypass my despise for the entire GOFUNDME/cyberbegging thing. You realize this is not a performance car right? And will not without dumping tens of thousands in it and leaving little more than a shell. It's a 130hp econobox with a CVT designed to get max mpg, with acceptable performance. You're not going to be able to do any major changes in the "tranny" other than destroy it. It will last longer than you think with a rear turbo, because..well..they suck. There is no source for major upgrades for these car because there is no demand for it. You can add wheels/chrome/paint/etc, it's still going to be a car that struggles to break 80mph in the quarter and takes 17 seconds to do so. Heck, my base model with the non-cvt tranny has better times. You'd be just as well off spraying the car with wd-40 to allow it to slip through the air better.
Lmao so true
 
#8
I needed a good laugh going into a 3 day weekend. Bcrewcaptain said it well. Not to mention the giant scam of GoFundMe to start things off with. IT'S A FREAKING COROLLA. Go buy a real performance car and mod it. This is just absurd.
 
#10
It's fact. 1.8L 132hp(under 100 to the wheels).130ft lbs of torque. That does not a sports car make. Rear turbos are lossy and have tremendous lag. The CVT in the corolla is not designed for higher power applications. You bought an economy car. One that was rear ended and damaged, obviously it was hit by something capable of higher speeds than the corolla, I would just invest in a better bumper than all the time and effort needed to make a corolla fast enough to get out of everyones way. I'm all about modifications, I've done turbo work on my truck, I'm familiar with those. I'm also 41 years old and have learned to know when to give up a losing battle.

1.8L with a CVT, enjoy your 35+mph, and in this case, swap Honda with Corolla
 
#11
It's fact. 1.8L 132hp(under 100 to the wheels).130ft lbs of torque. That does not a sports car make. Rear turbos are lossy and have tremendous lag. The CVT in the corolla is not designed for higher power applications. You bought an economy car. One that was rear ended and damaged, obviously it was hit by something capable of higher speeds than the corolla, I would just invest in a better bumper than all the time and effort needed to make a corolla fast enough to get out of everyones way. I'm all about modifications, I've done turbo work on my truck, I'm familiar with those. I'm also 41 years old and have learned to know when to give up a losing battle.

1.8L with a CVT, enjoy your 35+mph, and in this case, swap Honda with Corolla


Those Honda memes never get old!
 
#12
I hate to break it to you, but this is a 132hp car. Anything above 170-180 hp will be useless because you will never get the power to the pavement except on high speed highway runs.
 

DTG

New Member
#13
I would donate $100 or so for someone to take a CVT-equipped Corolla, equip it with censors and recording devices to track speed - driving habits, etc, and then let them abuse the living daylights out of it LIKE MANY NORMAL PEOPLE DO to see how the CVT and the car as a whole holds up over 5 years or so. Fill it with cement blocks, floor the gas pedal at every start, slam on the brakes at every stop, drive it 30,000 miles/year, etc. Pull apart the CVT at 100k miles without a fluid change like Toyota says, and show how it really looks. I'd donate to that.

But I don't understand someone asking for money to modify their personal car in a way no one else ever will so that they can have fun, and calling it useful for others.
 
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#14
... to build the car to levels that could do such damage to at some point in the process point out the weak links in the trans.
A weak link would be something in the CVT preventing it from working properly in the car as is. That's what some who are a bit worrying about a CVT are inquiring about.
If one wants to know how to get a CVT to work in a performance car, the shortest way would be to compare the design of the Corolla CVT with, say, a Subaru WRX CVT.

So I think it would be more accurate to describe your project as "how and up to what point can one transform a regular Corolla into a performance car"
Then the benefit for your donors would be more to "get a tutorial of safe, tried and proven ways to enhance Corolla performance".

Even then I'm not sure it would appeal to masses, but it would sound more positive than now where it gives the impression of "learn how to destroy a CVT equipped Corolla".
Everybody already know how to destroy anything : modify it for a purpose it is not intended for in the first place.

We also know how to transform a simple Camry in a high-performance car : buy a Camry, get rid of it, copy the general design in a shell and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on structural and mechanical components !
 
#15
TRD used to sell supercharger kits for the V6, although I do not know if that is true. Even without the SC, traction is a major problem.
 

koby

New Member
#16
So you're going to spend 10k+ on a turbo system (assuming you do things right and not the ebay way), then watch the cvt grenade the first run? if you want it to last more than one run you're going to have to tune the car as to not deliver full torque/ power until a specified point or you guessed it, boom goes the cvt. Also, you never mentioned the torque converter once. In an automatic transmission in general it is a very good idea to upgrade this when going turbo or, you guessed it again it goes boom. There seems to be a lot of variables you haven't taken into account yet (not trying to be a dick just realistic). To add on further, from what I have read certain Subaru cvt's use a full steel belt as well which can handle to power/ torque better, while the corolla has a rubber belt with steel support, remember, not all transmissions are made the same.

Some insightful knowledge for you, the corolla uses a K313 cvt. Might want to see what you can find on this beforehand to ensure a proper analysis of the result of your, lets call it "experiment".

On a side note: If the sole purpose is to destroy the cvt (which correct me if im wrong is the way this comes off) you should not be asking for donations. If you want to go Roadkill on something you have to have the cash beforehand. Now, if you want to do some plausible research and development many people would likely help, share insight, donate, and we could come to a better end result.
 
#17
Subaru cvt's use a full steel belt as well which can handle to power/ torque better, while the corolla has a rubber belt with steel support
Corolla K313 has a steel on steel belt-chain as well.
I don't know of any modern car using rubber belt CVT (the days of the 0,6l Variomatic DAF 600 are 50 years behind !).
Even if it were, it wouldn't be rubber on steel but steel on rubber (or kevlar).
Those trans are called "push-metal" for a reason !
 

koby

New Member
#18
Corolla K313 has a steel on steel belt-chain as well.
I don't know of any modern car using rubber belt CVT (the days of the 0,6l Variomatic DAF 600 are 50 years behind !).
Even if it were, it wouldn't be rubber on steel but steel on rubber (or kevlar).
Those trans are called "push-metal" for a reason !
This is correct, that's what I get for not doing enough research before hand
 
#19
These cvt transmission are build for mpg and confort but they don't have a very long life span like a conventional transmission and these cvt are basically disposable you cant really rebuild them again. I work for transmission company called ZF and they used to make cvt for the ford freestyle. That trans did not have a long life. We try to rebuild them but they were never the same and was to costly. Maybe that's why few years later they came up with the very first 9sp trans.
 
#20
These cvt transmission are build for mpg and confort but they don't have a very long life span like a conventional transmission and these cvt are basically disposable you cant really rebuild them again. I work for transmission company called ZF and they used to make cvt for the ford freestyle. That trans did not have a long life. We try to rebuild them but they were never the same and was to costly. Maybe that's why few years later they came up with the very first 9sp trans.
I certainly agree on comfort and MPG. The CVT in my Corolla is quiet and silky smooth like I've never experienced in any car I've owned and gives me stellar MPG
( tough it would probably be a different experience for a performance oriented driver - those are the one complaining about "drone" effect ).

But I wouldn't conclude on a "not very long life span" for all CVTs based solely on one ZF model. Our only safe bet might be "we don't know".
All we know is that Corolla has gone CVT in Asia 5 years ago (three more years than here) and no massive complaint seems to have emerge.

Actually all the known famous unreliable CVT problems come from a weak link. Which is why, to me, Brandon Reams experiment would be more relevant as an "extreme daily driving experiment" than as a tuning thing.
CVTs are actually fairly simple devices but requiring highly sophisticated engineering execution. Surprisingly the belt isn't the main concern :

- ZF Ford Freestyle : poor quality O rings - leaking fluid
- Fiat (Hungary) GM Saturn : poor quality material leading to metal scraps in fluid
- Honda Jazz (Asian Fit) : unproper fluid in the first place (oh boy !)
- Jatco Nissan (first units) : unproper firmware for heat management leading to fluid foaming


The pattern is always the same : a weak link leads to fluid contamination leads to malfunction.
Frequent fluid change might help (notice how those are the companies recommending it) but their requirement is always the sign of an underlying problem.
So Aisin Toyota and Subaru might be right with their "lifetime" thing if (and that's a huge "if") their units are properly executed.

As far as being "disposable", it is the case with many things nowadays. Many workshop replace or at least refer to specialized shop even for regular AT.
Individual rebuild ends up costing more than replacement but you will probably see more and more industrial rebuilt available as CVTs spread.
 
#21
Why is it that the CVT is considered to not be repairable? It has less moving parts than a conventional automatic, and in fact it's design and function is also less complicated than an automatic. I just don't understand the "throw it away and buy a new one for 6k". If it's simply a case of the auto makers not knowing enough about how they work to know how to repair them, that's a shame on the auto maker, and they shouldn't be using them if they don't understand them. Especially for Toyota who owns Aisin.
 
#22
Why is it that the CVT is considered to not be repairable? It has less moving parts than a conventional automatic, and in fact it's design and function is also less complicated than an automatic. I just don't understand the "throw it away and buy a new one for 6k". If it's simply a case of the auto makers not knowing enough about how they work to know how to repair them, that's a shame on the auto maker, and they shouldn't be using them if they don't understand them. Especially for Toyota who owns Aisin.
They perfectly are for, as you said, they have less part. But they are new and most shop, including dealers hesitate or would take so many hours that it does end up costing more. It is simpler that way (dont we also do that with a lot of appliances ?). But as I said, industrially rebuilt will probably be available as cvt spread.
 
#23
Yes, disposing of a 300 dollar TV instead of repairing it is one thing, but a 6000 dollar transmission is another. I think it speaks poorly of automakers to be equipping their cars with major components that they don't know how to service or repair. Surely that knowledge must exist with the CVT maker, and particularly so with Toyota since they own the maker. It seems like laziness on the part of car makers to not have their dealerships have the necessary repair knowledge. Or, since it is modular, why can't a CVT be returned to the manufacturer for repair? Surely even that with shipping costs and such it would have to be less expensive than just throwing it away and buying a new one. Maybe it will eventually be like batteries and alternators where you can get a rebuild and there is a core charge refunded when returning the original. But that doesn't even seem appropriate with such a critical and expensive part. Plus, I strongly dislike the throwaway culture we seem to be developing, and a primary auto component seems to be taking this to a new extreme.
 
#24
As I said, many dealers don't even deal any more with regular AT... Some dealers, shops and individuals surely have the knowledge but then there is the time involved and the availability of parts.
Remember that a huge portion of NA CVTs are still under warranty so there is close to no market for spare parts but it will change as time goes by.
You already see more and more of them on EBay and in junkyard. For instance, a rebuilt for an A4 is now closer to $3,500 than $6,000, not such a gap with a regular AT rebuilt.

If companies prefer to it this way under warranty (meaning at their own cost), odds are that it is the cheapest way for them.
Probably also for marketing since people are still a little skeptical and manufacturers wouldn't want a bunch of so-so repairs tarnish their reputation.
Wen the Murano came out with a CVT I remember a whole thread on a forum of people complaining about their defective CVT stuck in first gear... That's public awareness...
(I also remember my grandfather getting his first color TV set and adjusting it to black and white to "save the colors" for special programs.)

Beside, the replaced unit is sent back and rebuilt. Don't think Nissan put brand new CVTs in every extended warranty replacement.
It is just someone else's rebuilt, not yours, buit rebuilt by the original manufacturer.
 
#25
You may be right, unfortunately, but I don't agree with this philosophy. Makes me glad I have a relic manual transmission, that assumedly the manufacturer should know how to repair.
 
#26
It may be that it is simply more cost efficient for dealers to replace instead of repairing transmissions these days. Replacing also means that things are kept consistent. I have noticed that dealers do not actually seem to do rebuilds anymore as they simply phone the manufacturer for a reman.

I would LOVE to drive a manual transmission, but traffic is horrendous where I live. This isn't like when I was younger where you could still make your commute around the city with a stick without your left leg getting fatigued. I did test drive the S with the 6 speed but came to my senses when I tried to drive home afterward and got stuck in a traffic jam from hell on the interstate.
 
#27
Yes dealers would just remove your old transmission n send to a shop where they actually r dedicated on repairing transmissions n get another one already rebuild with warranty.
 

ZeCorolla

I Love Corolla's!
#30
Have you laughs and opinions. They are exactly that. If you have nothing useful to add to this thread jump off it and move on.
I think you have a good plan but I'm pretty certain that a lot of people on here won't care about your campaign because they don't care about seeing a performance Corolla and it doesn't affect them. So, the only way is to just save up yourself and do this project later on. You could also try buying a salvaged 11th gen Corolla and try using the cvt from that so that your own cvt doesn't get destroyed.. If I had the money, I would help but I'm broke lol.

Also, I can bet you that there will be more supportive people on ToyotaNation or TuneMyToyota. You can also get more info from there as well. :)
 
#31
As I said, many dealers don't even deal any more with regular AT... Some dealers, shops and individuals surely have the knowledge but then there is the time involved and the availability of parts.
Remember that a huge portion of NA CVTs are still under warranty so there is close to no market for spare parts but it will change as time goes by.
You already see more and more of them on EBay and in junkyard. For instance, a rebuilt for an A4 is now closer to $3,500 than $6,000, not such a gap with a regular AT rebuilt.

If companies prefer to it this way under warranty (meaning at their own cost), odds are that it is the cheapest way for them.
Probably also for marketing since people are still a little skeptical and manufacturers wouldn't want a bunch of so-so repairs tarnish their reputation.
Wen the Murano came out with a CVT I remember a whole thread on a forum of people complaining about their defective CVT stuck in first gear... That's public awareness...
(I also remember my grandfather getting his first color TV set and adjusting it to black and white to "save the colors" for special programs.)

Beside, the replaced unit is sent back and rebuilt. Don't think Nissan put brand new CVTs in every extended warranty replacement.
It is just someone else's rebuilt, not yours, buit rebuilt by the original manufacturer.
Jolly and ZeCorolla
I have researched tons of cvts and how they operate. Granted the corvette is a high performance rwd and many cvts arent built for such abuse. But if you look into the corvette z07's. They run a hybrid automatic/cvt. So for people to sit back and say that the cvt arent capable nor stable are incorrect. As far as the belt i am 100% in agreeance with jolly. Yes at a certain point of torque the belt may end up slipping. But at what point? As far as putting any amount of high hp to the asphalt that is an ignorant statement. This in a corolla cvt is certainly possible. Especially due to the throttle lag in the drive by wire system. You will in most cases blow syncros and gears in a manual trans by miss shifting or clutch dumping at to many rpms than a cvt or automatic driver. The operation between the throttle lag and trans engagement allows for optimal use of takeoff without slamming too much torque to the trans and jarring components. So with the use of a throttle controller to optimise the throttle response you can potentially use its settings to work in conjunction with the operation of the cvt and applied hp and tq of the engine after being turbo charged to provide optimal take off, shifting and reliability to reduce risk of damage. Granted cvt's arent meant to feel the shift and what you do feel when using the paddles or manual mode is a fabricated shift. The smooth shifting of the cvt would create an even more reduced risk of damage bc the cvt isnt slamming torque at every shift point. Thus you glide the hp and tq through the gear range until down shifting, and at that point youre not appling power anymore. And no. This corolla and many others would never be a top speed vehicle. Thats not the point of the build bc yes to whomever said it i agree that the result would be an overheating fluid issue causing damage. But persay a scca track car and adding a cooler to the trans, this car would be fun on the weekends if the trans holds up. Which is the point or the build to start with. To see what the trans can withstand and if it doesnt find the failed component, remanufacture out of something stronger and repeat until all weak links are solved within. Trail, error, fix and repeat. Thats how performance parts get manufactured for vehicles. Someone has to break it to get it fixed.
 
#32
Why try when I can just buy a 2016 Camaro SS and turn circles around this car? Besides, if you're talking performance, FWD is not where it's at. Hell, my FR-S has 10 times the aftermarket this car has and it still doesn't have a transmission to handle the torque of a turbo. There's a difference though. The FR-S is a drivers car. The Corolla is a commuter car unless you get an AE86.

I could turbo charge, put on coilovers, header back exhaust, wheels/tires, and install it all myself on a Corolla but it's just stupid. Besides, there is no good tuning platform or competent tuners for this engine. It's an eco car. Get over it.

Usually the people doing "unique" things to their car (ricing it out at auto zone) are the ones getting laughed at. I, for one, won't be doing stupid shit to my Corolla and will have a high horsepower weekend car meant to handle the power and abuse.

/thread
 
#33
And thats your choice. Bash me and my car all you want. If you dont want to mod change your car no problem. But there are plenty people out there that do and are modding corollas. If a corolla is what someone can afford to drive myself included, its our right and choice to mod what works. Not everyone can just go out and purchase the high hp v8s and rwd or awd cars. But apparently continuing the conversation on this subject is futile when an individual cant see further than his own ideas to entertain someone elses without being a twat. Therefore if noone is going to weigh in a reply worth while ill just delete and go elsewhere.
 
#34
And thats your choice. Bash me and my car all you want. If you dont want to mod change your car no problem. But there are plenty people out there that do and are modding corollas. If a corolla is what someone can afford to drive myself included, its our right and choice to mod what works. Not everyone can just go out and purchase the high hp v8s and rwd or awd cars. But apparently continuing the conversation on this subject is futile when an individual cant see further than his own ideas to entertain someone elses without being a twat. Therefore if noone is going to weigh in a reply worth while ill just delete and go elsewhere.

so why beg for funds?

your prerogative, but I don't exactly hear the cash register singing from all the donations.

You're still talking about an econobox cvt, not one designed for the power, the cvt in these cars is designed for 150% of it's rated power.Guess what happens then? I just saved you 15K

Enjoy
 
#35
CVTs sure can take more and more power. If they are conceived for this intend in the first place. The Subaru WRX manage 268 HP ?
Oddly, at that level, they kind of lose the fuel economy advantage they have in more mundane application :
Corolla CVT get 1 to 4 more mpg vs manual. Subaru WRX CVT get 3 mpg less than manual,
Williams-Renault even developed a F1 CVT. Mr Ecclestone rejected it, officially because other teams would have had to spend a lot in R&D to catch with it but probably also for fear of losing the crowd used to rev sound...
As far as Corvette Z07 going AT/CVT, wasn't that some Jalopnik hoax ?
 

ZeCorolla

I Love Corolla's!
#36
Why try when I can just buy a 2016 Camaro SS and turn circles around this car? Besides, if you're talking performance, FWD is not where it's at. Hell, my FR-S has 10 times the aftermarket this car has and it still doesn't have a transmission to handle the torque of a turbo. There's a difference though. The FR-S is a drivers car. The Corolla is a commuter car unless you get an AE86.

I could turbo charge, put on coilovers, header back exhaust, wheels/tires, and install it all myself on a Corolla but it's just stupid. Besides, there is no good tuning platform or competent tuners for this engine. It's an eco car. Get over it.

Usually the people doing "unique" things to their car (ricing it out at auto zone) are the ones getting laughed at. I, for one, won't be doing stupid shit to my Corolla and will have a high horsepower weekend car meant to handle the power and abuse.

/thread
First off, your first sentence just shows how much you don't understand where I'm coming from. Build your car, Don't Buy it. Why buy an expensive car (that you probably won't even be able to buy anyways) when you can build your own car to out perform a car that is 10x more expensive? Sure, anyone can go out and buy a Camaro or something that comes with horsepower out of the factory and say that their faster than an eco car but for the money you spent on that car, you could have built your own car to make it faster than the Camaro for much cheaper regardless if it's a Corolla or not. And if you think FWD isn't fast, explain the 2016 Civic Type R. The Nissan GTR LM NISMO. Even some older Civic's. Sure, RWD cars can be more fun (opinions) but FWD cars can perform if they are built to perform.

It may be stupid to you to modify this car but look at it like this? You can easily turbo a Corolla 6 speed right now and have a ton of power to play with yet, it'll still be cheaper than buying a new FRS. With a bit of suspension mods, the Corolla can perform amazingly as well and be up to par with some more expensive cars on the market around a track.

As for being unique, there is a difference between tasteful mods and "rice". You can be smart and modify the Corolla without making it look rice (proper turbo, lightweight rims and performence tires, better suspension, etc.) or you can be a child (kind of like you) and rice your.... you should get the point. And if you aren't going to do anything to your Corolla, why even comment on this thread? You don't even have any helpful info for the OP so there really isn't any point in you being here other than you getting mad over other people's projects. Anyways, good day.
 

ZeCorolla

I Love Corolla's!
#37
so why beg for funds?

your prerogative, but I don't exactly hear the cash register singing from all the donations.

You're still talking about an econobox cvt, not one designed for the power, the cvt in these cars is designed for 150% of it's rated power.Guess what happens then? I just saved you 15K

Enjoy
But how do you know for sure? Maybe that's the reason why this thread was started...
 
#38
But how do you know for sure? Maybe that's the reason why this thread was started...
a 2 minute google search yields the information on the 2014-15 CVTs from the design group. I do not have it bookmarked, but I did research before purchasing my 2015 when I was comparing the L with the standard auto vs the CVT models.
 
#39
Why buy an expensive car (that you probably won't even be able to buy anyways) when you can build your own car to out perform a car that is 10x more expensive? [...] for the money you spent on that car, you could have built your own car to make it faster than the Camaro for much cheaper.
That one I can’t agree with.
There are a lot of good reasons to go on with a tuning project: passion, hobby, curiosity, challenge.
(And for some a bit vain “I can trounce car X at a stop light, boy will they be impressed”. Believe me, most aren’t.)

But saving money is absolutely not one of them, unless yielding in self-justification.
Hence this funding project.
Parts, time (even if it is yours), effect on longevity of the car and resale value all translate in $.

You can get a 323hp/278 lbft Camaro for about $24,700 MSRP.
You can get a 200hp/151 lbft FRS for about $26,100 MSRP.
A CE manual Corolla is about $17,200 MSRP, LE CVT $18,600.
I still have to see $7,000 worth of mods resulting in more than doubling a Corolla HP and Torque…
And we're talking $15,000 here. Granted a part of trial and error has to be covered. But there always is.

Expecting a Corolla to outperform a "10X more expensive" car, is expecting a Corolla to outperform a McLaren, a Rezvani or a Bentley. No way !
The Nascar Camry reach 200 mph... and need a new TRD engine after each competition and a new body after three competitions...

Now on the actual capacity of the Corolla’s CVT, I personnaly haven’t found much from the design team beside it being rated "medium torque":
http://www.aisin-aw.co.jp/en/products/drivetrain/cvt/index.html
 
#40
For some people, it is the hobby of it. The original poster however should not be surprised at being ridiculed if asking for donations from other people for what is essentially the OP's hobby.
 
#41
First off, your first sentence just shows how much you don't understand where I'm coming from. Build your car, Don't Buy it. Why buy an expensive car (that you probably won't even be able to buy anyways) when you can build your own car to out perform a car that is 10x more expensive? Sure, anyone can go out and buy a Camaro or something that comes with horsepower out of the factory and say that their faster than an eco car but for the money you spent on that car, you could have built your own car to make it faster than the Camaro for much cheaper regardless if it's a Corolla or not. And if you think FWD isn't fast, explain the 2016 Civic Type R. The Nissan GTR LM NISMO. Even some older Civic's. Sure, RWD cars can be more fun (opinions) but FWD cars can perform if they are built to perform.

It may be stupid to you to modify this car but look at it like this? You can easily turbo a Corolla 6 speed right now and have a ton of power to play with yet, it'll still be cheaper than buying a new FRS. With a bit of suspension mods, the Corolla can perform amazingly as well and be up to par with some more expensive cars on the market around a track.

As for being unique, there is a difference between tasteful mods and "rice". You can be smart and modify the Corolla without making it look rice (proper turbo, lightweight rims and performence tires, better suspension, etc.) or you can be a child (kind of like you) and rice your.... you should get the point. And if you aren't going to do anything to your Corolla, why even comment on this thread? You don't even have any helpful info for the OP so there really isn't any point in you being here other than you getting mad over other people's projects. Anyways, good day.
I like how you think I won't be modding a Camaro. You're calling me a child and you don't know what the hell you are even talking about.

Do you even know how much it truly costs to mod a car with forced induction to compete with other cars? You better have some deep pockets.

One of my good buddies has $70,000 in his rocket bunny turbo FR-S that put down 540 rwhp on e85. One, he can't keep that power on the pavement because the FR-S is light. Two, it's not safe running those power levels on the Aisin transmission and the engine internals are a dice roll. For $95,000, I could have a brand new Z06 just about and its still faster and less problem prone since its under warranty and built for that power.

A 2016 Camaro SS 2SS can be had around $42,000 and that's 455 hp from a starting point. Plenty of headroom for mods. Not to mention it goes 0-60 in 4.0 seconds and runs a 12.3 in the quarter mile. I'd love to see someone mod a Corolla to beat that.

I understand modding and appreciate doing something different, but unless you have money trees growing, there's better choices than modding a Corolla. Hell, people LS swap FR-S/BRZ's and Miatas and they end up being $20,000 at least, if not more.

The parts in the Mustang and Camaro are made to handle more. Regular cars run into this roadblock a lot with the transmission and engine internals.

Moral of the story, you gotta pay to play. Some of us choose the route with less risk rather than the unknown.
 
#42
a 2 minute google search yields the information on the 2014-15 CVTs from the design group. I do not have it bookmarked, but I did research before purchasing my 2015 when I was comparing the L with the standard auto vs the CVT models.
I looked but no look finding. If you have time, could you send me the URL.
 
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