It is probably possible with enough money/effort, but it would likely be much cheaper to sell/trade your CVT equipped Patriot and buy one with the 6-speed auto. The depreciation hit on a nearly new vehicle sucks, but will still likely be substantially less then the replacement cost of the transmission (especially since more would be needed for switching from one type to another, wiring harness, PCM reprogram/replacement, etc.).

 

Suck it up! Its just a gear-box with fewer gears. You'll get used to it. (Do you really want to feel those bumps between gears?)
I prefer the CVT. It has the convenience of an automatic and the control of a manual. Drive it easy -- its not a racing car. :Racing:

 

There are no gears in a cvt...like the title of the thread says, it's basically a "rubber band" on 2 sticks.
I'm in the camp with Wes, love my patriot, hate the CVT. But not enough to just dump the car right now...I'll get a newer model Patriot in 2-3 years with a 6 speed....

 

I have had some CVT transmissions and never did like them---don't know why I bought a second one. But now I have the 6 speed in my current Patriot and it shifts really smooth---now my Kl may have a few "bumps" but not bad in the 9 speed.

 

I agree with Dmill89, you would spend A LOT more money on doing a swap than you would taking a hit on selling yours and buying one with a 6 speed.

Or you learn to live with it... my wife didn't ever notice that the transmission was different from any other automatic she's ever driven. I forgot about it after making some slight adjustments to my driving style.

 

I wouldn't have noticed the difference either. And while the Patriot isn't a racing vehicle(according to build & price on dodge website, a Hellcat costs at least $66k), some Formula 1 teams did want to use a CVT for their cars, because it's smoother, more efficient, doesn't have to shift, etc. But the F1 bigwigs said no, it's too big an advantage.....something similar once happened with NASCAR and the first Hemi, from what I hear. It's a superior tech, though I'll admit it could use a little attention.

 

. . . some Formula 1 teams did want to use a CVT for their cars, because it's smoother, more efficient, doesn't have to shift, etc. But the F1 bigwigs said no, it's too big an advantage.

I kinda thought the point of racing, particularly NASCAR*, was to prove how good the company's technology is. If someone discovers that the CVT is better, it should be their prerogative to race it. Just like the hemi: someone found a way to get more power out of an engine by improving the air/fuel mix and maximizing combustion -- so let 'em run with it. Same thing with the CVT, its not an unfair advantage, its a technological advance. Don't get me started on restrictor plates . . .

*What part of stock car don't they understand?

 

"Oh, it has to be fair...." Yeah, because competition is so much more fun overall when you don't have to work as hard for a victory, right? Even the body revamp of the Monte Carlo in '00 had to be aerodynamically slowed down for NASCAR because it was "too slippery", haha. Not sure when racing stopped using factory cars, probably not long after the Superbird phase, haha.

Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, the CVT is a steel band if I recall correctly, or at least reinforced with steel, so technically not quite a rubber band.

 

You didn't, umm, take one for a test drive before buying?

 

A very good question. I drove a Ford Exploder, I mean Explorer, and thought it was unstable long before all that negative publicity about it. I drove a Dodge Avenger and didn't care for the ride -- unbelievably my Patriot rides better. That's what test drives are for.

 

I am in agreement with others that criticisms of the CVT are greatly exaggerated. I was very concerned/reserved about buying a Patriot because of all the CVT bashing, but my parents used to drive a Mitsubishi Outlander with a CVT and a 4 cylinder, and while I wasn't real high on it, I didn't think it was horrible. After putting more than 500 miles on my new 2016 Patriot, the drive feels much more refined to me than the Outlander. Indeed, if you don't drive like a meathead, you'd be hard pressed to distinguish between a CVT and a conventional automatic. Arguably, the CVT is just as smooth a ride, if not smoother, than conventional.

One thing I've noticed about my Jeep is that it sits much higher in the RPM range than I am used to. I don't know if that is solely a function of the CVT or the lower gearing of the FDII (or both).

 

Lower gearing of the FDII. the final drive is lower on the FDII than on any of the other Patriots that's where the L comes in.

If you go up in tire size a bit, it will help bring the RPM's a bit at freeway speeds, and improve MPG's, The trick is to get as light of tire as possible. the ones i got were VERY heavy, nearly twice as heavy as the stock tires. Not good for acceleration from a stop.

 

All the more reason to upgrade the tires!

Haha, yeah, CVT is sweet, but I don't want it to be "refined", per se, ya know?

OK, how about comfortable? That isn't so bad is it? :grin2:

 

Haha, yeah, CVT is sweet, but I don't want it to be "refined", per se, ya know?

 

Yeah, "familiar", "comfortable", etc, much better.

 

Hopefully I can upgrade the tires sooner than later. Sounds like sticking with the stock rims is really going to limit my tire choices, unless I get a lift.

 

Thanks for all the input on this thread. I really like the body style of my PAT and the solid ride it has. If I were to go for a swap of transmissions I might as well go ahead with my dream drivetrain in my PAT: Fuel Injected 289 Ford, C4 Transmission, with a B&M Z-Gate Shifter, Mustang II 8 inch rear with 4.11 gearing and an EATON posi-trac, 16" wide by 30" diameter rear MT Street Series tires, oh, and yes, a roll cage and wheelie bars!!! All that I and the stock bright white paint from the factory, what a sleeper!! See ya!

 

Lol, if I was to put that much power in a Patriot, I'd probably try for a Chevy 350, 454, or the Hellcat engine. Maybe a 396, like in a '67 Camaro.

 

I don't think any of those would fit anywhere near into the engine bay of the patriot... its actually quite small.

 

Sawzall exists for a reason

 

An engine develops its most HP in a small RPM band.
A manual and even traditional automatic transmission bounces around this band. Rev up, up shift revs drop, rev up again, up shift...

A CVT allows you to keep the revs up at the max hp. It might be "whinny" or "annoyingly loud", but that just means you are consistently at the power producing RPM instead of being under, at, then over, under, at, over....

The challenge is to adjust your response to your senses. You've been indoctrinated to believe that you need to have the rev up, shift rev drop, rev up, shift rev drop to "go fast". Adjust your thinking and you'll be fine.

Apply the pedal with smooth force at take-off, get it to an RPM of 3-3.5k, and then continue to press the pedal to maintain that RPM (keep it at the power and the transmission will "catch up").... you'll be going fast soon enough (it is a small 4 banger after all).

It isn't exactly the same, but I compare the sound/feel to a boat. There is no shifting and you don't slam the throttle at take-off. "Ease" into power and stay into it.