It was achieved only during bench tests
AvtoVAZ talked about how the Chinese WLY CVT18 variator copes with overheating. This model, which has proven itself in Chery cars, is now installed in the Lada Vesta NG.
Overheating of the variator can occur when slipping in sand, driving in the mountains with a trailer and other long-term heavy loads. AvtoVAZ was unable to overheat the Lada Vesta NG CVT during endurance tests in Sochi and other cities of the Russian Federation. However, this was done during bench tests.
We were unable to reproduce those modes in such serious conditions, both in the mountains and with a trailer and at high temperatures. The only place where we could test in such modes was only on bench tests, when we artificially created huge overloads.
Oleg Grunenkov, director of the Lada Vesta project
The heat exchanger of the WLY CVT18 variator is slightly smaller than that of the Jatco variator, which was installed on the Lada Vesta until 2022, but its efficiency is very good. It received an increased volume of transmission oil to 7.2 liters with a low temperature threshold (-40"C). This gives a good operating range of oil temperature in the variator from -40 to +120 degrees.
The WLY CVT18 variator received three stages of protection against oil overheating:
- if the oil temperature in the transmission is more than 125 degrees, the electronics reduces the engine speed and does not allow the engine to develop speeds above 3500 rpm;
- At a temperature of 125 to 131 degrees, a warning indicator lights up on the instrument panel, indicating that the variator is operating in difficult conditions;
- If the temperature rises to 135 degrees, the electronics limit the torque to 50 Nm and do not allow the box to be overloaded.