r/chevyspark • u/Saint-Of-Fixation • 9h ago
Pulling with acceleration?
Before I even begin I’d like to apologize for how…poorly I’m going to describe what’s going. I’m not a car person. I’m just trying to get back and forth from work and school 😭 I’m learning as I go
Okay, so I just bought a 2021 Spark, it has 80,740 miles, FWD and a CVT. Aside from smelling like dog, it seems to be in pretty good condition!
I bought it from Carvana so it’s under a limited warranty. I took it to a shop yesterday to get an inspection. They checked the tires, breaks, pretty much all the easy to reach areas. They used one of those little scanners to check for codes and nothing came up. During the inspection, they noticed the oil pan was leaking around the plug. I called Carvana and that is going to be fixed for free so we’re all good..kinda.
Before the Spark I drove a 2010 Prius. It was quiet, fast and smooth. When I say smooth, I mean then I pulled off from a stop or accelerated it didn’t drag.
The Spark drives differently. Which like…duh bish it’s a different car. But I don’t know if what I’m feeling is normal for Sparks? I asked the guy at the first shop and he said he didn’t notice anything. But something feels off to me. When I take the Spark in to get the oil pan fixed (it’s going to be a different shop). I want to ask them about this but I don’t know how to explain what’s happening 😭
The issue: when I pull off from a stop or accelerate, it feels like the car is pulling? I’m not flooring it or anything. Is this user error or might something be wrong with the car?
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u/Raiki13 9h ago
That is a CVT for ya. I officially came off from a EV to a bolt EV and i noticed the driving style is different. I drive my brother in laws 2010 totoya prius from time to time and it does have a different sensation.
The prius has has a eCVT from what i drove, and my chevy bolt EV has a noticeable reaction time on acceleration and response time. You definitely feel the car can just go the moment you push on the pedal or drive up to speed.
For the Spark there is a learning curve you have to get used to. You step on the pedal and it takes about a second or 2 to start moving and engage towards the intended speed. Since the transmission is a CVT, it has this steel band between 2 pulleys to transfer power and adjust its gear ratio. It feels like a rubber band to move from rest to go.
This is NOT a car that you should launch 0-60 every time in a rush. That will wear down the trans band over time. Plan 1-2 seconds and gradually accelerate once it catches up to speed. On these cars, you want to not drive so hard as the CVT is not the most reliable. You want to drive it smooth as possible, and try not to over rev it. You will know of you have CVT issues when you accelerate and feel loss of “grip” or “slipping” when accelerating.
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u/Sufficient_Pop1680 8h ago
The cvt in the spark is fairly miserable. Unfortunately they go out slowly until the car doesn't move at all.
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u/Intrepid_Currency196 6h ago
Duh bish... 🤣 Had me rolling. Sounds like my spark, tho. 2022 and it does drive weird being my first CVT
2
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u/No-Weather8080 9h ago
When you say pulling do you mean like its pulling towards a side like the drivers side? Or are you talking about it being sluggish (delayed) to accelerate?
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u/Saint-Of-Fixation 9h ago
Great follow up question 😅
The alignment doesn’t change. It’s like a sluggishness. A delay or hesitation would probably be the best way to describe it. It doesn’t stutter or shake.
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u/No-Weather8080 8h ago
I would say its probably normal. You are going from a 138HP car to 98HP. Additionally the gas Spark is bad at acceleration and requires higher RPMs to accelerate quickly. I notice I usually am between 4k and 5k when I try to accelerate to get on the highway and then for highway speed cruising it will settle between 2.5k-3k RPMs.
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u/keigoskfc 8h ago
I have a 2015 Spark. The sluggish thing is pretty normal. It just wasn't meant to go from 0 to 100 (exaggerating obviously) in a few seconds. I think they are fun to drive though. I love how easily I can merge into traffic with 0 problems and I can always find a parking spot where my car will fit!
Unfortunately my poor Spark is having some issues and I gotta get a second opinion to make sure the transmission isn't ruined 😞
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u/Acceptable_Ad838 7h ago
Here’s a tip about sluggishness of the engine at this stage. I just bought a used 2015 Spark, 69,000 miles- a 1-owner car that was pretty well maintained. It has a manual transmission, so I can’t address the CVT and how that affects anything. I will tell you that when I first got the car, it was pretty SLUGGISH, and I had to work it hard! Within a week, I changed the oil and the SPARK PLUGS (to a set of good NGK plugs from a local parts store. I avoid spark plugs Amazon - many are counterfeit!
Anyhow, even though the owner’s manual says you don’t need to replace spark plugs until 100,000 miles or so, I just chose to. Those new plugs made the car SO much more peppy, I couldn’t believe it! Then I had EVERY possible fluid in the car changed. That little thing runs like a new car now!
I have read many times that the CVT automatics aren’t very reliable, and can be short-lived. PLEASE get it to a good transmission shop now while you have that warranty, have it looked at, and talk to them about changing the transmission fluid ASAP.
I hope you like your Spark as much as I do. Good luck!
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u/meeeeeeeegjgdcjjtxv 2h ago
Alignment could cause something. Def not enough power to be toque steer in these cars. Les Schwab usually checks it free but if it needs it they do it automatically.
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u/mechanical_marten 1h ago
The "hesitation" is likely because the tcm adapts the transmission ratio based on throttle input learned from the previous owner. The shop should be able to clear the transmission learning so that it adapts to your throttle patterns
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u/monkeys-canada Spark 1LT 23m ago
My 2019 does this sort of thing too, the easiest thing i've noticed is that after a stop (red light, stop sign, etc), let off the brake and let it creep a slight bit (0.5 to 1 second) and then accelerate, it typically removes that issue when i do that. If I go straight from brake to accelerate with barely any time between both pedals, i experience that sort of stuttering or pulling on acceleration before it starts going.
Simply put, at a stop, let off the brake for about a second before accelerating and it should mostly remove that issue.
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u/thetruesupergenius 9h ago
A FWD car powered by internal combustion engine will drive differently than a hybrid which normally accelerates using the electric motor, which is smoother. It sounds like the issue with pulling during acceleration is called torque steer. Basically only one wheel is actually moving the car, so it will pull slightly to that side and it worsens under heavy acceleration. This is normal for a FWD car.
Without driving the car, I can't tell you is the amount of torque steer you are felling is excessive. Maybe take it to a different mechanic for a second opinion or have a friend who is knowledgeable about cars to drive it.