The owner of another CVT Lancer CS3 also commented that with Surbo, acceleration was better and hill climbing was easier. The wheels had been upsized and he had lost power.
A Honda Jazz owner, who had been using a vacuum meter, had the Surbo installed in his car. He noted that during acceleration from rest, the meter did not deflect clockwise all the way to near zero vacuum, indicating that the accelerator did not have to be pressed as much as before. Meaning, the Surbo provided more low rpm power. Also, he could cruise at a lower rpm compared to before Surbo, and he could also get the gearbox to kick down more easily.
There will be fuel saving, like for the around-2009 Honda Jazz, Fit, City and Airwave. All of these have the same air intake as shown below:
See this page: Lower Fuel Consumption
The Surbo has also been fitted with the 2014 Honda City 1.5, with the owner reporting fuel consumption of up to 25 km/l (from 16 km/l) on the North-South Malaysian highway. This is probably due to the CVT gearbox latching on to higher gear ratios for high speeds. City driving in Singapore was between 14.5 to 15 km/l.
The Surbo is running on a 2016 Honda HRV whose owner said previously could not rev past 2000 rpm even with a heavy foot. However, with just a light press, the rpm would reach 3000 rpm easily with the Surbo. The Vezel is similar. Its hybrid version was also equipped with Surbo, and the owner said the hesitation and engine holding back when the accelerator was released during driving was gone. This is because the Surbo maintains the engine back pressure that occurs when the accelerator is released, pushing the vehicle further.
On a 2016 Honda Shuttle, the owner commented that before Surbo was installed, there was a distinct first gear ratio where revs had to be high before a second gear ratio followed. With the Surbo, the transmission became seamless. The reason was additional torque, allowing extra ratios to be taken up in between, with lower revs. A 2015 Honda Fit 1.3 has been fitted with Surbo, and being lightweight, it was pretty accelerative.
The Surbo has been fitted on several Honda Civic FC 1.6 CVT models from 2016. The acceleration was more punchy and instant.
The 2007 Mercedes A class turbo was fitted with Surbo. It brought back some of the turbo's drama. The owner, satisfied, asked for another Surbo to form a Twin Surbo but there was insufficient space.
The Mitsubishi Outlander was able to pick up from standstill with about 1500 rpm, versus 2000 rpm before installing the Surbo. This was because of added torque from the Surbo. The lady owner said it was much smoother to drive.
A Nissan Latio 1.5 CVT (engine shown below) turned up with an extra hot engine. The owner said that there were knocking noises when he accelerated. After the Surbo was installed, he noted that the knocking noises were gone. The accelerator felt lighter, and he was actually pressing less so the tendency for over-fueling, and therefore knocking, had decreased. Through a corner, he said that the power did not slump as before. The reason is that easing off the accelerator closes the throttle, which forms a back pressure to charge the Surbo (similar to the Vezel hybrid situation above). The gearbox would also find a lower ratio more readily when he accelerated while cruising.
The Nissan NV200 1.6 petrol Vanette and similarly-engined Renault Fluence are also running on Surbos. The owner of a 2015 Nissan Sylphy that the rubber-band effect of the CVT was gone with Surbo on.
The 2017 Subaru Impreza 1.6 got a Surbo in its pipe. It was free revving up to 5000 rpm, and kicked down readily, even through a corner, which would be fun as it would be possible to get some extra turn-in, and to exit the bend faster.
The 2010 Toyota Wish 1.8 and 2.0 with CVT have also been fitted with Surbo. One brother had brought the other after saving fuel and getting better performance. The 2016 Harrier 2.0 is also running on Surbo, and the owner said the acceleration was much better, having been slow previously.
Others on this list are:
Honda Freed 2009 and 2019, Mobilio.
Infiniti Q30 1.6 2017.
Mitsubishi Attrage/ Spacestar, ASX.
Nissan Qashqai 1.2, Pulsar 1.2, 2006 Nissan La Festa 2.0.
Subaru XV 1.6, 2013 Subaru Impreza 1.6, 2016 Subaru Forester 2.0 XT and 2.5 Outback.
2008 Suzuki 1.2 Swift
Toyota Ractis, Allion 1.5, Vanguard 2.4 and 2016 Voxy 2.0.
If you also have a CVT vehicle and wish to have more driving enjoyment, please come and try the Surbo.
The downside of CVT vehicles is a lack of perceived acceleration, as if the gearbox is slipping. The engine does not seem to respond quickly to commands from the right foot. Also, as most engines, especially sixteen valve ones, have their torque peak at around 4000 rpm, most CVT vehicle owners will not be getting maximum acceleration. It is possible that since CVT gearboxes will not rev high due to using high gear ratios, in cases of hard pressing on the accelerator, there might be overfueling since the engine stays longer at a lower rpm. This could lead to carbon deposits, and possible engine knocking later (as in the case of the Latio above). The belt tension could be considerably higher, than say, if more rpm is allowed, which allows the acceleration phase to be over sooner. It's like, if you ride on a bicycle, but if you choose too high a gear, not only do you feel more physical stress, use more energy, take longer to accelerate, but your chain is more likely to break. In such instances, it is better to select a lower gear, cycle a few more turns and get to a higher speed sooner, at which you can select a very high gear ratio and cruise comfortably.
The Surbo will bring the torque peak down to just 3300 rpm (versus the usual 4000 rpm for non-turbo engines), according to the dyno tests. The torque and horsepower (dyno test) will be greater too, at all engine speeds. It will give you a new driving experience. Contact us to put a Surbo on your car.
Watch the video above showing how an engine revs with Surbo. Or watch it with the How it works page.
Above: video of Volvo XC90 T8 with Surbo, sprinting to 130 kph.
Above: video of Volvo XC90 T8 with Surbo, sprinting to 211 kph.
Above: video of Volvo XC90 T8 with Surbo, sprinting to 224 kph.
More torque and BHP (dyno test)
Quick revving (1/2 throttle to RPM limit)
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