The cvt has one variable ratio as compared to say a 4 spd which will have 4 seperate ratio's in sink with one another. The cvt is controlled by rpm of the engine where as the 4 spd is controlled by the operator. The 4 spd will give you a much broader range as compared to the cvt since the cvt is limited by the size of the pulleys. All any transmission does is to controll the events of engine power. Look at the basic auto transmission in your car. When you take off from a light it starts out in low then when the engine rpm reaches the power curve threashold it shifts into a higher gear and your rpm's drop . If you would start out in low manually you will start with plenty of power but soon realise although the rpm's are higher you are not going any faster due to operating above the natural power range. The cvt is a great auto trans best designed for buggies for the younger kids with small displacements while keeping prices reasonable, but they are limited in their nature as compared to a 4 spd. The cvt in your buggy is designed for efficient all around driving but since you cannot shift into a lower gear ratio you tune it for your desired habits with lighter rollers. This will move the power curve lower allowing you to climb steeper grades but when you reach the threashold of the powercurve you have no other gear to shift to so you will loose top end. The only way to broaden the range of the cvt to increase both bottom end and top end is to build the motor to produce more power. Hope this give you a better understanding.
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