During trainingsessions on steep climbs like Alto de l’Angliru I found that my Wahoo Kickr did not seem to increase the resistance above gradients around 15-16%. During short steep sections on punchy climbs it also did not really seem to match my real life experiences when riding the same gear ratios. According to the specifications the Wahoo Kickr should be able to simulate gradients up to 20%. Is there anyone else who found this?
Gradient simulation spec is based on a rider weight of 75kgs (iirc). If you’re tipping the scales above that it might be maxing out at a few % lower than max spec. More on this here.
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Also depending on the trainer and environment etc, if the trainer is super hot it might not apply more braking force as a means of protection. Mine (a cheaper trainer) definitely starts to run out of beans after a hard effort up the Alp on Zwift (especially tough due to the lower flywheel speeds). At the beginning you really feel those 12% pinches but by the end really you don’t feel anything more than 8 or 9.
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Thanks for the confirmation of what I suspected 
My bodyweight is around 72 kg and never more than 75 kgs… I suspect it either has to do with wear on the trainer or otherwise heating of the restitance unit. Especially on longer climbs it does get very hot.