When Does the damn vtec kick in???????
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From: Chickamauga, Georgia, US
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When Does the damn vtec kick in???????
I just bought a 2002 civic Ex and I want to know when the Vtec kicks in? I have driven Preludes and S2000 and know that the Vtec in those cars starts at about 5200Rpm. I asked the people in service and parts at the honda dealership and the guys said Uhhh 5500Rpm 
I just thought since the car red lines at about 6500Rpm that 5500rpm does not give the car much Vtec time! any suggestions????????
I just thought since the car red lines at about 6500Rpm that 5500rpm does not give the car much Vtec time! any suggestions???????? 
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From: Gainesville, Florida, US
Rep Power: 0 It generally kicks in around 4,200 RPM. You might be low on fluid. I'd have the dealer check it out. Mine was low on fluid the day I took it off the show room floor. Sometimes its just over looked during assembly. No biggie, just have the dealer check it out for you.
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From: Daytona Beach, Florida, US
Rep Power: 349 our vtec kicks in at around 4200 to 4500 rpm depending on eninge temp, oil presure and other things. the s2000 vtec kicks in at 6000 rpm.
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From: WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, US
Rep Power: 0 Check out the Injen website. (www.injen.com) They have a dyno run of a 2k1 civic ex. You can see that the vtec really doesn't kick hard
like the rsx or s2000. In fact, I really can't tell where the hell it even kicks in. My sister has an rsx-s. It's vtec kicks like a ***** f*****.
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like the rsx or s2000. In fact, I really can't tell where the hell it even kicks in. My sister has an rsx-s. It's vtec kicks like a ***** f*****.
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From: San Diego, California, US
Rep Power: 0 << It generally kicks in around 4,200 RPM. You might be low on fluid. I'd have the dealer check it out. Mine was low on fluid the day I took it off the show room floor. Sometimes its just over looked during assembly. No biggie, just have the dealer check it out for you. >>
Fluid? What fluid? I didn't know VTEC depends on a fluid...
And our car's VTEC is not 3-stage... been discussed quite a bit on this site. Only some of the overseas Civics currently have 3-stage, and it's in a 1.5 L engine.
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From: san diego, California, US
Rep Power: 0 Thank you ronin. You have a single cam vtec. Feeling the Vtec in the S2000 is noticable because it is a dual cam Vtec. As far as feeling it in the Lude did you drive the last gen lude??? I took out one of the 01 type sh ludes and it didn't have any kick. As far as the RSX-s i had more kick than the lude but the toyota VVTL-i engine is SO much better.
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From: Los Angeles, CA
Rep Power: 0 i installed a v-tec indicator light, and my v-tec kicks in at about 3100 rpm like everytime... but i have an hx (V-TEC E Lean Burn) so i don't know if its the same as an ex
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From: San Diego, California, US
Rep Power: 0 << yea v-tec on ex kicks in around 3200 hook up a light and you will see. >>
Does it really engage that low? Thought it was much higher than that... Although, I do notice a slightly different engine pitch whenever I go past 3000... so you may be right. But still, that's pretty darn low for VTEC.
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From: Gilbert, Arizona, US
Rep Power: 0 yea I thought it kicked in at 4500 but after the whole v-afc thing I hooked up a 12 volt led to the vtec at the ecu and found it kicks in early it also depnds on oil pressure and other factors that is why we are having a hard time with the vafc.
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From: Connecticut, US
Rep Power: 0 << i installed a v-tec indicator light, and my v-tec kicks in at about 3100 rpm like everytime... but i have an hx (V-TEC E Lean Burn) so i don't know if its the same as an ex >>
My 2k2 HX kicks in at the same time, and it is noticeable. Cruisin on the highway when I hit ~3100rpm suddenly the car just pulls! I believe it's also kicked in at lower RPMs when under heavy load.
i cannot hear the vtec at all...i've driven b16as, h22as, b18c1 and c5s, f20c...those are dohc and you can hear both activate
i've also driven sohc f22bs (94-97 accord ex), d16z6s (92-95 civic si), d16y8 (96-00 civic ex) and you can hear them with a short ram...i can't hear my d17 at all?...why is that?
i've also driven sohc f22bs (94-97 accord ex), d16z6s (92-95 civic si), d16y8 (96-00 civic ex) and you can hear them with a short ram...i can't hear my d17 at all?...why is that?
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From: kansas city, Missouri, US
Rep Power: 0 i got a stock 2k2 ex and i can't tell when mine kicks in, i get a little bit of a different tone around 4-4.5k but thats it.
i raced a 6th gen si the other day and i could tell when his kicked in, prolly around 5-6k. my window was down and he had some loud @$$ exhaust, when it engaged it just exploded and bout scared the poo outta me. I held with him thru 1st, dropped back a lil thru 2nd, and i couldn't even tell that i missed 3rd cause it was so loud.(missed 3rd cause i had a loose shift fork, not even 3k on motor,took it into honda and they couldn't tell what caused it to come loose so th gave me a new tranny. very cool but i had an escort fo a rental. kinda makes you enjoy the finer things in life).
i raced a 6th gen si the other day and i could tell when his kicked in, prolly around 5-6k. my window was down and he had some loud @$$ exhaust, when it engaged it just exploded and bout scared the poo outta me. I held with him thru 1st, dropped back a lil thru 2nd, and i couldn't even tell that i missed 3rd cause it was so loud.(missed 3rd cause i had a loose shift fork, not even 3k on motor,took it into honda and they couldn't tell what caused it to come loose so th gave me a new tranny. very cool but i had an escort fo a rental. kinda makes you enjoy the finer things in life).
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From: Utah, while roaming Montana, Idaho and Wyoming
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<< dude we have the vtec similar to some of the accords.... one intake valve until 2500rpm, then a slightly higher cam at 4500ish >>
dudes, in fact we dont have a vtec cam at all we are VTEC E and hee's the clip from the TOV asia
VTEC-E
A novel implementation of VTEC in SOHC engines is the VTEC-E implementation (E for Economy). VTEC-E uses the principle of swirling to promote more efficient air-and-fuel mixing in the engine chambers. VTEC-E works by deactivating one intake valve. Examine the diagram below.
In the SOHC VTEC-E implementation, only one intake cam-lobe is implemented on the camshaft. Actually it is really a flat "ring". In operation this means the relevant rocker arm will not be activated causing the engine to effectively work in 12-valve mode. This promotes a swirl action during the intake cycle. VTEC is used to activate the inactive valve, making the engine work in 16-valve mode in more demanding and higher rpm conditions. Honda was able to implement air-fuel mixture ratios of more than 20:1 in VTEC-E during the 12-valve operating mode. The SOHC VTEC-E engined EG-series Civic ETi is able to return fuel consumptions of as good as 20km/litre or better!!
SOHC VTEC implemented for power is often mistaken as SOHC VTEC-E which is implemented for economy. It is worthwhile to note that the 1.5l SOHC VTEC-E used in the JDM Honda Civic ETi produces 92ps. This is in fact less than that produced by the standard 1.5l SOHC engine's 100ps which uses dual Keihin side-draft carburettors. SOHC VTEC in the D15B produces 130ps. This is 30% more than the standard SOHC implementation !
so to all the VTEC inhibited dx and lx owners out there, an ex head will DETUNE you engine, not improve it
<< dude we have the vtec similar to some of the accords.... one intake valve until 2500rpm, then a slightly higher cam at 4500ish >>
dudes, in fact we dont have a vtec cam at all we are VTEC E and hee's the clip from the TOV asia
VTEC-E
A novel implementation of VTEC in SOHC engines is the VTEC-E implementation (E for Economy). VTEC-E uses the principle of swirling to promote more efficient air-and-fuel mixing in the engine chambers. VTEC-E works by deactivating one intake valve. Examine the diagram below.
In the SOHC VTEC-E implementation, only one intake cam-lobe is implemented on the camshaft. Actually it is really a flat "ring". In operation this means the relevant rocker arm will not be activated causing the engine to effectively work in 12-valve mode. This promotes a swirl action during the intake cycle. VTEC is used to activate the inactive valve, making the engine work in 16-valve mode in more demanding and higher rpm conditions. Honda was able to implement air-fuel mixture ratios of more than 20:1 in VTEC-E during the 12-valve operating mode. The SOHC VTEC-E engined EG-series Civic ETi is able to return fuel consumptions of as good as 20km/litre or better!!
SOHC VTEC implemented for power is often mistaken as SOHC VTEC-E which is implemented for economy. It is worthwhile to note that the 1.5l SOHC VTEC-E used in the JDM Honda Civic ETi produces 92ps. This is in fact less than that produced by the standard 1.5l SOHC engine's 100ps which uses dual Keihin side-draft carburettors. SOHC VTEC in the D15B produces 130ps. This is 30% more than the standard SOHC implementation !
so to all the VTEC inhibited dx and lx owners out there, an ex head will DETUNE you engine, not improve it
i don't know if the 1.7 got the hx's vtec-e (1st article)...but i did find an article talking about tuning the ex model's vtec for fuel efficiency (2nd article)
The Coupe can be had as a DX, LX, EX or an HX, which features Honda's high-efficiency VTEC-E Lean Burn engine (CVT is available as an option on the HX Coupe)
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadt...5/article.html
For 2001, the VTEC system on EX models has been retuned for improved fuel efficiencyhttp://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadt...6/article.html
The Coupe can be had as a DX, LX, EX or an HX, which features Honda's high-efficiency VTEC-E Lean Burn engine (CVT is available as an option on the HX Coupe)
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadt...5/article.html
For 2001, the VTEC system on EX models has been retuned for improved fuel efficiencyhttp://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadt...6/article.html
Originally posted by Ronin
<< It generally kicks in around 4,200 RPM. You might be low on fluid. I'd have the dealer check it out. Mine was low on fluid the day I took it off the show room floor. Sometimes its just over looked during assembly. No biggie, just have the dealer check it out for you. >>
Fluid? What fluid? I didn't know VTEC depends on a fluid...
And our car's VTEC is not 3-stage... been discussed quite a bit on this site. Only some of the overseas Civics currently have 3-stage, and it's in a 1.5 L engine.
<< It generally kicks in around 4,200 RPM. You might be low on fluid. I'd have the dealer check it out. Mine was low on fluid the day I took it off the show room floor. Sometimes its just over looked during assembly. No biggie, just have the dealer check it out for you. >>
Fluid? What fluid? I didn't know VTEC depends on a fluid...
And our car's VTEC is not 3-stage... been discussed quite a bit on this site. Only some of the overseas Civics currently have 3-stage, and it's in a 1.5 L engine.
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The older gen civics kick in around 3K rpms and you can actually hear it. In the newer civics they got rid of the noise and I'm pretty sure it kicks in around 4200-4500 rpms. I used to be able to feel mine when the car was newer. Then I found out my plugs were bad, so I'm ordering new ones. Maybe that'll help some. Also, you won't feel it as much with an intake on. Stock is more noticable from personal experience.
