vtec kick

Umm...it never 'kicks in' the system is always on...The point at which it switches which intake lobes are used varies depending on engine speed and oil pressure(And likely a couple more thing I don't know about). The switch will usually happen between 4200-5500 rpm if you stomp on the gas, but will be lower if you're cruising on the highway... Granted I'm less familiar with the Honda system than with other brands... Anyone know more on the subject?

A friend of mine has a Honda Accord which is similar to the civic and use the same single over head cam on the EX Coupe. He has modified the V-tech to a switch which is located under the steering collum. You do feel a "Kick" when he switches it over at higher RPMs. However at low end u dont notice the difference.

lol... hahah MY VTACKKK HITS WHEN I HI BEAM YO!. I love people who modify vtec engagement points. They are a lot smarter than the Honda engineers. Of course you're not going to feel low end it was designed/factory tuned for higher lift during top end. To the OP:: You're civic coupe has the d16y8 single vtec. Most people can't "feel" their vtec "kick" in. Vtec should be a smooth crossover. This is normal for single cams unless you have some bolt-ons then, you might actually 'hear' your vtec engagement. non the less vtec engagement should be around 5500. OEM tach might be off a few hundred revolutions.

most motors with vtec it hits around 4500 to 5000 but with a single cam it really doesnt matter what you do you really cant feel the dfference....get a dual cam and you can

S.O.H.C is poor mans D.O.H.C!!! u cant really feel the difference so there is no point in changing the engagement point really

On my civic the v-tech kicks in at 6000 RPM and u can feel and hear the difference.....

SOHC VTEC engages at 3800 RPM accd to my engine professor and the honda training video on VTEC

SOHC VTEC only has VTEC on the intake valves, you won't really hear or feel it, and you shouldn't, it is supposed to be very smooth. SOHC VTEC engages around 5500 RPM.

Dude...you sooooo need to do your homework before you talk crap about a sohc vtec. Mine isn't the biggest or baddest, but if you jump me with a B16, it had better not be stock. I will hand him his ass with YES...a SOHC VTEC!

Best case situation, B series engine is best. But..they have drawbacks when it comes to a civic swap. EXPENSIVE!Dude...don't let these guys tell you that a sohc vtec has no guts! You will need to do some tuning but with a few modifications, you can scare the shit out of a stock or slightly modified B16. Also, performance parts for the sohc are less expensive and the engines are inexpensive and plentiful if you damage one. Upgrade the air intake system, complete exhaust upgrade to include the cat converter, get a Zdyne ECU upgrade from HA Sport. Lose the stock camshaft and get a better one for bottom end. 1st chance you get, replace the clutch with a very good one and install a lightened flywheel. Granted, you won't be able to do all this at once, it took me about 10 years of normal wear and tear to get mine where it is. Be careful whom you take advise from regarding tuner cars...a lot of these guys don't know as much as they "think" they do.

i definitely agree... I kno sooo many dudes that run single-V swaps and can clean up a decent running LSmotor easy!

wow dude, some one wit some soch knowledge. sweet and props to the old skool whip wat is that. ef or crx.

Vtec = 'Variable Timing Engine Control'. There is no 'vtec kick'.

nice work man im curious as to what kind of civic this is and what all you have done to it SOHC and still looking good and running good im guessing i dont like the meanstreet sticker tho, personal opinion on that one haha

Now you know 1991 CRX SI...full detail at cardomain.com..."pitbullcrx"

not shabby im not a big fan of the paint or spoiler but to each his own and sorry if it sounds like im ragging on your ride i dont mean to

Seeing that you aren't showing what you're driving doesn't bother me at all. The paint gives it individuality and the wing was the only one that flowed with the body. I verifed it in a wind tunnel. So if I was concerned about your opinion...it certainly does not matter to me what you think. I was merely addressing your question.

CRX..it appeared in Sports Compact Car magazine...and it's available for sale.

That's because the LS engine has only 140 horses. Plus the peak torque is higher than a SOHC VTEC. The JDM SOHC VTEC is 130 horses but it reaches peak torque much faster and will deliver that 130 a LOT quicker than the LS can deliver the full 140.

not bad, very clean ride. man i dig it. i like individuality. u showed wat u drive and now its my turn

im not saying anything bad against your car i like that it has your own taste and touch i like seeing in that cars and i deffinitely like the fact that the spoiler actually works for you and just isnt there looks like i seem on car driving around all the timie and to be fair ill show what im driving too

and heres the engine

SWEET!!!

I always liked Integras. My best friend has a 1999 GSR he bought from the showroom. He installed a Greddy Turbo with Intercooler. It's pretty wicked. I planned to put a JR supercharger on mine but decided against the final modification. I've got waaaay too much tied up in the car to ever recover it.

i want to put a greddy turbo set up with intercooler in mine that would be in the distant future lots of other things i would need and want to do before hand supercharged honda? dont see too many of those but the ones i have seen are pretty bad ass

Agreed; a turbo car will ultimately build the most horsepower. For drag racing applications, a twin turbo set up is tough to beat. However, for everyday street use, I'd personally pass on the aftermarket turbocharger. They create too much heat; there's turbo lag and if you iron out all of the drawbacks that come with a turbo, it's really more trouble than it's worth. Unless you're running hard, you'll not build boost. The exceptions would be the factory turbo cars like the Lancer and WRX...they have gotten it right. With the supercharger, it won't generate the ultimate numbers of a turbo. BUT...you eliminate about 80% of the turbo issues and you have the power when you plant your foot. This isn't intended to upset anyone, it's just my opinion.

5500rpm

all very good points and taken into consideration

wrong jackass! vtec kick bitch. when ur below the right RPM you are running on a normal lobe on the cam shaft. when the vtec seli hits over 4,000 RPMs it raises the oil pressure then activates the cam shaft to use the bigger lobe on the cam shaft "vtec lobe" which opens the intake and exhaust valve longer so it allows more air into the motor.

yo dont be nocking D blocks. ive seen some very hefty D blocks. like low 12's in a quarter.

no flaming here..... on my 2006 civic 1.8, you can notice a small surge of power between 3400rpm and 3600rpm. who knows how accurate the tach is????

On any D16Y8 motor in a civic ex of the sixth generation, you will find 127 horsepower and 107 foot pounds of torque at the crankshaft. The Honda v-tec system on the SOHC D16 uses oil pressure to lift the intake valves just a little higher by using a secondary intake cam grind. This allows smaller engines, like the D16 to have high end power. The "kick in" point, or engagement, however you call it, is at 5300 rpm, shortly followed by peak torque at 5500rpm. Peak horsepower arrives at 6500 rpm. The red line is at 7000 and fuel cuts off at about 7250. A good time to shift for performance driving, ie drag racing, autocross, ect. is just before red line. If done correctly, the revs will drop down and be right in the middle of the power band in the next gear, ready to do it all over again. Hoped that helped, and are as much of an enthusisust as myself

well guys i have a honda d16z6 engine and i really need help modifying it..i'm new in this and want to get in some racing..did alot of racin on stock bt i think finallyp i can strt with a few mods..plz help me..

You're gonna get a LOT of people telling you to by-pass the SOHC VTEC and get a DOHC instead. They would be correct, but...that's what every one has for the most part. I chose the SOHC because they are plentiful and inexpensive to replace if damaged. A low mile JDM SOHC VTEC is obtainable for about 600.00; try getting a DOHC for that! The D16Z6 is about the BEST domestic SOHC VTEC that Honda ever made. The JDM version has 5 more flywheel HP and a better torque curve. The easiest and most bang for the buck will be air intake, complete exhaust revamp to include the catalyst converter (no straight pipe PLEASE!) and a computer upgrade. HA Sport does the Zdyne upgrade which is best; Jet is also a good choice. If you have the money to invest, change the camshaft and go with a lightened flywheel and very good clutch. Zex makes an affordable cam and ACT makes an affordable flywheel. I personally like the Centerforce DF Clutch; and, it too is reasonable. The problem with SOHC engines is the bottom end. Once you get momentum, they do quite well. If you decide to go with nitrous, go no more than 40% of your flywheel HP..a 55 shot is good. It's advisable to upgrade the ignition system if you do spray. If you have further questions, please let me know.As far as racing goes, you have to decide how much "giddy-up" you really have before you get into any races. I've taken on B16's and a few B18's and beat them. I do pick and choose my races. If they are running stock, I can generally beat them on motor. They will almost always come in over confident because it "just a SOHC." I've made a LOT of money off those guys!

well thankx alot logan dude..and yes i have plentyyyyy of questions...can i have ur msn id or yahoo so tht i could contact u and u cud help me with my car...i wud really appreciate it..thanx

pitbullcrx@yahoo.com

No no no. VTEC = Variable Valve Timing and Electronic lift Control. And there is a kick in. The system works on demand. The system is activated when you reach a certain RPM( I have an accord they differ with the motor), oil pressure and speed. The system works off oil pressure and is engaged by a VTEC solenoid. It locks the rocker arms to allow for a quick burst of power.

5700 rpms is the engagement point on stock p28 ecu's...

I love it when ppl say things like this "u cant really feel the difference so there is no point in changing the engagement point really".. got a 93 d16z6, bolt ons, ( intake, header, Exhaust,) tuned cu and you bet ur ass i feel a diff as oppose to when it was bone stock. the engine definately woke up. it's not really in feeling a difference. on any vtec motor. once u add bolt ons, ur removing the stock highly restrictive exhaust system. if u have a tunable ecu, it's best to bring the vtec down a few 100 rpms which is actually what is done when your tuning, hence makes the engine feel more alive. the tuner finds where the engine makes most power and adjusts the VTEC engagement point accordingly!!!! tuning is always key to performance. just slap a bunch of things on. and drive. you really wont feel much. do all that and tune, a diff will be felt!!!. Yes it's not cheap to do (tuning) usually 200-300 for a few dyno pulls+adjustments.

If you feel the kick in, its probably a bad thing. That's why you lower the engagement point so that there is a smooth transition. Vtec like all other systems work to ensure valve movement efficiency through the revs. You should feel the linear power curve of a NA engine, not a rush of power as though you had turbo lag. If you feel the transition it means that valve movement wasn't optimal in the rev range before the switch.

i gotta say, you dont really "feel" the kick that much whether it is STOCK d or b series actually... but tuned d's are easier and cheaper to modify, get bolt on parts and change the exhaust system, chances are you get a considerable rise in rpm at high end torque... i've been wondering about the same thing, until i got all the bolt ons, boost, cold air and porting i noticed a slight so-called "kick" when i floor it...probably because i have a tuned AT gearbox with "overdrive" and lightweight flywheel ...and i guess it might be different with manual transmission civics...mine doesnt go as fast as manuals in quarter mile gauges but i sure have the slight advantage in throttle response/acceleration... in a b series it would be different, sure you will feel the change in engine response but having a bigger engine (so probably it will have low end torque at higher speeds, depends on the mods) but still a low peak torque compared to the d series...it'llprobably lead at first but when you start shifting up, it'll give you lesser acceleration... the thing is, try gauging a tuner civic with sohc against a slightly tuned (or even so) one with dohc vtec in a shorter straight line course, you'll know what i mean... many tuners would think that d series engines are weak and trash but hey, size isnt everything...

Size is everything when it comes to natural aspiration. It only doesnt count as much when it comes to forced induction. Its really difficult to get beyond 130bhp/litre out of a NA.

i mean, even if a d is much smaller than a b-series, it doesnt mean that it cannot catch up or even smoke the d-series equipped civics...and yes not more than 130bhp without a little forced induction, of course... it's all about knowing the right parts for your car...

alright... it should engage around 5,500 RPM's.... You will hear the car get alot more windy... if its not working properly or u suspect its not.. look on the back of your head for the vtec sylonied... it is silver or gray, and looks like a 1in soda can... green plug... un plug it and then rev your car up, if it sounds diffrent at 5,500 rpms your vtec is working, if not then let us know

maybe in my case, i have 2 solenoids, bolt ons, suspension and trannyworks... i should have an edge...

lol ive read all your replys i actually have a 2000 honda civic ex sohc vtec and im trying to gwt more hp in that thing i just bought it like 2 days ago and i have to save money but in basically following what your saying cause im new to the whole tuner scene but keep giving out the advise lol until i read your part of the forum i thought i bought a crappy tuner but your words inspired me lol

vtec engages at 5500 depending if u have a tune or stock or a vafc. my sohc z6 in my ef keeps up with a 550hp evo9 so if u do it right lik i did u can stomp or scare alot of ppl. plus mines not eve fully nuilt yet just the bottom end.

!!!! thank you!!!! im there with you!! DOHC are way over rated ! not bashing on them! but SOHC's have alot of potential!, people tell me dang what you got ? a gsr? .. i just shake my head and tell them its a stock single :) and leave.!! what all you got done to yours?

i'ma have to disagree with the d16 thing. my jdm d15b accelerates alot quicker and the cma is more aggresive. i've compared it over and over . several runs and hundreds of miles. my d15d with bolt ons and a custom ecu made alot of difference tho, that might be why.. :) but hey SOHC are SOHC!

0.0 I see alota SOHC owners and I just so happened to buy my first Honda Civic and its a 93 with the D16Z6 Vtech motor and cai. Might I have an e-mail or 2 if possible? (= It would be nice to solve a few problems it came with when I bought it. Gots a manuel but its not listing my problem and its diagnose.

i totally agree with the crx guy don't ever count out a SOHC I have a 94 civic DX i have an actual JDM D16Z6 block about $2500 crank pistons cam and head work not including the bolt ons cold air exhaust ect its still all natural although i plan for an eaton supercharger in the near future but how about just as it is makes 340 on the wheels and I spank ls swap cars and boosted cars all the time being my car doesnt look like much the sound temps them and most times gets there feelings hurt the bblkack one ..the red one is next ..lol..

I have a question. What would be a good setup for straight piping my da6 b series dohc vtec. I want my crossovers to be hella crazy nd when you can actually tell when it hits tec

I got a 93 teggy gsr b17a1 project I'm about done with that'll smoke sohc all day long

I have a 99 Honda Civic ex coupe sohc, does it have vtec? How can you tell?

All ex and exr are vtec

Some of you talk out your ass. First off oil pressure doesn't lift the valve higher. The lob does. When oil pressure builds high enough, (slight differences in motors) it pushes a pin over locking into the other rocker riding on the larger lob. Thus opening the valve higher and I believe slightly longer (duration). Which is ONLY on the intake cam, not exhaust also whom ever that was that said that. You obviously shouldnt be giving advice. The exhaust cam is already bigger then the intake cam. The reason is Honda was avoiding more moving parts. BMW first designed this technology. Double Vanoss. They designed it with both intake and exhaust cam. More fuel, more air. More power. Think of a camp fire. What happens when you add more wood and air. Fire gets bigger. Vtec does not engage on any vtec motor below 5000 rpm's. Stop with the BS. The oil pressure is not high enough. Yes I know you can install a vtec controller. But that really does nothing for you except first gear. These motors rev high. So when you redline and shift your rpm's will not drop below 5000 rpm. So setting it lower is pointless. Honda designed this very carefully. Engaging vtec too early can damage the engine. When oil pressure is that low it will not circulate fast enough. Creating that much power too early can cause valve seals to burn out. And adding on from the shift talking I was saying its really the same for first cause when you launch you aren't launching below 5000 rpm. Unless you don't know how to race. so many people shift early cause they think dropping to the peak torque will gain them there fastest times. Wrong wrong wrong. Torque gets you out of the hole. HP keeps you going. If you don't understand how torque is measured then you just won't understand. Civics are light yet people always want more torque. You know what happens. I've seen it so many times. They just spin there tires 1st through 2nd cause there's no weight to hold the tires down. And we're talking street cars. Not fully tricked out civics that are tubed with huge wheels to grab the pavement.

Commander, nice. Ya the d15 is nice. I had, sold that car, a 97 Civic dx. That motor blew when my friend owned it. He put a b18c(jdm). Later took that out and put it in a 95 eg. Wow! Not gonna lie that motor is superior for that era. Hands down! You build that motor no other motor of equal or less liters will beat it for that era. K serious is a whole nother beast. But anyways we put the 95 eg motor in the 97 dx(d15b8). I bought a d16y8 head along with some other technical parts from other vtec motors to make it work. Mainly z6 cam gear, for proper timing, ect... That head with that block raised the compression nicely. Around or I believe above 12.1 compression. I wanna say it was 12.6.1. had to get the right head gasket for that. I swapped in a HX transmission cause the gearing sucked on d15. HX and ex share pretty much the same gearing. I believe just the final gear is different. All stock internals. Just mismatch parts. Full exhaust and short ram air intake. My big thing is weight reduction. Got lighter rims from the CX or maybe HX. They are aluminum alloy. Spoked. Not sure if you know which ones I'm talking about but I don't see them often. Carbon fiber hood. Forgot I did put a heavy duty clutch in(stage 1) and a lightened fly wheel. 9lb. The car was previously wired for vtec when the b18c was in there. And my friend and I did it. I think that took the longest cause we were OCD about the wire tuck. Fresh loom on all the wires. It looked so clean. Wish I had those pics still. There on my old phone. That car kicked hard. With that compression and other mods I didn't have trouble with b16's and most b18's. Ls turbos only got me at about 115mph. Never did run it at the track. But a few cars I beat told me they were running high 13's so guestimating around 13.5-13.2. It was a fun build. My buddies 95 eg b18c swap took me though. He runs high 12's. If I remember correctly his best on stock tires ran 12.87. he did have a few mods himself. Full exhaust, CAI, thermo gasket for the intake manifold which helps reduce the air/fuel mixture temp before it enters the cylinder, along with fuel pressure regulator and full pump. No internals though. Unless you count the gasket. He also had weight reductions. Rims/hood. That cars light already. Still has it. His baby, white thunder!

Jaron, Chris, Michael are wrong. Don't listen to them. Jaron, Chris you do feel vtec cross over. A select few it is hard to feel and hear unless it's a smooth level road and quiet. It's smooth crossover is do to the intake cam for those cars. It's a mild difference in lobs. They weren't gonna put a more aggressive intake cam in a lower model car. It was meant to be an economy car. Not a sports car. They were also very restricted intakes and exhaust which takes away the effect of engagement. Your not gonna feel it if it can't breath well. Put a scarf over your mouth and nose and try sprinting. Little restricting isn't it. That's how those motors feel. But again Honda was selling economy cars with a little highway help, Basically!!! But no the less you are literally getting a boost in HP instantly. Same difference on a 302 5.0L. put a bigger cam in it you get a boost in HP. Difference is you are eating gas up all the time we're vtec allows you to go from economy to kinda sporty. You really feel it in the dohc motor. Jdm b18c intake is very aggressive. Well most aggressive for b series. Actually I think the b16b hatch type R had the most aggressive stock cam. But those are more rare and weren't sold in the us. And still slightly out of reach from type R Integra. The b18c HP before vtec engagement is around 160hp and after it engages it dramatically increases to almost red line. 205hp. The power starts to drop off right before redline. Which is 9k rpm's. There's a video of a Dyno done with vtec connected and then disconnected. Disconnected the hp only reached around I think, it's been forever since I've seen it, 173 hp. You watch tons of vidoes and see the actual mechanical process of engagement. Two rockers, two lobs. There are holes in the rockers for a pin to push through and interlock them together. Pressure builds, computer tells the solenoid to push out the pin locking into the other rocker riding the bigger lob. Thus lifting the valve higher and I believe slightly longer(duration). Small Differences in cam designs for most motors. computer sends more fuel. More power. It's quite simple actually. Smart. Economy when putting around, staying in low rpm's. And when you want some power rev it and go. And just an FYI torque starts to drop before vtec engagement. The whole idea behind this tech was to create an economy car for daily driving and sport car all in one. It's almost like a small shoot of nos. If you will. But safer on the motor. These are facts people. If you don't have common knowledge then you will continue to be the odd one stating incorrect comments. This is my passion. I love understanding how stuff works and why it was designed. I've studied motors/cars since I was 15, 35 now. Rebuild my fist mini bike small engine at 15 and fisrt motor at 17. Literally everything. I even bored and honed the cylinders myself. Only thing I couldn't do was rebalance and polish my crankshaft cause I didn't have that machine. That was the only original part in my 176cc straight 6 in a 64 1/2 mustang. After the bore it brought it to about 190 cc. A couple cylinders were out of round. Doing a tear down like that was the best education to understanding all the functions of parts. Tear open a vtec head and really investigate how it all looks and functions. Boom