For those of you that successfully installed the VCM Tuner, do you have any suggestions on how to get that clip on the back side of the plug to release? The push tab on mine is broken, so I can't get any tension to the clip to get it to snap loose.

 

I'm thinking maybe something like the hook tool in this set?

 

what is that tuner?....any picture of it?how much was it?
any significant performance gains with this thanks
new to the RDX plateform

 

Best answer I can give is to go here and read the description:

https://www.vcmtuner.com/products/vc...e-vcm-eco-mode

Then do a few YouTube searches for Honda VCM and you will find plenty of information explaining what it is and how it affects engine performance.

I'm not very good at explaining this sort of stuff without making myself sound like an mechanical moron, so I defer to the experts instead.

 

cool thanks!!!! any people here having good luck with this?...i love my fuel economy.....and love my Vtec when i need it...not sure i want to sacrifice a lot of fuel and driving always in vtec....

 

VTEC only kicks in over 5k RPMs, so that shouldn't be a concern. The advantage that is gained is you would be driving with six cylinders all the time, rather than four or three cylinders depending on what the VCM would be doing.

 

From the way I understand it, there's also the potential for increased wear on the mounts from the judder/shudder. It also seems like actual energy savings and fuel efficiency is marginal to the point of hardly noticeable. So there's really almost no point to not running the full 6 all the time.

 

why would acura have done this engine like this if so?

 

Again, the specifics are a bit outside my wheelhouse, but Honda's VCM technology seems to have been a bit of a bust since it was introduced and, even after slight adjustments a few years ago, still seems to perform in a less than ideal manner.

That's not to say they make bad engines, far from it, in fact, it's just that their VCM technology doesn't seem to do what they intended it to do without some rather noticable downsides.

All things being equal, if you disable VCM, it seems you're dealing with a rock solid engine.

 

I think they put VCM to squeeze out as much gas mileage as they could. It was basically the last thing they could do before the 3rd generation of RDXs were made.

 

Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE ratings. This is a tough for Honda, as they have traditionally made such high MPG vehicles.
Then they needed to make bigger vehicles. The VCM did revert back to their better system starting in 2016 on the RDX, shutting down 3 of 6 instead of
selecting how many. But having all 6, all the time is worth it.
Also, Honda used (but not in the Acuras I don't think) some experimental low friction piston rings. Burning oil and fouled plugs ensued. Class action lawsuits and warranty extensions.
Muzzling the VCM is very much worth it just for the driving experience. If one if going to keep a VCM equipped vehicle long term, it is essential.

 

But if someone drove mainly highway for example, wouldn't the VCM not cause much wear since it would be fully activated almost the whole time? I would think that driving in the city would create more wear from the VCM since it would probably be kicking on and off non-stop.

 

That was my first impression, but the the VCM can do a lot of damage on the cylinders shut down. They keep moving without explosions to keep things clean.
Plugs foul, oil leaks by the rings. Now why do some not experience much of an issue? Well there are speeds over which VCM never kicks in. A lot of folks around here
probably go that fast while on the highway.

 

That makes more sense now. I had originally thought that the cylinders would stop moving all together (Either 2 or 3 cylinders).

 

jallenhayslett -Did you ever get this installed or is the plug still stuck? If you did get it freed I would like to hear what finally worked.

 

I did. I ended up buying that kit I linked to in the second post and used the hook tool to release the clip on the back side of the plug. After that the plug slid right off and the rest was easy.