I bought a '04 recently ( I like to buy 1-2yrs old ) and my son says I have a V-Tec engine. I say yeah, not really knowing what it is. So......what is so different about a V-TEC? What does it do that others don't?

 

Are you serious? You bought a car and didnt know about the engine? I'm not trying to flame you or anything I'm just asking a serious question because I don'nt understand how you buy a $27,000-30,00 (used) car and not know about the engine.

 

Ok....I drive it.....I like it....I buy it.

Now, any answers to the original question?

 

Wow interesting point of view, I never knew there were people that don't do research when they go to buy an expensive car. But anyway to answer your question:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTEC#SOHC_VTEC
A lot of good information in there.

Oh yeah, the salesman that sold you the car didn't tell you anything about the engine? Usually that's an important part when they explain the car to a customer.

 

VTEC stands for "Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control" and, in layman's simple terms means a computer varies the valve lift and opening to optimize horsepower and torque at different engine revolutions. Honda's VTEC engines have a reputation as hot hi-tech engines, like the Boss 302s and Chevy aluminum 427s in the late 60's - early 70s.

 

Yeah, I got that from your 1st post

 

Oh, from a practical standpoiint, if you drive hard or take the car above 4800 RPM, you will then feel a surge or additional acceleration which is the VTEC going into effect. The feel when Vtec kicks in may be comparable to a low-pressure turbo coming on or carburator secondaries opening.

Enjoy the car.

 

There you go, something I can understand . I would have used a Mopar (383 Magnum), but I get the point. Thanks for the info., I feel better now.

"86" must be a birth year, hence a different generation....I am,..therefore I'm old!

 

above 4950 RPMs i believe is the change over on the '04, oil pressure selinoid opens triggered by the computer,causing the cam profile to change to a higher lift longer duration

 

VTEC kicks in at 4,700 rpm

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93064

 

I know what the vtec does (uses different cam lobes at higher rpms, but how does it do this physically? Does the cam stay stationary and different rocker arms get "turned on"? This is what I think happens - I can't imagine the cam would slide up and back. Anyone have a simple clear description as to what happens? Thanks.

 

Here's a good explanation: How VTEC works

 

I think there are a lot of buyers like that actually. My mom has a TL and doesnt know what the fuck vtec is, nor does she give a shit.

 

My thoughts exactly! And I wonder how many BMW owners actually know what the "VVT" system on their car does?

Props to "pops" for knowing how to use the internet and this online group to get his question answered!

 

Dude besides the demographic of people you see on this thread, most people buy cars knowing very little about them - the exterior and how it feels when you sit in it and drive it is pretty much the extent of how much people look into cars.
You just have this idea from being on this forum so much that everyone knows everything about cars...or has readily accessible information if needed. If you spend a lot of time on forums, you wil lbegin to believe that it's unfathomable that an 18-35 male WOULDN'T get a woody when someone shows them a "custom" stereo or interior or begins talking to them about sway bars and modified brakes/suspension.
My mom doesn't know how much horsepower her MR2 Spyder has....or how many cylinders it has - I would be surprised if she knew what year it was. In fact, I don't even think she's aware you can rev it higher than 3,000 RPM.
You ever drive around and look at the people driving acura TLs? They are older, married people who couldn't tell a CAI from a coffee filter. In fact, I'm surprised there are as many people on this forum as there are. Even so, I'd say half the people who look at this forum daily actually care about some 22 year old's new rims or smoked taillights.

 

http://videos.streetfire.net/search/...A0717E1B4D.htm

in this video you can easily hear the V-tec kick in at 4700RPMS, the car is a 2002 TL and the car is in a higher gear. Because it isn't going too fast, you are able to distinctly hear the difference in tone the engine makes whne the car goes past 4700RPMS. With the 04 tl it may sound a bit different, with a cold air intake (CAI) the sound is nice and loud enough to turn heads of people on the street....I love my V-tec...

I bet most people that own an acura TL don't know they have/ or what V-tec is.. Most look at it for the luxury factor, not the specific way the engine works.... Hell, I bet a ton of people get the new Lexus 430h (something likethat ) hybrid , and they won't know crap about the engine except it is a gas and electric engine... All I know about it is the engine is a V6 engine and they have added the electric motor to it and are getting about 330Hp.. but I bet that little "tid-bit" of info is more then what 25 percent of the future owners will know. The, for the lack of a better word, ignorance comes along with the Luxury market... some people want the car for the performance, some for the prestige, some for the reliability.

If you don't know what is in your 745i, that is foreseeable, if you don't know what is in your M5, that is unlikely, but they are both a luxury BMW..... The comparasion with acura is that we don't really have a mid level sports car, so people are drawn to the TL for a variety of reasons, if Acura had a 2dr TL(CL) or a huge hp option in their line they would have a better split on the demographic..ala BMW

 

Imagine if Infinity and Nissan didn't release the 350z or the G35 coupe... The almost 300HP engine would have caused the Maxima, Altima and G35 sedan modding market explode.... But because they had the 2dr coupes, they demographic was able to spilt better and thus the aftermarket market has blossomed for the 2dr Nissan/Infiniti coupes and not so much for our TL..

 

to some people $30k aint nothin. i know people who literal shit out $30k like its there job.

in mine and most other peoples case though, $30k is a long time savin!

 

think of car payments. it takes for ever and ever and ever to pay it off.

Vtec is awesome, wish i-vtech might come sometime to TL

 

WITHOUT VTEC
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WITH VTEC
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