Quote:
Originally Posted by LYM
I felt the engine like it had no torque at all, even in the higher revs. Took the car all the way to 7000rpm in 1st and second gear but i was not impressed by far. I was expecting a rocket and it seemed all i got was a carriage.
I tried some regular day driving as well - kept the car in the lower ranges ( 2000-3000rpm) and then pushed the pedal to the metal. The response in speed gain i felt it was slow and i couldn't get a good sensation of acceleration.
In case you were wondering i am not currently driving a turbo-diesel  , in fact i'm driving a 1.6 16V 106CP and, to be honest, in the 2000 - 3000rpm range my current engine feels torquier than the Civic 1.8!
I know ... you're probably saying that under 3500rpm the ivtec isn't in it's thing but as i said, i took the engine all the way to the rev limit. It revs ok but it doesn't give me a feeling of good acceleration. As a matter of fact i was especially focused in sensing a difference in acceleration over the 3500rpm range but it seemed to accelerate exactly the same - no " ivtec" sensation what so ever. |
Can I suggest a few things:
1. Using the gears is really important in a
VTEC, you want to be looking at 4.5-5k at a minimum for decent acceleration. People not used to it think, "wow, that's high!" but when you get used to it it comes naturally and you get rewarded with a very smooth and responsive power delivery that is a joy to drive (and not immediately obvious on first acquaintance). I'd go as far as saying that Honda
VTEC engines are really the best petrol engines around.
2. The issue with "acceleration" might be more to do with "perception of acceleration" than actual "acceleration". In that, the one thing you don't get in a
VTEC is a kick in the back with a torque surge. A slight "whoosh" maybe, but no kick! Two facts remain, the torque curve is very flat and peak power (the best measure of all out speed) is relatively high for engines in this class. Actually performance figures for the car back this up.
Give it another go,
VTEC engines really are great but slightly different.
Courant