where should vtec kick in???

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tecdippin03

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i was wonderin what rpm should i have my vtec kick in...some people say having too low is bad for tha head...what do u guys think...
 
if memory serves, its set to kick on at 5000, but most people find its better to set it at about 5500.
 
vtec should kick in the mornin', you kno like an alarm clock! you s'posed to be up makin breakfast!
 
vtec should kick in the mornin', you kno like an alarm clock! you s'posed to be up makin breakfast!

somebody needs to stop talking to jeffie. breakfast is for the weak.
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think of it this way...higher the rpm=bigger vtec kick in...lower the rpm=lower the vtec kick in...i like the 5000-5500 vtec kick in...and for your b16 id say 5000..b16's pull pretty good in high rpm..its just that lack or the torque down below..that vtec set at 5000 is gunna be a difference you will notice...but if youc an get that VFAC..that should be a big difference...but if you dont know how to tune it so say then take it to somebody that knows what they are doing...
 
no....it usually hurts your overall power curve
 
oooh ok...so the higher it kicks in the more power its gonna make... soo the only way to see how it gets tha most power is to put it on a dyno and adjust the vtec point
 
exactly....its not that you make more power the higher the engagement, its that you loose power the lower the engagement.

get it on the dyno and smooth out your powercurve. when the curve is smooth, youve got the right point.
 
Look at these dyno graphs of mine:

gsr1_vs_gsr2.jpg


s2k_dyno_graph_stock.jpg


dynoB20VTEC-TN.jpg


The first two are examples of where VTEC should be set earlier to smooth out the curve- the latter is an example of where VTEC should be set later to smooth the line out. You want the least noticeable transition from the non-VTEC to the VTEC lobes on your cam. That's when you'll make the most power at every point in the rev range.

Too early and your engine stumbles while it tries to get into the efficiency range of your big lobe- too late and you have a huge jump where you could have had more power a few hundred rpm sooner. The first graph had the VTEC set later (4400rpm) so that I wouldn't be jumping in and out of VTEC all the time on the highway, the second is the stock S2000 (6000rpm) that Honda sets so that the customer can feel the VTEC kick in (sells cars because it's cool, but isn't the best for max power), and the third was just set too early because it wasn't a custom tune.

Hopefully that gives you a more visual explanation of why you want to set your VTEC crossover point on the dyno.
 
sooo i cant really figure out where i should put it because every engine is different so i have to use a dyno...what the spot i should put it ay untill i tune it
 
5000-5200 on a stock engine is what id suggest
 
The 5000-5500 is good because if you were to set it down low it would almost be like having a non-vtec motor like mine. They did that stupid shit when they made the rsx non type-s motor. It kicks inat about 3200 rpms and its not even worth having. High=good, low=bad. But you cabt set it to high. The point of the vtec is made to get you through the upper rpm range faster. If you set it at 6000, and your redline is 7000 then its not going to realy do anything. Again, almost like having a non-vtec motor. Hope this helps.
 
5500 thats were is should kick in unless you got a chipped ecu
 
Im not sure, if you have a chipped ecu it changes your vtec engagement and your rev limit right? I think it does. If it does thats another thing you need to watch out for. For one, you are going to stop making power at about 7 or 8 grand and if you can take it past that you take the chance of throwing the valve into the piston if you have stock equipment. You will get valve float is what I meant. The stock springs wont pull you valve back fast enough and it will hit the piston. Just another thing to watch out for.
 
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