Honda Accord - iVTEC

bf109ace

I wonder at what RPM the iVTEC kicks in with a 2006 Accord 4-cylinder. At what RPM do your guys drive your Accord?

thegraduate

I wonder at what RPM the iVTEC kicks in with a 2006 Accord 4-cylinder. At what RPM do your guys drive your Accord?

What do you mean what RPM do we drive at? Accelerating? Cruising? Usually, my normal acceleration keeps RPMs under 3,000, but I've wound it up above 6,000 and it is just as smooth, better than many V6s. You won't hurt a Honda by revving it to redline daily... they are made for it.

It doesn't "kick-in" in the i-Vtec Accord I-4s; it is VTEC with "intelligence" which optimizes timing across the rev range. There is no one singular switchover.

bf109ace

Thank you for your response. So I can step on the gas pedal and let the engine rev freely without worrying about 'doing harm' or 'wearing out' it too soon? That's great news.

thegraduate

So I can step on the gas pedal and let the engine rev freely without worrying about 'doing harm' or 'wearing out' it too soon?

Sure, the engine was designed to run safely anywhere from 800 RPM to 6,500 RPM (redline). As long as you aren't exceeding the redline, it shouldn't hurt the engine. I have a 1996 LX I-4 with 166,700 miles on it which sees regular runs above 4,000 RPM still, if it makes you feel any better. I've never had any problems with the car related to that (only a brake master cylinder and a cooling fan have been replaced).

The peak power on these engines comes in the 5,000-6,000 RPM range, so don't be afraid to wind 'er up!

I don't rev as aggresively in the old car as I do in the 06, simply because I am trying to preserve it... the seals in the engine are a lot older and I would guess more prone to breaking in an 11 year old car than the 1 year old car.

mrbill1957

The Accord does use a great engine.

With that said, the latest generation engines are pushing more HP then ever, and with that extra HP comes extra strain on the engine and transmission.

Will running the RPMs up to redline once and a while hurt the engine/tranny, well hopefully not. But why would you do it unless you have to as when merging on the freeway?

The latest engine design started in 03, and I've haven't seen any high mileage reports here (100K+) so there is a chance that the current engine will have problems if driven harder then the older designs.

My opinion is drive the car as hard as you want, but red lining the engine may lead to something you could regret later.

Mrbill

tankbeans

I've tried finding out from a number of different places just what is so special about the VTEC engine. Nobody seems to be able to tell me. My brother saw it when I first got my car and said that it was a really good engine. I'm an automotive moron. Can somebody please tell me why it is so special?

Also, do all of the 95s come with a rev limiter? It seems to have some spunk if you floor it and gets on the freeway rather nicely. Thank you for your time.

mrbill1957

Here is a link that explaines the advantages of the VTEC engine

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question229.htm&url=http://www.l- eecao.com/honda/vtec/whatsvtec.html

Mrbill

thegraduate

The VTEC is (or was) special because of the engine technology that it incorporates - it was fairly rare in cars in the Accord's price class back in 1994 to have Variable Valve Timing (which is basically what VTEC is).

Since you sound like you'd want it simply, I'll explain it like this:

In low RPMs, VTEC engines are tuned to deliver better economy, and good torque, which is important for around town driving. Once the VTEC engine passes a certain RPM (I know our VTEC V6 Odyssey was around 3,600 RPM) the engine switches modes to allow the engine to make more top-end power, which is more important for highway passing.

Nowadays, many carmakers use this type of technology (for example, Toyota calls it VVT-i, Mitsubishi calls it MIVEC - all for different corporate monikers for Variable Valve Timing).

Even more simply, VTEC allows the engine to have better power in the top and bottom end than it would without this feature.

The same engine (2.2L) in 1996 Accords with and without VTEC have power figures that look like this:

DX, LX, Special Edition Accords without VTEC

130 hp, 139 lb-ft of torque

EX Accords with VTEC

145 hp, 147 lb-ft of torque

Also, I believe all Hondas made in the last decade(s) will have rev limiters.

tankbeans

Thank you for the link. Now I understand a little bit more about how my car works. I am a self-professed moron when it comes to the internal combustion engine, but do like to find out how things work. So once again thank you for your help.

thegraduate

Thank you for the link. Now I understand a little bit more about how my car works. I am a self-professed moron when it comes to the internal combustion engine, but do like to find out how things work.

I completely understand, because I'm the same way! I'd never even try to do any maintenance on my car without a lot of good coaching.