Apologies if I've missed a post on this already, but a search didn't turn up anything directly relating to the topic.

I have an 04' S2000, stock save the 44MM UK mod on the exhaust. It's my daily driver and I don't want anything too extreme modification wise as I rely on that Honda reliability, but I have been interested in lowering the threshold for the VTEC system. On the street when I get to enjoy the car the six thousand rpm threshold leaves a small and hard to obtain window of the car's real performance. Not that I'm thrashing it on the street, but when you get those little opportunities to sensibly have a bit of fun waiting for the revs to climb all the way and then backing off after one gear change because you're going too fast puts a damper on the fun.

Personally, I'd love to have it down to four thousand rpm, safely above normal shift points but accessible when that overpass comes up and I want to hear the motor at full song, or have a little fun with an open stretch of road. I'm just curious as to what all is entailed in lowering the VTEC threshold, and for that matter how will the engine behave if it engages at that rpm as opposed to kicking in only once the engine is wound up to six thousand?

 

You'll need an aftermarket ems. Since you're '04 you can use a flash pro. AEM and Halted will also do it, of course.

 

06+ can you flashpro anything below 06 is kpro which costs about and arm and a leg to do.

 

As noted FlashPro only works on Drive By Wire cars, 2006 and later in the S2000. You'll need a tunable ECU in earlier cars. FlashPro retails for about $625 and figure on at least another $100 for someone to tune it.

VTEC engagement depends on rpm and throttle position. Stock VTEC engagement is deliberately set to be noticeable -- VTEC Yo! -- great fun but that leaves much power available well below 6K. From my reading the better etuners will lower VTEC significantly to get more mid-range power but it remains on the low cam at "sensible" speeds unless you mash the throttle -- throttle position. I'm still trying to find the time and road to etune my car via FlashPro. I need 27 runs (3 runs with 9 diagnostic tunes).

-- Chuck

 

You're right! Sorry for the inaccuracy!

And yes, kpro is a lot but it's a bloody good bit of kit - I used it on my mates EP3 and it's definitely sold itself, but you can achieve the same results with other, less expensive systems.

 

Thank you all for the input, it's greatly appreciated. Looked at the KPro and it's roughly sixteen hundred for what I'd need plus a professional tune to actually make it work. Not necessarily a deal breaker but maybe it'd just be smarter to wait till it's not my daily driver and supercharge my lil bastard...

 

Hit up Brian at Karcepts and get a Greddy Emanage+ his tune and you will get 90% of what a custom tune on a flashpro will get you all for about 1000 bucks

 

I believe all you need is a VAFC to lower vtec.