I'm in Michigan too. I have 720 miles on my car and I can definitely feel the VTEC kick. The punch isn't nearly as sytrong as the torque from my ex-C5, but it is pronounced.

I have heard that VTEC won't engage if the temp gauge is showing under 3 bars. Also, you really need to drive your car for about 20 minutes to expel the condensation from your exhaust system.

At the very worst, you may have a problem with the VTEC actuator or a wire leading to it, but it is not dificult to replace.

If you are down Farmington Hills way on Saturday, you can take a ride in my 2001 and see if it is any different. It sounds like we have the same milage.

Cheers,

 

The one thing I didn't see mentioned here is GEAR. The surge is most pronounced in first, less so in second, and not all that obvious above that. But in first you'll both feel and hear it very distinctly.

 

I agree with TEDOW,
I've noticed that if you throttle half way or 3/4 way down and it hits the 5600RPM VTEC it is very subtle. But if you go to FULL Throttle (Peddle to the metal!) at 5600RPM you will FEEL IT! The secret is to FLOOR IT when you want to impress yourself or someone else.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by nwk00
[B]Barry is right. If you have drive a V8 or turbo car, you are probably used to the surge. The vtec engagement is there but not very pronounced. You have to sort of lower your expectation a little bit. I had trouble noticing it when I first v-tec and that was at 1000+ miles.

 

It is my understanding that you're just not going to be able to accelerate to 9,000 rpm unless the higher rpm cam profile is engaged.

Am I wrong? If you de-activate the VTEC solenoid, can you still accelerate to 9,000 rpm?

Barry

 

Problem solved. It was just a little wus behind the wheel. When I got the uncontrollable urge to Vtec this morning I was at highway speed following an sob who wouldn't pull into the right lane (where he belonged). I down shifted two gears and blew by him on the right. The power was all there but no surge or distinctive change in the sound when I passed 6000rpm. After reading the helpful posts here, I realized I was probably 1.)not pushing it hard enough and 2.)wasn't in a lower gear. I ran out at noon and after a thorough warm up, floored it in first gear. What a rush! The surge is definitely there and it's COOL! Now I'm smiling my gums dry.
Thanks for all the posts. This is a valuable club and S2K'ers are a great group of people.

 

I'm just an average driver, but I can say one thing about the VTEC. When it kicks in I start to get nervous ! Transition is very noticable.

George

 

Do this....
Open your bonnet.
Remove top of stock airbox.
Put airbox top in boot.
Shut bonnet.

Get in start car. Drive to nearest highway onramp.
Make sure car is in 2nd gear. Floor the throttle.
Car should sound like this....
wwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaahhhH!H!H!H!H!H!HHHHHHHHHH
While your brain should sound like this...
hhhhhhhhooooooollllllyyyyyyySSSSSSSHHHHIIIIIITTTTT TT

 

VTEC engagement to me feels a lot like the kick I got when the 2nd turbo kicked in on my old Supra TT, just a lot milder. The pitch of the engine also gets noticeably higher once you're in VTEC territory!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RossoS2K
[B]Do this....
Car should sound like this....
wwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaahhhH!H!H!H!H!H!HHHHHHHHHH