actually i've gone up to 8500 without VTEC before. But that was because I wired my VAFC wrong.

 

i left my vtec sylenoid un hooked once and it was quite clear about 7k. there was no power to be had.

 

Update?

 

Just a followup:

I managed to get the car to VTEC. Actually, as some of you suspected, it was doing VTEC all along after the MAINT REQ'D light (not CEL) was cleared.

The car turned out to be doing some of the smoothest transistions into VTEC I have ever seen it do. It was displaying no noise change or obvious change in power.

I did manage to get the thing to do a quick acceleration in 2nd gear up to freeway speeds with WOT. The typical power surge/change in engine noise occurred right where it was supposed to. I guess my car is smoothing out. So I'm feeling better. Thanks.

 

If you don't go WOT before the VTEC transition then the VTEC is barely noticeable, for me at least. If you go gradually into the VTEC transition you can barely feel a thing.

 

vtec engagement is best when you're at WOT