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V-tec: is it for everyone?
I somehow felt that the forum posting on the functionality of VTEC is incomplete; however, fact remains that the person who wrote it is quite savvy on the whole thing. But fact also remains suitability comes first, so what I'm trying to put here is the other half of the story. There's absolutely no doubt that VTEC is the last word in versatility, the flat torque curve being the prime reason, which enables it to go and on(like the mythical male) whereas other engines, under the same load run out of breath. The VTEC engine maintains a steady torque output resulting in the full utilisation of the RPM range, which translates to a smooth ride; however, in case more power is required, smoothness joins hand with fuel efficiency resulting in a power output of a much larger engine at high RPMs. The flat torque curve also results in allowing a larger ratio multiplier, resulting in more wheel torque. Thus the benefit of the VTEC technology in terms of acceleration improvement also affects low RPM operation. And more than everything, since VTEC creates more power without increasing displacement, the engine is likely to be smaller and lighter.On the flip side, a vehicle achives its greatest acceleration by keeping the engine RPM as close to the HP peak as possible. And for DOHC VTEC engines, this means keeping the needle at some rather lofty RPMs, and more frequent shifts to keep the RPMs up. A desirable trait, though the high RPM and frequent shifts become bothersome. The DOHC VTEC's torque curve, being a flat one, makes the initial tire slip much harder to generate. Thus, extra care must be taken to slip the clutch at high RPMs to generate the initial tire spin, and then it requires to carefully modulate the clutch and gas to regain drive wheel traction while maintaining maximum acceleration. Complexity and cost, to make it concise.
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