Why was VTEC-E cancelled ?

[civic94]

The VX had super mpg, so did the HX from 96-05 compared to normal civics. If they used that technology on all of the other Honda/acura models, it can save alot of gas.

why was it canceled? from what i know the 02 sensors cost quite some money, other than that these engines were perfect on gas.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I believe it was some aspect of the current federal emissions laws that lean burn mode violates, so it was discontinued.

[GasSavers_TomO]

Lean burn was phased out of Honda motors due to emission laws. The cost of the L1H1 and L2H2 didn't help all that either, lol.

VTEC-E (economy) and VTEC has evolved into i-VTEC (intelligent). i-VTEC controls both intake and exhaust cam phasing almost infinitely (like analog) whereas the older VTEC and VTEC-E only changed intake cam phasing (like a digital switch).

Hope that clears things up a tad.

[civic94]

Originally Posted by TomO

Lean burn was phased out of Honda motors due to emission laws. The cost of the L1H1 and L2H2 didn't help all that either, lol.

VTEC-E (economy) and VTEC has evolved into i-VTEC (intelligent). i-VTEC controls both intake and exhaust cam phasing almost infinitely (like analog) whereas the older VTEC and VTEC-E only changed intake cam phasing (like a digital switch).

Hope that clears things up a tad.

So the Vtec E was better at FE than the I-VTEC? So i'm guessing that I-vtec combines the power of normal Vtec and the FE benefits of Vtec e for a car that is powerful, yet efficient.

[GasSavers_BIBI]

The main reason why this vx have such great FE is the long gear. All new FE motor are match with a 6 speed transmission gears (auto or manual). Example: Fiesta, Cruze and the Equinox.

If Toyota wasn't that cheap, to would put one in a Yaris, but the still have a old 4 speed automatic that runs real high on highway. Toyota are sitting on their successes, lets hope they wake up because a Yaris with a 6 speed tranny could cut a L per 100 km.

[theholycow]

You don't need a 6 speed transmission to get long gears, and manufacturers mostly don't put in longer gears when they add more gears...they put in a shorter 1st or closer ratios.

If they put in a highway gear that requires downshifting to pass while climbing a hill then they get bad reviews from people who claim that the car has no power. FE gears are bad marketing.

Anyway, IMO, the reason that stuff like VTEC-E and generally efficient designs are gone is that fuel economy isn't as important as it was. The VX was probably the last car designed with any memory of the 70s gas crises.

The Cobalt XFE came with long gears during the recent gas price hike a few years ago.

[GasSavers_TomO]

Originally Posted by civic94

So the Vtec E was better at FE than the I-VTEC? So i'm guessing that I-vtec combines the power of normal Vtec and the FE benefits of Vtec e for a car that is powerful, yet efficient.

Pretty much...i-VTEC focuses on producing as much torque as the motor can put out during acceleration.

If you could couple lean burn and i-VTEC, then you could have these newer bigger Honda/Acuras getting into the 40's for mpg without having to be a Hybrid setup.

[i-DSi]

My understanding why VTEC-E was canceled (i speak for Europe):
- It helped Honda to delay the necessity for a catalyser begin 90's (first EURO-, so some of the high cost of the system was hidden
- Finally the EURO legislation was also very sever for NOx, and as lean burn produces a lot of this, also Honda needed a catalyser
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's how i remember those days. Already than I was very interested in cars, engines, Honda...

[slurp812]

Originally Posted by TomO

Pretty much...i-VTEC focuses on producing as much torque as the motor can put out during acceleration.

If you could couple lean burn and i-VTEC, then you could have these newer bigger Honda/Acuras getting into the 40's for mpg without having to be a Hybrid setup.

Like this?

http://asia.vtec.net/article/k20a/

[GasSavers_Scott]

Now this is what I read on the web, when I was hot to get at the HX technology. Honda wanted to see how far they could push overall lean running, they're R and D department claimed they could get 19/20 to 1 fuel burn out of the HX engine in the late 80's with the CRX HF, resulting in 40 to 50 mpg. Now where I heard that smog was affacted was during the transistion from normal 14 to 1, to that 17/18 to 1 running that the NOX goes off the scale and produces smog, before it crosses into 19/20 to 1, where the smog drops back down.

I read owner complaints that when the engine transitions, it was very clunky. Also owner complaints that the Lean Burn mode would never activate. To do this the engine had to be warm, on a road with no hills, in top gear, and have an outside air temp of at least 71 degree. So in winter it might never turn on.

I think for a brief period of smog during the transition period, the engine should not have been dropped for emissions. I know allot of people here have VTECe cars, I wonder how theirs are running? By odd research, I found that when Bosch first made eletronic fuel injection available in the late 70's, their fuel maps had the capacity to achieve 19 to 1. Also GM's current research with the Homogenous Burn Engine, which runs ultra lean, how does GM make the transition? Because an engine has to warm up.