VTEC KICKED IN YO - all they're cracked up to be?

[Partridge]

I'm fed up with Rovers being shit. I've wanted a Honda Accord SE exec since they came out, next payday may be the time to make good a long cherished dream*.

 

Are these VTEC jobbies all they're cracked up to be?

 

TORK 2 ME AUTOSHITE.

[forddeliveryboy]

They're just shit in a different way. It all comes down to where your preferences lie.

[Partridge]

Shite as in "Oooh what can we break/snap/fizzle out/leak/rust this week like my 800s are?

[Honey Badger]

Dull and reliable, v comfy seats good engines they do however enjoy a drink.

 

If your going 6th Gen then a 2.3 Type V must be the way to go, top of the range and all that.

 

Of course you could be a real winnah and go for the Gentlemens Express option and get a coupe which are considerably more comfortable and as cheap to run if you get a 2.0 4 pot

[Lord Sterling]

I'm fed up with Rovers being shit...

Welcome to my world. Why do you think I bailed and went German? Except now the German tank is starting to fall apart spectacularly, so...er...well, an all round lose-lose situation for me vehicle-wise

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I'm sure they're good cars, Honda certainly have a reputation for good quality - but I have always found them strangely unappealing. I guess I like a large, unstressed engine lolloping in my car, rather than a powerful but frantic wizzbox up front.

[Partridge]

Don't really care about how quickly they gulp fuel, as long as they are solid enough...hmmmm...

[Matt]

Lag without boost is how they're generally described if I'm not mistaken, people seem to either love or hate them.

[Ghosty]

I think most OMG VTEC hype comes from the DOHCs - Civic VTis, Accord Type Rs, the S2000, imports etc.

 

If you don't know, Accords with a VTEC badge (and pre-01 Civics that aren't VTis IIRC) aren't DOHC except the Type R.

I've experienced two four cylinder SOHC Hondas, unfortunately not VTECs: the D-Series in Civics, and a 2 litre F-Series in a Prelude. (Accord is a 1.8 F-Series with an SOHC VTEC head). 

 

It's boring. As long as it's not auto it'll pull averagely, and it's fairly quiet. Sound is nothing special, and it all adds up to a very uninspiring car, a white good to do a job. 

However, you won't ever have to do anything to the engine, they seem to go on forever.

 

Thing is, to me there was sod all difference between the 1.4 Civics (90bhp) and the 2.0 (135bhp), they could have been the same car...

 

Consider a high-spec Civic five door of a similar age (1.6 SE/Exec is also SOHC VTEC), you won't notice much of a difference.

The 01-03 Civic Coupé is another similar car.

 

Boring but reliable and pretty cheap.

[Lacquer Peel]

Circa 20 year old cars in "need a bit of maintenance and repairs" shock.

 

The weirdest thing about those Accords is the fuel consumption is pretty much the same whether you buy a 1.8, 2.0 or 2.3.

My mum's one has been totally reliable but it stings her on MoT tests.

[Cavcraft]

I'm sure they're good cars, Honda certainly have a reputation for good quality - but I have always found them strangely unappealing.

 

 

Sadly, resale prices and the length of time it seems to take to sell them, means quite a few other people think the same.

[UmBongo]

Git a Prelude 2.2 coupe.

 

They are rapid, particularly when you hit a certain amount of revs.

 

Bonus rusty arches on all Preludes ever made, yo.

[twosmoke300]

The 2.3 type v is a lovely if slightly dull motor

[cort16]

The ones I've driven have been proper shite in fuel and short on torque so they're quite hard work to live with. The accords are cheap so probably worth a go if you can find a decent one.

[Timewaster]

Honda claim that they have never had a Vtec system warranty failure.

 

 

That's all I have, sorry I can't be more help.

[dave21478]

My only experience of Vtec YO was in a Civic Type R and fuck, it was tedious. A not huge amount of torque meant you had to keep the revs up high, and while thrashing everywhere in too low a gear may appeal to young lads, it very quickly annoyed me. The styling seemed to have been inspired by a pair of expensive trainers too. Verdict - avoid if you are over 25.

 

I do rather like the look of a Prelude though.

[Lacquer Peel]

The cooking VTECs aren't as bipolar, they still need revs to make decent progress but no worse than most multivalve petrols.

[Honey Badger]

Just putting this out there.

 

Think of these as a cross between an Accord and a Legend, much comfy. 

 

http://www.gumtree.com/p/honda/honda-accord-2.0l-es-coupe-550%C2%A3-or-make-me-an-offer-/1116986307

 

 

Will not be fast but they don't rust, well at least mine hasn't and it's pretty much spotless underneath, and it's a manual so you sidestep the autobox issues.

 

Parts are expensive but they don't often go wrong, things like bearings are expensive.

 

Mine has done 130k now and I've only spent out on new pads and an autobox fluid change over 20k.  It's gone through the last 2 MOT's with only the front droplinks replaced.

 

You are better off using Honda fluids with the Power steering fluid.

 

I dont really get the whole lack of Torque thing with Vtecs, 90% of 4 pots need their neck wringing to make them shift.

[Bren]

I know somebody who had a civic - he got rid because of thrashiness and pish fuel economy.

[HillmanImp]

My mate used to have an Integra Type-R about 10yrs ago (its the one on the right if anyone was wondering): 

 

 

 It used to scare the shit out of me. Did not feel save in it at all as the car just wanted to do something you didn't when it 'kicked in' 

 

I have probably told this story before, but when he was looking for one, he went to a garage in Bratfurt 'innit that had a few in. 

 

They young lad working at the garage said he would take him out first to 'show him how to drive it' and then let him drive back so they headed out onto the mean streets of Bratfurt 'innit. Keen to get the sale the young lad decided to show my mate 'What it can do bro' and booted it for about 3 seconds until the V-TEC kicked in YO!, he lost the back end, it started snaking before it spun 180 degrees and went backwards into a lamppost. 

 

They both got out of the car okay and the kid exclaimed 'Oh man, I is in sooo much trouble, this is the 2nd time I has done this, this week innit'.   

 

As my mate was leaving and the kid was ringing up the recovery company to collect the car, the kid actually interrupted his phone call and shouted 'Should I ring you when its repaired bro? It will be mint when its sorted innit'. 

 

In the end he chose to buy the one above from a lad in Donny, which seems to have had its numberplate transferred to a Vectra now so i assume its now bean cans and kids toys.

 

 

[MrBiscuits]

All the Hondas I had were exceptionally well built (even the Swindon ones). Unusually for modern cars, also quite nice to work on.

 

To be honest I found the VTEC thing (on the SOHCs anyway) was just a gimmick. It don't think it does anything below 4k RPM and even then the 'kick' was barely perceptible.

 

None of them were that good on fuel, which normally doesn't worry me a bit. However, despite being very capable they just lacked that little bit of character and because of that I got bored really quick.

[cort16]

I think the lack of torque means they just feel like hard work. You can also by an intake mod for the full fat vtec called "the whales dick" if you appreciate that kind of thing.

[Uncle Jimmy]

My only experience of Vtec YO was in a Civic Type R and fuck, it was tedious. A not huge amount of torque meant you had to keep the revs up high, and while thrashing everywhere in too low a gear may appeal to young lads, it very quickly annoyed me. The styling seemed to have been inspired by a pair of expensive trainers too. Verdict - avoid if you are over 25.

 

I do rather like the look of a Prelude though.

Don't know about Vtec Hondas...the vvt on my Toyota is very noticeable, at about 4,500 rpm you get a strong push, very turbo like. Mine will happily rev to 8,000. Rather like a twin cam Fiat to drive, low gearing, noisy and fun. I have a long drive coming up soon, so I'll be taking my ear defenders.

[Uncle Jimmy]

I think the lack of torque means they just feel like hard work. You can also by an intake mod for the full fat vtec called "the whales dick" if you appreciate that kind of thing.

Not so much a lack of torque as a disparity between torque and power. Especially if you're used to driving a diesel you will find a Vtec Honda a very strange drive, again, rather like a modern Fiat twin cam.

Ideally I like to have both varieties of motor- a barge for long motorway journeys and a buzz bomb for thrashing around the lanes.

[Uncle Jimmy]

I'm sure they're good cars, Honda certainly have a reputation for good quality - but I have always found them strangely unappealing. I guess I like a large, unstressed engine lolloping in my car, rather than a powerful but frantic wizzbox up front.

Everyone likes a large engine and the instant clout of power at low revs; however this way you're guzzling fuel all the time. Having a small engine that is efficient at low speeds and uses little fuel but can be made to behave entirely differently at high speeds solves this.

[Coprolalia]

Driven a few Vtecs and MsJ has a 1.3Vvti Yaris.

I find the engines hateful.

 

Vtecs are a bit like I imagine relations with Joanna Lumley. All breathy, wafty and not going anywhere fast, then you stroke it a bit and you're shoved back in your seat and your face ripped off.

 

As someone used to lazy torquey v8s; not much fun.

[HMC]

They make an interesting comparison with VAG re quality- the 'percieved quality' is much higher with VAG with soft touch this and that and damped ashtrays etc. All the hondas ive had felt a bit tinny by comparison, but simply never went wrong. I found the performance focussed ones tiring if your not in the mood as with low down torque limited more concentration is needed its easy to be in the 'wrong' gear.

[xtriple]

Got to agree with Brookjim re the perceived quality. My Honda does feel tinny and while the plastics are good quality they don't feel special at all. Also, my tiny little engine is a vtec!

 

It's a 1.4 (or 1.3 depending on who's talking!) and really doesn't feel anything special at all. Never had the vtec 'feeling' but then I never rev it. Thy electric motor however does feel just like a turbo and I like that!

[Joey spud]

Not so much a lack of torque as a disparity between torque and power. Especially if you're used to driving a diesel you will find a Vtec Honda a very strange drive

 

Yes this describes it perfectly.

I have spent an age trying to work out why my 03 accord is slow sluggish then realised it was down to how i drive it.

You need to wring the tits off it to get any progress out of it or if you dont stay in a low gear when you try and accelerate there is a big flat spot.Its supposed to have 155bhp but it drives like it got about 100 but drinks fuel at around 24mpg.

 

It turns out as i drive a torquey diesel van and a diesel focus too my brain now thinks the honda should also pull cleanly in 3rd gear at 30mph.

Another gripe is the gearing feels too short after driving a diesel that does a quiet 70mph @ 1900rpm the accord does 70 @ 3600rpm and you are constantly reaching for another gear.

 

So what i am trying to say you have to rev them hard and be happy with the high revvy busyness of them which tbh doesn't really fit right on a leather clad fully kitted out estate car.

 

I love Honda's but this vtec system doesn't fit on a large family car at all.

 

I should of got a diesel one but got scared off by stories of flywheels,cam chains and injector failures on the cars / mileage stuff i could afford.

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Solid, boring and whizzy engine. vtec only 'kicks in' over 4k rpm. I drive like a giffer so rarely had any use for it.

 

Manuals get through clutches quick which is why they get punted on so cheap, make sure you boot it and watch revs and sniff carefully for smell of clutch with the windows down as it can be hard to tell in a car you aren't familiar with. New clutch is a fairly big job on these and equals the value of the car. 6th gen seats are much better than 7th gen in my opinion.

 

Only car I regret not buying was a 2.2 prelude red top for £750 a few years ago. Slimy seller put me off. That and the the insane straight through exhaust some mouth breather had put on it made it sound like the aliens from that crappy remake of War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise.