Honda
engines are known for their cost effective design, and
balance and exceptional fuel economy.
Honda Engine Traits
Reliability
Honda is known for the longevity and
reliability of its engines. There are several Honda cars
with
B18B engines that have 700,000+ km on them with
all original parts. Forged internals on many Honda engines,
such as the crankshaft and connecting rods, are more
expensive to produce but are much stronger than cast pieces.
This results in parts that are lighter, yielding lower
reciprocating mass, which puts less stress on engine
components. Honda engines also have an excellent cooling
design and a superior oiling system.
High Level of Refinement
Honda engines are balanced very well and
run smoothly at high RPM's.
VTEC
Honda is known for its VTEC
cam system. This system allows the engine to have two
completely different cam lobes for different
characteristics. One cam lobe is tuned for low-end rpm
torque and a good
idle, while the other is tuned for high-end power and
efficiency.
The secondary cam lobes are used to open
the valves for longer (Duration)and give higher valve lift
which allows more air and fuel to enter the engine at high
rpm. It is actived by an oil control solenoid which locks
the secondary cam lobe follower in place. When VTEC is off,
the Secondary cam follower is not locked and simply follows
the contour of the cam without effect. The engine is
effectively 2 engines in 1 !! Even the fuelling is different
for both VTEC on and VTEC off. For this, Honda use two fuel
maps and two ign maps in the ECU. When VTEC is ON the second
maps are used and when VTEC is switched OFF then the First
maps are used to contoll ign and fuelling.
High Flow Cylinder Heads and Air Intake
Honda engines breathe well. This is due to
the good port design in the
cylinder heads, and large
valves. Some people claim that Honda engines could
handle a lot more intake air if they were not impeded by the
standard plastic intake system. Honda's intake
manifolds are quite well designed, but the plastic
intake system prior to the manifolds are designed for
quietness and ease of manufacture. Replacing this convoluted
intake pipe with a smooth metal tube, and replacing the air
filter with a lower restriction one placed in the front
bumper, outside of the engine bay for colder air, leads to
good performance and efficiency gains. This concept of
allowing the air to flow more freely is universal to most
any engine.
There is another view point that the stock
pipework for the air intake is very capable. Honda have
added a small pipe onto the side of the intake pipe which
allows the intake to "tune" itself to different rpms and
therefore a smoother BHP curve is achieved using the stock
configuration. If the small reservoir pipe is removed and a
bung put in its place the power results on a dyno can be
noticeably lower. The convoluted plastic intake pipe is good
because the turbulance set up by the convolutions prevents
the air hugging the inside of the pipe and causing unwanted
negative effects. An externally mounted cone filter leading
to the stock air intake pipe is the ultimate for all round
performance.
Honda
V6
engines
Quotes
- "Some people say Honda is an engine
company that also makes automobiles." - Honda of America
President Tom Elliott
- "Many people say that Honda is, first
and foremost, an engine company."- Koki Hirashima,
President of Honda America Manufacturing
- "Honda is, above all, an engine
company." - Ray Blank, Honda motorcycle division vice
president
List of Honda engines