BadBatsuMaru
I honestly don't know what it is that you guys are going on about with this "VTEC sound" crap.
....
To hear you guys talk, I would think that a Honda should have some loud noise as the cam shifts, then the engine goes from whisper quiet to a deafening roar. That's just not the way it works. Sure, you can pick out the VTEC changeover, but it's not some huge difference. It's really not even noticable on my Del Sol.
Maybe this only applies to the guys who put in new cams and remove their muffler.
it doesn't take any significant mods to experience the blast of VTEC engagement. Honda does a good job of quieting it down from the factory with a resonator, but thats all that is between you and audio bliss
The sound change under the hood comes from the big jump in intake valve lift & duration, and ESPECIALLY from valve overlap. On the high cam, you have a fair amount of time in the engine's revolution during the exhaust stroke that both the intake and exhaust valves are at least partially open. What happens is that the sound of internal combustion not only goes out the exhaust, but back through the intake manifold.
You will see that DOHC VTEC honda motors have elaborate, complex, and restrictive resonators under the airbox. This muffles the sound of the high cam from the factory. You don't have to 'rice' out your car to hear the big change. On the prelude VTEC I can speak from experience, removing the stock instake system makes the high cam sound like a monster. Infact, I like the sound of an H22 with an aftermarket instake, and a STOCK exhaust, because you can hear the engine hammering away under the hood at WOT and its not drowned out by the exhaust sound.
With an aftermarket intake AND a loud, straight exhaust, the VTEC crossover is actually not quite as pronounced as a car that just has the modified intake system w/ the stock exhaust. The exhaust note does not change drastically when VTEC engages, as most of the internal combustion sound is already going out the exhaust, and that doesn't change much when VTEC engages.
Either on the H22 or the NSX, remove the top portion of the airbox, and stick a K&N cone filter on the stock intake rubber pipe. At WOT, the sound the car will make switching from the low cam to the high cam will drop your jaw, guaranteed. Its SUCH a huge difference from stock. I had a non-VTEC prelude that was all 'riced' out (the automotive taste of a 16 year old isn't always above par), and had quite a bit of experience wioth loud strange noises... I sold it, bought a '94 VTEC prelude - first thing I did was put a complete aftermarket intake on it, and removed the stock resonator... I took it for a test drive, and was laughing like a school girl to the sound of VTEC. It sounds like a MONSTER, and I would encourange you to at least give it a try. If you like it, you can remove the stock intake pipe & resonator from inside the fender, and replace it with a true aftermarket system. If not, the airbox is not hard to put back on.
Also, the degree of sound change depends on throttle position, as the throttle plate acts as a muffler.
