VVT-I Vs. VTEC

[Burkett1974]

Hi Guys, I have a question about the VVT-I engines. I come from a Honda VTEC background. I had a 97 Prelude with the H22a JDM engine. One of the things I loved most about the car was the fact that i could control when the VTEC kicked in. Another point of excitement was when the VTEC would kick in, I would be pushed into the seat by the force of the car taking off. Unfortunately, the car was stolen and when the cops recovered it, it was completely trashed and the engine blown. SO, I bought an 09 Vibe GT about months ago and love the car. However, I don't think I am driving it properly. I understand the VVT-I is not a real comparison to the VTEC, but it works on the same principle of Valve timing to boost torque. With the vibe, it is only on rare occasions that I actually "feel" the valve timing kick in (and it is nice and quick), but it quickly goes away with the shifting of the trans. (I have the DSC auto for reference and I had the DSC auto in my Prelude as well). I guess my question is this: What causes the VVT to engage and how do I control it to engage earlier and stay engaged longer? I love the car, but don't think the engine is performing up to its potential. Any thoughts?

[KITT222]

First off, welcome to Genvibe!! We'd love to see the new GT.If you're talking about lift, than I know nothing about the 09s 2.4. Joshuab has done some great mods to his 09 GT though, so you could get some ideas from him. But with the 03-05 Vibe GT VVTL-I 2zz-ge engine, lift would engage at high RPMs, and some guys over at 9thgencorolla.com have made lift controllers for their cars. If you want to control it, than you'll probably need to find a computer which you can use for it. I don't think that there is any way from the factory to control it. Enjoy your stay here! We do love new members.

[Burkett1974]

Thanks KITT222! I will have to take some pics and setup a signature photo for sure. I will check out the corolla site and see what they have in terms of lift control. It just seems like the lift engages way to close to redline to be of any real use. If I could cause it to kick in about 1.5k rpms sooner, this would be a formidable car! Other than that issue, I love the car. I ordered my K&N intake and new headers and exhaust and will throw them on as soon as it gets here. If anyone can suggest a lift controller, that would be wonderful!

[star_deceiver]

Welcome to GenVibe!!! You have the slushbox (problem 1). It's not a DSC, the manual mode is simply a top gear limiter. The variable valve timing is constantly changing but you'll feel it more if you keep the rpm between 4400 and redline. And the 2AZ - 2.4L doesn't have lift like the old 2ZZ - 1.8L had

[joshuaeb09]

With the more aggressive tunes on my Unichip I get a good "boost" every time I pound on the gas