Honda made improvements to its vehicles, and Honda’s VTEC engine is proof of that. The purpose is to make the car faster, more efficient on challenging roads, and more comfortable to drive.

But there are many regular turbo engines out there that can lead to enjoyable rides – so, what exactly makes VTEC technology so special? Well, it mainly depends on your road needs: some are more likely to notice it than others.

What Does VTEC Stand For?

In Honda cars, VTEC stands for Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control, and it is an essential part of engine control. The purpose of the engine is to increase efficiency while saving power when you are going at a higher speed.

Honda VTEC technology makes use of special exhaust valves and matching air-fuel intakes in order to reach the perfect engine speed. It allows Honda vehicles to be easily used in challenging conditions, without worrying that the engine may give out.

There are different types of VTEC engines out there, and if you want to upgrade your engine, you will have to know what each of them stands for. Let’s take a short look at them:

VTEC

At low speed, this type of VTEC uses a regular cam profile in order to maintain proper fuel economy, a smooth idle, and decent low-end power delivery. These systems will kick in at around 5,500 RPM so that they can increase power delivery.

VTC

Standing for Variable Timing Control, this mechanism is added to the end of camshaft intake. It will automatically adjust overlaps between exhaust and intake cams, allowing valve overlap in higher RPM ranges.

i-VTEC

Short for Intelligent Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control, the i-VTEC is a mix between VTEC and VTC. Right now, only the DOHC K-series uses this type of technology.

Selling Points of Honda VTEC System

The VTEC series from Honda enjoys various selling points, which bring more and more vehicle enthusiasts into the Honda shops. These are:

VVT

VTEC, VTC, and i-VTEC engines from Honda feature a process referred to as VVT, short for Variable Valve Timing.

This will alter the time when an intake valve opens. Once the gas pedal is stepped on, the timing belt will trigger the camshaft and increase your REV range.

Increased Horsepower

Perhaps one of the greatest selling points of the Honda VTEC system is the fact that it is one of the strongest engines in its class.

Reaching 160 kW @ 7,500 EPM, the VTEC engine uses air circulation technology to increase the airflow through the cam, easily changing it to a lower angle.

Second Power Curve

A conventional engine will begin to lose power when it reaches the top of its RPM range, which can cut its strength and prevent it from reaching an even higher RPM range. This was a common dissatisfaction for vehicle owners throughout time.

However, Honda’s VTEC technology was given a 2nd power curve. This allows the engine to release more power as it is going for higher RPMs.

Different-Sized Lobes

Unlike traditional engines, VTEC Honda engines have different camshaft systems. With a traditional engine, the camshaft has various lobes of the same size. However, things are slightly different with a Honda engine, as there are two smaller outer lobes and a bigger center lobe.

When running at a low RPM, the outer lobes will be the ones keeping the valves open. However, once the engine starts spinning faster, the center lobe will be the one keeping the valves open (or closing them with the rocker arms).

This action will often result in better performance as well as a speed burst, which is referred to as “VTEC kicking in.”

Benefits of VTEC Engine

Through its features, The VTEC, i-VTEC, and VTC enjoy various benefits, such as:

Low Fuel Consumption

Due to the VTEC technology, as the power is passing through the intake valve and through the exhaust valve, less fuel is burned in order to give your car a power push through normal driving. This can lead to much lower fuel consumption.

Rapid High Speeds

Whether VTEC or i-VTEC engines are installed, the technology also allows you to switch from low speed to high speed at a much faster rate.

You get different degrees of control over the intake stroke as more air passes through the camshafts. This improves your vehicle’s efficiency no matter if you are going for low or high speed.

It is amazing that Honda has included the VTEC engine in their family-focused cars like the Honda Vezel and Honda Shuttle.

Reduced CO2 Emissions

Honda set a policy to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by the time 2020 turned a corner. It managed to do exactly that with the VTEC systems. By using automatic valve timing, fuel consumption is reduced when the intake stroke is shifted into a higher gear.

High Durability

To this point, Honda vehicles barely have any competitors when it comes to reliability and performance. When VTEC technology was employed, their performance became top of the line.

On average, a VTEC will last between 200k and 300K miles, which is more compared to the average turbo engine. Evidently, for the engine to work flawlessly up until this point, it requires proper and regular maintenance.

Performing Under Difficult Conditions

Depending on the quality of the road, lower speeds may be necessary in order to prevent further damage to your car. VTEC allows your car to control the intake stroke from high to low.

This reduces fuel consumption and increases the performance of the vehicle even during difficult conditions. It will also allow you to reach higher speeds when you would not be able to do so under normal circumstances.

The Bottom Line

VTEC engines give you more freedom over your driving, especially if you are a fan of twisty roads and tough conditions. It offers you an extra burst of power, increasing your consumption without actually sacrificing your fuel power.

While it may not seem to make that much of a difference in normal driving conditions, it makes a great difference if you are going for high ranges – which is why it’s so popular among drivers.

The Honda Motor Company is well-known all over the world. The Japanese automaker was able to gain worldwide recognition, with the Honda motors and vehicles becoming prized possessions for many individuals.

But despite everyone knowing the name “Honda”, not all people know the history of the company. Who founded it? When was the firm established? What is the full range of products?

If you want to purchase any products such as Honda motors or vehicles, perhaps you want to learn more about the brand and its history. Well, this post will tell you everything you need to know about Honda’s establishment, development, and more.

Early Honda Motor Years

The man behind the company is Soichiro Honda. He is known to have some amazing mechanical engineering achievements, almost to the same level as those of Henry Ford. Soichiro Honda has been doing his best to cast a perfect piston ring while he was working in his Japanese machine shop back in 1938.

The name of his company was Tōkai Seiki, and he founded it to be able to make piston rings from the Art Shokai garage.

In the end, he was successful. So, he wanted to sell it to Toyota, but they didn’t accept his first batch. They only made a large order two years later.

However, Honda had a hard time with the production because it didn’t have enough cement as Japan was getting ready for the war. He had no choice but to make cement by himself and build a new factory for piston ring production.

During the war, the Tōkai Seiki Yamashita plant was destroyed, while the Itawa plant fell due to the Mikawa earthquake. Honda sold what was still salvageable and used the money to establish the Honda Technical Research Institute.

Later, in 1949, the Honda Technical Research Institute was liquidated, and the money was used to establish Honda Motor Co Ltd.

Then Honda started working with Takeo Fujisawa. The investor was able to help the new company with capital, but also marketing and financial strategies.

1950s Innovations

The Honda Motor Company grew in the 1950s, especially as they introduced their first motorcycle in Japan.

The co-founders Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa had different priorities. Fujisawa cared more about the easier financing access and increased sales brought by the innovation of engines, whereas Honda was excited to pursue motorcycle races.

At the end of the 1950s, Honda was able to win all of the big motorcycle sports racing prizes out there.

Fujisawa later had Honda focus on other things besides the production racing motorcycles, such as developing more efficient engines. Not only that, but he also advised Honda to develop a motorcycle design that could be driven using one hand, so riders could carry packages.

The company’s sales exploded when they introduced the Honda 50cc Super Cub.

Expanding Into the United States

After being so successful in Japan with the Honda motorcycles, the Japanese manufacturer started looking towards expansion. The Honda Motor Company Ltd could definitely get big in other geographical locations.

This is how they started focusing on the U.S. Before the 1960s, the U.S. public saw motorcycle riders as people who were causing trouble. However, Honda Motor Co Ltd wanted to change this perspective, and they were successful.

They established the American Honda Motor Company, Inc. in 1959. Honda introduced smaller, more lightweight motorcycles to the American public and it surpassed its competitors.

It also started producing cars and trucks in 1967. Moreover, the Honda engineers worked on things like power tillers, portable generators, pumps, lawnmowers, and outboard motors.

Honda also introduced two small passenger cars, but they were not as successful. Then, in 1973, they introduced the model known as Honda Civic, which is what truly made Honda stand out in the automobile manufacturing market.

In 1976, after the Honda Civic exceeded one million in sales, Honda introduced the Accord, which was a pricier model. Both Japan and the U.S. loved the Accord.

The year 1984 also saw Honda open Honda Power Equipment Mfg, which brought walk-behind lawnmowers to the public.

In 1986, Honda launches Acura, which is the first Japanese automaker luxury nameplate. It had 60 U.S. Acura dealers in the beginning, and this allowed Acura to get no less than four JD Power and Associates Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) awards.

Problems in the Early 1990s

Honda kept being successful in the early 1990s for a while, as their motorcycles and cars were definitely outstanding. But not everything lasts forever, and Honda stumbled upon some problems after a while.

The competition was strong, especially as the sales of Toyota and Ford models were growing. Meanwhile, the sales of Honda models started dropping considerably.

Honda tried to handle this. They started adding more Americans into the company’s management and came up with new models, but with the car industry being saturated in the entire world, the market was competitive for everyone.

The End of the Century and Moving Forward

Honda didn’t give up. They introduced the first gasoline-powered vehicle in 1995 to meet the standards of the Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. Also, they created a new 360-degree universally inclinable ultra-small four-stroke engine while working on other products with low emissions.

As the century reached the end, Honda was still doing great, despite having some weaknesses. They started relying on their U.S. sales more, and they became one of the best car companies worldwide.

In 2014, Honda Transmission Mfg became a thing, and it is the first automotive manufacturing U.S. facility that used onside wind turbines to get a large amount of electricity.

Popular Honda Products

Honda introduced many high-quality products over the years, such as:

• Motorcycles

The motorcycles made Honda popular in the beginning. They sold millions of motorcycles all over the world. One of the most known models is the Honda Super Cub.

• Automobiles

The Honda automobiles were very appreciated when they eventually made it to the market. Some notable models were the Honda S500, Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Honda Fit, Honda Shuttle and Honda Vezel.

The Honda NSX has always been the topline supercar model for Honda.

• Power Equipment

Honda power equipment is very popular too. Some of the equipment they produced includes mowers, engines, cultivators, lawnmowers, sprayers, pumps, onboard engines, and hedge trimmers.

• ATVs

Both utility and sports ATVs are built by Honda, including models like Rubicon, Rincon, Recon, TRX 250X, and TRX 700.

• Robots

A few robots were made by Honda too, such as the ASIMO robot.

• Engines

Honda also developed several engines, like the GY6 engine and V8 engines.

• Mountain Bikes

Mountain bikes are also part of Honda’s portfolio. They build the downhill racing bicycle called Honda RN-01.

• Aircraft

The Honda Aircraft company manufactured the HA-420 HondaJet, which has increased fuel efficiency and aerodynamics.

Final Thoughts

Honda was the first Japanese automaker to make vehicles in North America, but it is also one of the world’s largest car and motorcycle manufacturers. They are known for their fuel-efficient cars, as well as their racing vehicles and more. Honda products are and will always be appreciated, and they are here to stay.

The Mercedes Benz AG brand has been around for more than 130 years. It is one of the most popular names in the luxury vehicles industry, and many people have a lot of respect for it. The brand has focused on innovation a lot – this is how they were able to create outstanding vehicles and improve the lives of their customers.

But how did it all start for Mercedes Benz? Who were the founders and how did the Mercedes Benz cars become so popular? Read this post and discover the history of the Mercedes brand.

Gottlieb Daimler

It all started in 1834. That’s when Gottlieb Daimler was born on March 17, in Schorndorf, Germany. He trained as a gunsmith and later, he went to the Stuttgart Polytechnic School. He went to France and England after school, and he worked hard to complete several technical activities.

Later, he went back to Germany and worked as a draftsman. He managed to become a workshop inspector in 1863 in a Reutlingen machine factory.

Gottlieb Daimler worked at Deutz Gasmotorenfabik as a technical director, and during this time, he learned about the four-stroke technology. As a result, he decided to open his own development workshop. His plan was to work on a petrol-powered four-stroke engine.

The Development of the Grandfather Clock

He met Wilhelm Maybach while working for the machine factory in Reutlingen and they worked together to develop an internal combustion engine. Nowadays, this engine is known as the “Grandfather Clock”.

The Ups and Downs of the Company

In November of 1890, Gottlieb established Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft together with Wilhelm Lorenz and Max Duttenhofer in order to develop the engines. Gottlieb was more interested in vehicle production, though, while the new partners were interested in stationary engines, so there was a conflict. Maybach then resigned in 1891, but he and Gottlieb were still friends and kept working on producing vehicles.

Due to all the problems within DMG, Gottlieb was excluded and was no longer a shareholder, although both he and Maybach went back in 1895. Afterwards, the company’s Phoenix engine gained worldwide popularity. He also got a Technical Board position and was a Supervisory Board Inspector General.

The Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft company also built the first truck in the world for the British Motor Syndicate.

Karl Benz and Bertha Benz

10 years after Daimler’s birth, in 1844, Karl Benz was born, and he would be the one creating the first internal combustion engine, which could be found in the Benz Patent motor car. He was born in Karlsruhe, Germany on November 25. He wasn’t part of the wealthiest family, and his father passed away only two years after he was born.

Even though they were not rich, Benz’s mother still helped him go to grammar school. Later on, she supported him in going to mechanical engineering studies.

He loved motor cars, and he was always thinking of them even though he worked as a locksmith, designer, and workshop foreman.

Benz’s First Company

Together with August Ritter, his mechanic, he established his first company in 1871, but Ritter decided to leave not long after. The workshop was only run by Karl Benz alone, and he was working hard on the gas-driven two-stroke engine. This would help him create an engine that would let a vehicle run without requiring horses. The first time the engine ran was on New Year’s Eve 1879.

In October 1882, Benz established Gasmotorenfabrik Mannheim or the Mannheim Gas Engine Factory. But because the other shareholders wanted to focus more on the stationary gas engines and not motor car engines, Benz left the company.

Benz’s Third Company and the Two-Stroke System Benz Engine

Karl Benz then founded the Benz & Cie. Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik Mannheim with Friedrich Wilhelm Esslinger and Max Rose in 1883. The two-stroke System Benz engine was launched while he worked with this company.

The brand grew significantly, actually turning into the largest German engine manufacturer. Not only that, but at the end of the century, it became the leading automobile producer in the world. The Velocipede’s production led to the company’s economic breakthrough with automobiles. It was made between 1894 and 1901, and it is thought to have been the first automobile that was mass-produced. Almost 1,200 pieces were created.

Benz’s Last Company and His Wife’s Involvement

Benz opened the new company Carl Benz Söhne company in 1906, and it was his last company. After 6 years, he gave his sons management control. He passed away in 1929, but until then, he worked for his last company and was even a Daimler Benz board member.

Bertha Benz, Karl’s wife, was also a big reason we got Mercedes cars today. She married him in 1872 and decided to invest her dowry and inheritance into the automobile businesses of her husband while giving him emotional support. She was also the first individual to drive an automobile fueled by petrol.

Emil Jellinek

Emil Jellinek was a salesman and he was also a big part of the Mercedes Benz story. He was always interested in vehicles – therefore, he was involved in the automobile industry.

He started dealing with cars seriously in 1898, especially Daimler car models. He started asking DMG for faster and more powerful cars, which could be used in races.

How the Name Mercedez Benz Came Into Being

Mercedes, which was his daughter’s name, became a product name in April 1900. Wilhelm Maybach was the one who developed the first Daimler Mercedes vehicle, and it is considered the first modern automobile.

Emil used these models in the 1901 Nice Week, making other drivers interested in these motor cars. Mercedes became a registered and legally protected brand name in 1902. This is why we have the name Mercedes Benz today.

Daimler Benz AG and the Evolution of Mercedes Benz Vehicles

Mercedes and Daimler were competitors until the 1920s. But the first World War impacted the automotive industry a lot – therefore, Benz & Cie and DMG decided to merge. They created Mercedes Benz Automobil GmbH, and the combined business model was then able to coordinate production techniques, designs, sales, advertising, and purchasing, working to take over the market.

Becoming One Motor Company

In 1926, they became one company officially, forming the Daimler Benz AG company. In October of the same year, Mercedes Benz brand models were already being presented at the Berlin Motor Show.

The 770 Model

Mercedes Benz became more and more popular over the years due to their car models. The 770 model is one of the most popular vehicles in the history of Mercedes, as it was used during the Nazi period of Germany. Even Adolf Hitler has driven some of these cars while he was in power, and the windshields were bulletproof. One such model can be seen at the Ottawa War Museum.

In 1999, Mercedes AMG became a Mercedez Benz majority-owned division. It was integrated into DaimlerChrysler in that same year but then became Mercedes Benz AMG.

Other Popular Mercedes Benz Models

Carl Benz, Wilhelm Maybach, Gottlieb Daimler, and Emil Jellinek led to the creation of even more popular Mercedes Benz cars, though. Some other popular models were the Benz Motor Velocipede, S Class, Silver Arrows, Mercedes Benz 260 D, Mercedes Benz SL, 600 Pullman, E Class, C Class, EQC, and others. The W136 was also the first diesel engine passenger car they produced in 1936.

The Company’s Influence on Today’s Vehicles

When talking about the history of the brand, most people like to mention the first Daimler car, the story of Carl Benz, or the overall early engine development. Still, many forget to mention the influence of the early models on the commercial vehicles we drive today.

Carl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler, Emil Jellinek, and Wilhelm Maybach all contributed to the way cars look today. Without them, passenger cars may have not been the same.

Nowadays, we have a motor vehicle company that is not only popular all over the world but is also known as a high-quality car company. Mercedes Benz now has factories and dealerships all over the planet.

Final Thoughts

Mercedes Benz remains one of the oldest vehicle manufacturers in the world, being the first one to create the petrol engine. Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft marketed the first Mercedes automobile, and the first vehicles under the name Mercedes Benz were produced in 1926.

With a rich history, knowledgeable and skilled individuals working on stationary and vehicle engines in the early days, and dedication to the automobile field, the business gained international popularity. Some of its now-legendary vehicles can be seen in museums.