Honda releases details about next Civic's engine

[ifcar]

Honda Develops New 1.8l i-VTEC Engine: Superior Fuel Economy and Powerful Performance Achieved With Valve Timing Control That Responds to Driving Conditions

Tokyo, Japan, July 5, 2005 - (JCN Newswire) - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (LSE: 7267q) today announced that it has developed a new 1.8l i-VTEC engine to be introduced this fall in the new Civic that achieves both more powerful performance and improved fuel economy. The engine employs an intelligent VTEC system that switches the valve timing for maximum efficiency during startup and acceleration to achieve powerful, torquey performance, then delays intake valve closure timing during cruising and other low-load conditions for improved fuel economy. Use of the valve timing control system results in off-the-line acceleration performance equivalent to a 2.0-liter engine, fuel economy approximately 6% better than the current 1.7-liter Civic engine, making it one of the world's most efficient 1.8-liter engine designs. During cruising, the new engine achieves particularly high fuel economy, on a par with that of a 1.5-liter engine.

Under low-load conditions on conventional engine, the throttle valve is normally partly closed to control the intake volume of the fuel-air mixture. During this time, pumping losses are incurred due to intake resistance, and this is one factor that leads to reduced engine efficiency. With the i-VTEC engine, however, intake valve closure timing is delayed to control the intake volume of the air-fuel mixture, allowing the throttle valve to remain wide open even under low-load conditions for a major reduction in pumping losses of up to 16%. Combined with comprehensive friction-reducing measures, this results in a significant increase in fuel efficiency for the engine itself.

A DBW (Drive By Wire) system provides high-precision control over the throttle valve while the valve timing is being changed over, ensuring smooth driving performance that leaves the driver unaware of any torque fluctuations. Other innovations include a variable-length intake manifold that delivers optimum inertia effect to further improve intake efficiency and piston oil jets that cool the pistons to suppress engine knock, for powerful torque even at rpm ranges typical in normal driving. The new engine delivers a high level of performance, with maximum output of 103kW (140PS) and maximum torque of 174Nom (17.7kgom). It also delivers cleaner emission performance, employing a 2-bed catalytic converter positioned immediately after the manifold and high-precision air-fuel ratio control to achieve emission levels 75% below 2005 Japanese government standards (based on Honda in-house testing).

In addition, lower block construction resulting in a more rigid engine frame, aluminum rocker arms, high-strength cracked connecting rods, a narrow, silent cam chain, and other innovations make the engine more compact and lightweight. It is both lighter and shorter overall than the current Civic 1.7l engine, and quieter as well. *All values according to Honda in-house calculations

Specifications for the 1.8l i-VTEC engine

Engine type and number Water-cooled in-line 4-cylinder of cylinders Displacement (cc) 1,799 Bore x Stroke (mm) 81.0 x 87.3 Max. Output (kW [PS]/rpm) 103 [140]/6,300 Max. Torque (Nm [kgm]/rpm) 174 [17.7]/4,300 Compression Ratio 10.5

*All values according to Honda in-house calculations

[TBR]

Does anyone know how to convert those units?

[Raghavan]

Does anyone know how to convert those units?

link

[280Z Turbo]

Sounds great! I think that the best way to increase horsepower is to increase efficiency. There's tons of untapped potential in the gas we burn in our cars.

I rode in a current-gen Civic this weekend and I was impressed with it. The fit and finish was excellent, it was roomy, the materials looked very nice, and the engine actually was pretty peppy considering it was an auto and there were 3 people in the car.

Honda really does make great all-around cars.

[Run Away]

The exhaust system sounds like it really kills horsepower.

And Honda really seems to love it's 81mm bore...

[crv16]

It just occurred to me that the domestic auto makers never promote their mainstream engines.

It's good to see that pride of engineering is still alive.

[TBR]

Does anyone know how to convert those units?

link

That doesn't help, it doesn't have a lb ft option.  

[Raghavan]

Does anyone know how to convert those units?

link

That doesn't help, it doesn't have a lb ft option.

yes it does.
the engine produces about 128 lb-ft.

[TBR]

Does anyone know how to convert those units?

link

That doesn't help, it doesn't have a lb ft option.

yes it does.
the engine produces about 128 lb-ft.

Guess I just missed it. Anyway, what is so impressive about 128 lb ft of torque?  

[ifcar]

It's competitive, which the current base engine's 110 cannot claim.

[Raghavan]

Does anyone know how to convert those units?

link

That doesn't help, it doesn't have a lb ft option.

yes it does.
the engine produces about 128 lb-ft.

Guess I just missed it. Anyway, what is so impressive about 128 lb ft of torque?

You might've missed it because it says lb-ft/second, minute, or hour. it doesn't give just lb-ft. :shrugs:

[bobwill]

Looks good, though we'll have to see how it does in real life.  It looks like a really tall engine in the pic on C&D, but I think that's just because it's only a SOHC, so it doesn't need as wide of a head to house two camshafts.

[TBR]

It's competitive, which the current base engine's 110 cannot claim.

I guess the auto media considers a competitive level of power to be impressive since it is a Honda

[bobwill]

It's competitive, which the current base engine's 110 cannot claim.

I guess the auto media considers a competitive level of power to be impressive since it is a Honda

Well, if it's able to deliver competitive amounts of power, and maintain the Civic's traditionally  high gas mileage, Honda will have a true winner.

[TBR]

It's competitive, which the current base engine's 110 cannot claim.

I guess the auto media considers a competitive level of power to be impressive since it is a Honda

Well, if it's able to deliver competitive amounts of power, and maintain the Civic's traditionally  high gas mileage, Honda will have a true winner.

I suppose so, though I still wouldn't call it impressive, the Corolla manages about the same gas mileage as the current Civic with more power.

[SargeMonkey]

Why not just jam a 572 chevy big block in it, make it rear wheel drive, hell it has to get good mileage, just on the power to weight ratio. 1000rpm, second gear, 98mph.

[ifcar]

It's competitive, which the current base engine's 110 cannot claim.

I guess the auto media considers a competitive level of power to be impressive since it is a Honda

Well, if it's able to deliver competitive amounts of power, and maintain the Civic's traditionally  high gas mileage, Honda will have a true winner.

I suppose so, though I still wouldn't call it impressive, the Corolla manages about the same gas mileage as the current Civic with more power.

I'd call the Corolla's acceleration/fuel economy mix impressive, so if the Civic can match or exceed that, it could easily be considered impressive as well.

[TBR]

Ford should make a Focus with a downsized version of the 2.0l Mazda I4, I would think it would compete nicely with the new Civic in both power and fuel economy.  

[bobwill]

Ford should make a Focus with a downsized version of the 2.0l Mazda I4, I would think it would compete nicely with the new Civic in both power and fuel economy.

I think they do, I believe the zetech is dead in the US.  In Europe the duratec engines that are 1.4L-1.6L are still derived from the old zetech engine, but the 1.8L and larger engines are based on the same design as the 2.3L.
Actually, the 2.0 came before the 2.3, based on the wikipedia article.

Duratec 20
Beginning in 2004, Ford dropped the old 4-cylinder Zetec engines in favor of Mazda's MZR design. Thus, 2005+ Duratec 4 cylinder engines are Mazdas. This includes the 2.0 L Duratec 20 and 2.3 L Duratec 23.

The 993 is a 2.0 L (1988 cc) version built in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. Bore is 84.8 mm and stroke is 88 mm. It is used in the Ford Escape and Focus. Output is 130 hp (97 kW) at 5300 RPM with 135 ft.lbf (183 Nm) of torque at 4500 RPM. It has an aluminum engine block and aluminum DOHC cylinder heads. The cylinders are lined with cast iron. It uses SFI fuel injection, has 4 valves per cylinder with VVT and features fracture-split forged powder metal connecting rods, a one-piece cast camshaft, and a cast aluminum or reinforced plastic intake manifold.

Duratec 23
The Duratec 23 is a 2.3 L (2261 cc) version of the Mazda-designed Duratec 20. Bore is 87.4 mm and stroke is 94 mm. It has an aluminum engine block with cast iron cylinder liners and aluminum DOHC cylinder heads. It uses SFI fuel injection, has 4 valves per cylinder with VCT and features fracture-split forged powder metal connecting rods and a one-piece cast camshaft.

The 23EW is built in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico for use in the US-market Focus, Mazda3 and Mazda6. Output is 144 hp (107 kW) at 5750 RPM with 149 ft.lbf (202 Nm) of torque at 4200 RPM.

The 23NS is built in Dearborn, MI for the Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series. Output is 143 hp (107 kW) at 5250 RPM with 154 ft.lbf (209 Nm) of torque at 5750 RPM.

[ifcar]

And neither engine matches the current Civic fuel economy, and only the ST's 2.3-liter is especially quick.

[bobwill]

And neither engine matches the current Civic fuel economy, and only the ST's 2.3-liter is especially quick.

Of course, as the recent motortrend showed, quickness can be easily sapped by simply mating an engine to an automatic transmission.

The focus was 2nd fastest in the acceleration runs and the mazda3 was the absolute slowest losing something like a full second on both 0-60 and 0-1/4 mile times using almost identical engines, only substituting a slushbox in the mazda to the ford's 5-speed manual.

[giant_mtb]

Doesn't seem like a lot of power...

[ifcar]

And neither engine matches the current Civic fuel economy, and only the ST's 2.3-liter is especially quick.

Of course, as the recent motortrend showed, quickness can be easily sapped by simply mating an engine to an automatic transmission.

The focus was 2nd fastest in the acceleration runs and the mazda3 was the absolute slowest losing something like a full second on both 0-60 and 0-1/4 mile times using almost identical engines, only substituting a slushbox in the mazda to the ford's 5-speed manual.

Even with an automatic, the Mazda3 s is quick for a compact. The only quick Focus is the manual-only ST.

[Raghavan]

Doesn't seem like a lot of power...

it's more than enough power for a small economy car. these engines are focused more on economy than performance.

[bobwill]

Doesn't seem like a lot of power...

Keep in mind, a new civic can probably keep up with a lot of performance cars from 20 years ago.  I mean, in the 1980s, a 6-second 0-60 time was the realm of modified drag racers, and high priced exotics.

[ifcar]

Doesn't seem like a lot of power...

it's more than enough power for a small economy car. these engines are focused more on economy than performance.

When competitors are both quick and fuel efficient, a one-or-the-other approach is not enough.

[TBR]

Ford should make a Focus with a downsized version of the 2.0l Mazda I4, I would think it would compete nicely with the new Civic in both power and fuel economy.

I think they do, I believe the zetech is dead in the US.  In Europe the duratec engines that are 1.4L-1.6L are still derived from the old zetech engine, but the 1.8L and larger engines are based on the same design as the 2.3L.
Actually, the 2.0 came before the 2.3, based on the wikipedia article.

Duratec 20
Beginning in 2004, Ford dropped the old 4-cylinder Zetec engines in favor of Mazda's MZR design. Thus, 2005+ Duratec 4 cylinder engines are Mazdas. This includes the 2.0 L Duratec 20 and 2.3 L Duratec 23.

The 993 is a 2.0 L (1988 cc) version built in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. Bore is 84.8 mm and stroke is 88 mm. It is used in the Ford Escape and Focus. Output is 130 hp (97 kW) at 5300 RPM with 135 ft.lbf (183 Nm) of torque at 4500 RPM. It has an aluminum engine block and aluminum DOHC cylinder heads. The cylinders are lined with cast iron. It uses SFI fuel injection, has 4 valves per cylinder with VVT and features fracture-split forged powder metal connecting rods, a one-piece cast camshaft, and a cast aluminum or reinforced plastic intake manifold.

Duratec 23
The Duratec 23 is a 2.3 L (2261 cc) version of the Mazda-designed Duratec 20. Bore is 87.4 mm and stroke is 94 mm. It has an aluminum engine block with cast iron cylinder liners and aluminum DOHC cylinder heads. It uses SFI fuel injection, has 4 valves per cylinder with VCT and features fracture-split forged powder metal connecting rods and a one-piece cast camshaft.

The 23EW is built in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico for use in the US-market Focus, Mazda3 and Mazda6. Output is 144 hp (107 kW) at 5750 RPM with 149 ft.lbf (202 Nm) of torque at 4200 RPM.

The 23NS is built in Dearborn, MI for the Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series. Output is 143 hp (107 kW) at 5250 RPM with 154 ft.lbf (209 Nm) of torque at 5750 RPM.

Perhaps you should read my post more carefully, I said they should make a downsized version of the 2.0l, not a downsized version of the 2.3l which exists in the 2.0l. Something in the 1.7-.8l range with 110 hp would be good for a city commuter car.  

[ifcar]

Not enough market for something with 110 horsepower.

[giant_mtb]

Doesn't seem like a lot of power...

Keep in mind, a new civic can probably keep up with a lot of performance cars from 20 years ago.  I mean, in the 1980s, a 6-second 0-60 time was the realm of modified drag racers, and high priced exotics.

That's irrelevant, though.  People aren't going to compare the Civic to dragsters of yester-year...they're going to compare it with it's modern competitors.

[TBR]

Not enough market for something with 110 horsepower.

The Prius is doing pretty good and it probably has less power than that.