Birth of the Honda R-Series i-VTEC

The Definitive Owner's Resource: hondakarma.com

[@markwalshaw241]

My 13 year old 2008 1.8 RA1 engine civic has just hit 100,000 miles and i drive it hard with 6,000+ rpm on the regular. Servicing is every 12 months doing nothing but air filter, oil filter and oil change. I've just pulled the spark plugs and done a compression test on the cylinders. Technically reading the spark plugs and they're telling me the timing and fuel to air mixture is spot on. Honda says the cylinder compression should be 134+ psi with a maximum 28 psi deviation between cylinders. All 4 cylinders came in at 174 psi +/- 4 psi. That's phenomenal for an engine of this age. ..now I just need to go get my Honda tattoo :)

[@jamesvw769]

08 R18 here 205.000 still running good..I would drive it anyware.

[@adamgroszkiewicz814]

110k on my R motor 2015 Civic w/CVT. From an "enthusiast" perspective, the R18 driving experience feels like a smoother version of the old B18B non-VTEC DOHC. Mine is daily driven & occasional road trips + a couple of years doing Lyft rideshares. Not a single problem or component failure on anything in the car. After having the valves adjusted per normal maint schedule it drives better than I did when the car was purchased at 30k miles. CVT is very smooth, performing as expected in both Drive and Sport modes. With Cruise set at 80 mph on the freeway the R motor sits sits below 2500 RPM and gets about 38 MPG. CVT has been religiously maintained with the fluid flushed once per year, which costs roughly $300 per flush at my local dealership. Compared to the maintenance on my fiance's '18 Toyota Corolla, I spend 2/3 what she does even with my zealous CVT maintenance.

[@numberpirate]

1992 B18A1=140hp, 2015 R18A= 140hp. Seeing the torque curves plotted against each other would be interesting. Honda engines just own any other company's engines. Yes BMWs have the same high revving fun peaky engines, but they are about as reliable as Trump telling the truth is.

[@maciejsn2126]

How would You compare R engines with K engines taking reliability in account

[@adamgroszkiewicz814]

@@maciejsn2126 They're both final generation port fuel injected Honda motors. Both are excellent and will last forever in stock form.

[@guitarandstuff8265]

Mines still going with over 130k miles. Changed the starter recently.

[@JorgeRodriguez-gp2hf]

you just broke it in, LOL

[@hallowbonez]

R18s are the underdog 4 cylinder

[@kimblem.w9952]

I wish they gave the SOHC J-Series V6 engines this type of i-VTEC in the 2010s. Only the 3.7L J series had dual vtec for the intake and exhaust valves and it didn't help fuel economy at all.

[@VtecDohc]

I have R20 in Accord 2010. 350k and no Oil eat ❤️👍👍👍

[@dinoarnaut9438]

really ??? i have buy an accord with this engine two weeks ago, is it a good engine ?

[@VtecDohc]

@@dinoarnaut9438 Yes. I recommend highly. I have an automatic gearbox which is also great. Apart from regulating the valves, the engine does not require any major interventions.

[@drewaspark]

Looking for info on a Honda 1.8L R18A/R18Z Engine conn rod & main bearing code. Anyone have idea where it would be stamped on the block or maybe on main bearing bridle? I have a 07 Civic DX & am dropping in a 2010 1.8L due the OEM Manufacturing problem of Poor Casting Issues on the 2006-08 & early 2009"s Civics with 1.8L in them, which leads to leaking Coolant. I wanting to do a bearing roll-in before I drop in the 2010 1.8L engine into my car.

[@zeufba]

Very good Honda's engine.

[@vorcereel]

its too much consume the fuel for this r-18

[@thisisntsergio1352]

@Finley Ralph lol fake and scam

[@maciejsn2126]

Is it as good and reliable as K20 engines?

[@lol-si4gh]

@@maciejsn2126 using r20 cam and headblock Is already enough to smoke fd2 k20z Stock vs stock If wanna go reach more power Go do remap ecu Do custom mapping 👍

[@maciejsn2126]

@@lol-si4gh just wonder about reliability if can do 300k miles like K20 (don’t mean power)

[@spencertaylorcrowe]

This engine absolutely loves to be turbocharged!

[@akshaynyaharkar]

😂😅

[@jamwest3146]

R20 in an Acura, running great at 90K.

[@peejay1954]

Except TSB 10-048 where the blocks have a flaw and leak coolant. Honda only warrantied for 10 years. Mine started this year, 2 years past warranty

[@misyon42day93]

Was the jdm version has the same problem

[@paulwright6121]

Only in America

[@adamgroszkiewicz814]

That TSB only applied to early production models. Any block produced post-2009 had the metallurgical issues worked out.

[@anthonyvasquez9068]

The best engine of the world

[@spencertaylorcrowe]

Just no.. it's a good little engine but to say it's the best engine in the world is a little bit crazy. Especially considering that it's a fuel economy motor with a little bit of power. No matter how much money you throw at an r18 it will never be a serious engine. Take it from me. I've built my 2008 honda civic r18 a complete rebuild and head build and turbo. My r18 makes 416hp however I had to spend nearly 6,000 dollars to achieve this. Not including repairs and maintenance. In my personal OPINION the best engine in the world is probably the 2jzgte or the L.S series

[@anthonyvasquez9068]

@@spencertaylorcrowe I had an experience with my 06 and you'll not believe me it's was a day was driving my home to my job of 45 minutes of difference and it's was oil leak when someone notice the car was smoke underneath and told me your car is smoke I pull over in some spots and when I check the dipstick it's was really empty I drive to my job of 5 minutes of difference and the engine is was running normal with nothing oil. I was really impressed.

[@H74ver]

@@anthonyvasquez9068 lol

[@kapzet9951]

@@spencertaylorcrowe yes, but in a reliability and economic way is one of the best engines for a daily... If u want to make some hrsprs just swap for a k24

[@FB6K24Z7]

@@jimmyjump8543 This engine is not designed for high performance it's designed to give good fuel economy and decent acceleration for everyday driving compare you so called 2ZZ to a B18C TYPE R and then see which engine is more powerful

[@clarknicolas6780]

Best engine oil for this engine on high mileage???

[@LHTankOff]

I use 5W-20 Full Synthetic oil.

[@SY27196]

Which Honda crv engine is more reliable R20A or K24z?

[@guitarandstuff8265]

I have a 2012 r series and a 2005 k series civic. both have been trouble free except starter on the 2012 and a sensor on the 05.

[@A4ANT]

@@guitarandstuff8265 - what’s the R like on MPG is it manual ?

[@guitarandstuff8265]

Automatic. It's showing 32.6 mpg on the display rn. I do a mix of city and highway driving everydsy

[@boricuajr84]

That's my engine!! I never knew it is vtech though for my 9th gen r18 civic LX

[@H74ver]

Not DOHC its single cam, and its i-VTEC, it doesn't "kick in" like traditional VTEC. Its basically for fuel economy and the i-VTEC only "kicks in" when driving like a grandma with a steady throttle lol, not like the iconic SI with performance cams that kick in around 5k rpm. It is variable after all. Its a version of an economy oriented i-VTEC that is different (even different then VTEC-e, 3-stage i-VTEC). Under the right engine load and engine speed conditions the VTEC system switches to a cam that delays the intake cam closure by extending the duration so that the piston pushes out fuel-air mixture back through the intake causing the engine to operate in an Atkinson-Cycle mode. The loss in power from going into the Atkinson cycle is compensated for automatically by the ECU opening up the throttle more (without you having to adjust with your foot on the accelerator). So it improves fuel economy two-fold by (1) reducing pumping loss by opening of the throttle body plate to give less restriction to the intake path and (2) going into the Atkinson-Cycle which uses fuel more efficiently by having a longer combustion stroke than effective intake stroke giving more time for the fuel-air mixture to combust. This also decreases emissions but who cares about that lol. There is no VTEC characteristic torque bump either. VTEC is a tricksy hobbit lol. All kinds of conditions. Engine RPM, vehicle speed, engine load, throttle position, coolant temperature, oil pressure etc. And yes I know VTEC can kick in at different RPM then 5k on the SI but is it performance or economy? VTEC is meant to have high performance at high RPM and low fueI consumption at low RPM. i-VTEC is kinda backwards but not idk, hard for me to put into words but basically not true VTEC and kinda strange to say its intelligent compared to traditional VTEC although Honda does have some intelligent engineers. Then again it is actually pretty interesting and intelligent what they have achieved, I am not the intelligent one. Yes, I know different engines have different engagements for VTEC. l have messed a lot with the valves and modded/fabricated so many different set ups; proprietary chip sets, cutting solenoids, load resistors, remapping ECU, locking rocker arms, machined different heads and VTEC pins or whatever they are called, toggle switches so all 4 valves open instead of 3 to utilize the primary lobe instead of the secondary lobe, trying 3 lobe cams, lobe height and spring height, HX with a EX ECU and switching to 4 wire O2, trying VTEC killer, locking rockers in a non VTEC head comparing, trying to tune intake lol so many variables with Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control, hard to tune something variable. A lot of fails and a lot of learning for me. These engineers are big brained and I am sure have tried more then myself.

[@alphadawg7360]

@@H74ver will 2.4 ivtec engine have good fuel economy?

[@kausarraza4118]

Which engine is better r series or k series engine? For better fuel economy.?

[@mauritiushosting8126]

R Series better for fuel economy

[@kausarraza4118]

Thank you. 👍

[@adamgroszkiewicz814]

R series. I've gotten 44mpg out of a full tank in mine given 100% ideal conditions.

[@crypticscrutiny1153]

Too bad the housing block isn't worth a damn. Prone to crack. Dealing with that currently.

[@n..o3243]

Вари ли е

[@misyon42day93]

The birth of engine block crack..

[@eyeswideopen5562]

true i was about to buy an 2008 , so lucky to find this issue ... even if only a very low numbers of block crack , i'm not gona the chance ....

[@stevenzembriski6761]

Yeah I have a 2008 and the block cracked in 2017 @ 150,000 but my Honda dealer replaced it at no cost to me. my Civic is black and the clear coat pealed off so the car looks like shit but gets my ass where I got to go lol

[@winterhellercru2538]

Fake vtec by honda 🤣🤣🤣

[@ionelaioni6355]

Tho worst engine in honda. 2 l oil in 1000 km 😉. Verry common problem in this engine. I have this engine i dont recomand