What are VVTI and VTEC?💨🛠️🔧👇

An engine operates by burning a fuel-air mixture, which expands and exerts pressure. If more air is introduced, the pressure on the piston increases, resulting in greater power output. This process is known as cylinder charging.

However, in a naturally aspirated (non-turbo) engine, there is a limit to how much cylinder charging can be increased under atmospheric pressure. Various methods have been developed to improve cylinder charging efficiency.

Why does cylinder charging decrease?

In a 4-stroke engine, the fuel-air mixture enters through the intake valve during the intake stroke. The intake valve opens to allow air to enter the cylinder and closes at the end of the stroke. However, since an engine completes a cycle in just milliseconds, the time available for the intake valve to remain open is very short, especially at high RPMs.

When an engine runs at high speeds, there isn't enough time to fully fill the cylinder with air, leading to reduced pressure on the piston during combustion. This, in turn, reduces power and efficiency.

Additionally, at higher altitudes, atmospheric pressure decreases, reducing the density of air. This means there is less oxygen per unit volume, which results in incomplete combustion and lower power output.

Since the Engine Control Unit (ECU) adjusts fuel injection based on air intake to maintain the correct fuel-air ratio, reduced air density leads to lower fuel injection, further reducing power.

Due to these challenges, manufacturers have developed various cylinder charging technologies to improve engine performance.

Cylinder Charging Systems

A common technique used in almost all engines is valve overlap, where the intake valve opens slightly before the exhaust stroke ends. This allows more air to enter the cylinder. However, the overlap period is very short, limiting its effectiveness.

To improve airflow, manufacturers introduced dual intake valves, leading to 12-valve engines (for 4-cylinder engines). While this increased efficiency, the presence of only one exhaust valve created backpressure, slightly restricting airflow.

To solve this, engines were upgraded to 16-valve designs (2 intake valves and 2 exhaust valves per cylinder). While this improved performance, at high RPMs, cylinder filling was still not optimal.

Variable Valve Timing (VVT)

To address the high-RPM air intake issue, manufacturers introduced Variable Camshaft Timing (VCT). In this system, the camshaft timing is adjusted dynamically using oil pressure, allowing the intake valve to open earlier and stay open longer. This improves air intake, increasing cylinder filling at high RPMs.

This system is controlled by electronic systems and is known by different names depending on the manufacturer:

Toyota – VVTI (Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence)

Honda – VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control)

Mitsubishi – MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control)

Difference Between VTEC and VVTI

VVTI (Toyota) adjusts the timing of the camshaft, altering when the valves open and close.

VTEC (Honda) changes both timing and valve lift, meaning it can also adjust how much the valve opens.

Benefits of Variable Valve Timing

By optimizing cylinder filling only when necessary, these systems:

✔ Improve fuel efficiency

✔ Increase power output

✔ Enhance overall engine performance

Despite these advancements, no manufacturer has yet been able to achieve atmospheric pressure inside the cylinder during the intake stroke in a naturally aspirated engine.

To further improve cylinder charging, forced induction systems like turbochargers, superchargers, and nitrous oxide (NOS) are used. These systems are classified as forced air induction systems.

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