My personal write-up record with the DC5 Honda Integra Type R carries back over 3 years. That was for the first appearance of the car in Hypertune's pages and the specimen we procured for that coverage was a completely standard black one. Back then, I was amazed how Honda managed to create such a capable successor to the now legendary DC2 Integra Type R.

It was a challenge like no other for the Honda engineers for they had to come up with replacement for a car that rewrote the book on front-wheel drive performance which led Honda's immeasurable motorsports pedigree for its wide-ranging compact car segment. Added to that, the DC2 Type R had in its belly the fiery disposition of the unparalleled B-series powerplant family in the shape of the 187bhp B18C.

Since I've written at length previously about the DC5 Type R's tenacious track attitude and superfluous handling characteristics, this article is more about its engine. The K20A powerplant brought the new range of Honda street racers into the 2.0 litre class, including the Civic Type R which shares a similar but less tuned engine.

Rated at 220hp, it revs slightly less atmospherically than the B-series but compensates with much more low end torque thanks to the ‘i' in the new i-VTEC system. Honda's latest valvetrain technology incorporates their traditional VTEC variable valve lift, with variable intake cam timing or VTC. Though these systems operate individually, the combined result is to make the engine to be more seamless and muscular throughout the whole powerband with added refinement as well.

VTC adjusts the cam timing through 50 degrees with respect to operating conditions. At idling, optimum stability is achieved by retarding the intake cam to eliminate valve overlap. When cruising, near maximum overlap is induced to mix exhaust gasses with the fuel mixture to reduce emissions and to do without the EGR valve. At full throttle, cam timing will vary with revs for maximum efficiency.

(The rest of the article can be found in Hypertune Vol. 47)

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