Can You Ace This Honda Pop Quiz By VTEC Academy?

VTEC Academy just dropped their Honda Pop Quiz video earlier this week (June. 1,2015) and it’s super difficult. There are only ten questions focusing solely on Honda’s history that ranges from simple acronym definitions to downright detailed. For example, do you know the difference between an EM1 and an EM2? Then this quiz is for you.

VTEC academy warns you that you can’t be googling answers and you have the same allotted time as the people in the video, so if you’re game, now’s the time to play along. Also, further down in this article are the answers to this pop quiz, so if you don’t want to see the answer’s, don’t scroll all the way down! To help you not cheat, some official Honda press release photos will block your way to the answers.

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1. What does “VTEC” stand for? – According to Honda and every fan of the 56-year-old company, VTEC stands for Variable Timing Electronic Control. According to Wikipedia, ” VTEC is a system developed by Honda to improve the volumetric efficiency of a four-stroke internal combustion engine. The VTEC system uses two camshaft profiles and hydraulically selects between profiles.” And if you’re a fan of VTEC, check out this crossover compilation courtesy of Slash! Gaming.

2. What was the first car to feature a DOHC VTEC engine in the USA? Although VTEC was available on US cars before 1991, the first car to feature a DOHC version of VTEC was the 1991 Acura NSX. Its 3-liter engine was good enough for 270 HP, which was a lot by 90’s standards.

3. Name the famous road racing team that features the red and white color scheme? This one was a bit of a hard one but the participants in the video all actually got the question right surprisingly. You wouldn’t expect a racing team focused around imports to come from Wisconsin, but in 1987, Real Time Racing began racing Honda’s and Acura’s and were dominating all across America. Their partnership with Honda was so strong, their NSX is actually in Honda’s not so secret heritage Museum in Anaheim.

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4. What year did the USDM Integra Type R skip during its 1997-2001 production run? It’s a little known fact but in 1999, the Acura Integra Type R never came to the United States. One intrepid commenter on Honda-Tech gives a very plausible answer. Basically, magazine writers didn’t really give it the time of day until mid-1999. To American consumers it as a loud and uncomfortable car, but to enthusiasts, it was a racecar for the streets.

5. What is the first year that Honda introduced independent rear suspension for the Civic? The year was 1973 and the Honda Civic actually had an independent rear suspension! What made it such a hit to American buyers was that not only was it reliable, but it was cheap on gas.

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6. What’s the difference between an EF8 and EF9? Only true Honda diehards would know the nuances between an EF8 and EF9 but basically an EF8 is a CRX, a two-door sports car with only two seats. Although the engines offered may have been smaller than the EF9 at first, its gearing was meant for performance. An EF9 is just a Civic Hatch.

7. What’s the difference between a B16A and a B16B? Although both engines share the same bore, stroke, TB Diameter, Air intake manifold and Exhaust Manifold, the difference between the motors is night and day. Compared to the B16A, the B16B utilized different cams, pistons, ECU, received a mild port and polish, rods, crankshaft, flywheel, and bearings. The list goes on and on. Check out this article for the complete run down. All in all, the B16B had 15 more HP and rev’d 200 RPM higher than the B16A.

8. What’s the difference between an EM1 and EM2? Any Honda head would get this one. The EM1 was chassis specific for a 1999-2000 Honda Civic Si equipped with its high-revving B16A2 motor. The EM2 is a colloquial term for any 7th generation Honda Civic made between 2001 and 2005.

9. What was the first Honda to run a 10 second 1/4 mile? This one was a tough one and according to VTEC Academy, it was a turbocharged application run by Dave Shiba (which we could not procure any information on.) But the first naturally aspirated 10 second run was run by Skunk2’s Tony Shagday. Read up about the epic run here. And check out THAT run below. Remember, it was 1999 when Skunk2 did this.

10. Name the car these engines come in stock: K20A2, K24A2, B18C5, B17A1 – The K20A2 first was used in the 2001 Civic Type R although the RSX Type-S received that motor in 2002. The K24A2 was found in the Acura TSX. The B18C5 of course was first used in the Acura Integra Type R. And the B17A1 was found in the 1992-1993 Acura Integra GSR.

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