Hi, I am a newbie here and I am trying to understand cars.
One thing that bugs me is that, why does tC have less hp when RSX only got 2.0 engine while tC got 2.4?

Even TSX hp is only 200 hp (RSX 210) and TSX also have 2.4 engine.

Anyone know why? I was just wondering.

_____

 

First, you are talking about an RSX type S. The regular (base) RSX has 160hp. Second, the RSX type S is a higher class car and should not be compared to the tC.

Why does the tC have mediocre hp-to-displacement ratio compared to the type S, or even the base? The tC engine is directly from a Camry. Camry engines are not, in any way, designed for performance. It is a quality torque-rich engine that is meant to get you from A to B, again, and again, for years to come; not to get you from A to B fast. The RSX was designed to be a performance car. It is not, of course, a real sports car, but it is actually meant to be rather sporty, especially in the case of the type S.

Honda is known for making powerful (for their displacement), high-revving engines. Toyota was never really into perfomance.

 

my bad only glanced through their acura web. thanks

 

simply put, its the compression ratio that makes the difference. the higher the compression ratio, the more the air is being compressed, which means you can fit more air into the cylinders, and the more air, the more power that you can make. of course, too much compression can literally blow apart your engine block, unless you have strong internals [pistons and rods]

the RSX base model has a compression ratio of 9.8:1
the tC has a compression ratio of 9.6:1

i know the difference isnt all that big, but theres more.

the RSX's engine redlines at 6700RPM, while the tC's engine redlines at 6200RPM

as you know, the higher your engine spins, the more air the engine is compressing, therefore, the more power your putting out.

all of these little things help give the KA20 engine block the same amount of horsepower as the 2AZ.

what the KA20 lacks though, is torque, it makes a mere 141lbs/ft compared to the tC's 163 lbs. of torque. torque is what gets the car moving, while horsepower will carry you through the RPMS.

but theres more.

the HP and Torque curves for the Acura are much different.
Since the tC has a larger displacement, with just a small difference in displacement, its powerband is much wider, and can pull from a much lower RPM, while on the other hand, since the RSX has such a low displacement, it needs to rev high in order to make the power.

For example
the tC makes its maximum horsepower at 160 @ 5700 RPM and its maximum torque at 163 @ 4000 RPM

while the RSX makes its maximum horsepower at 160 @ 6500 RPM
and its maximum torque at 141 @ 4000 RPM

the reason the RSX type S has so much horsepower, is because of its compression and ability to rev.
210 @ 7800 RPM

thats a whopping 7800 RPM, it can make a ton of power up there, but it takes time for it to get there. Its torque is nearly the same as the base RSX, but since this engine can rev muc higher, it can keep building horsepower and acceleration.

11.0:1 is the compression ratio, and its very high, showing its ability to compress more air and make more power.

i hope this helps.

 

wow, thanks for the explanation, i get it now. much appreciated.

 

i hope so, not everyone on this forum is a jerk who will just tell you to bug off, if you have anymore questions feel free to ask

 

Wow, cool i am touched. I sorta hesitate to post cuz dont wanna sound dumb. i am starting to love this site more and more now. the tech is really cool. i dont see such nice tutorials anywhere else, with pics and stuff.

 

Yes, yes, come to the dark side. You know you want to... Don't you feel it drawing you in, through the VVT-i vortex?

 

wow....very well put you two. couldn't of said it better myself.

 

another lesson learned... thnx!

 

Very very very good explanation gladly there are some people here that understand that and do not start braging who is faster. Again nice explanation.

 

They [/b]were into performance...Supra Twin Turbo, MR2 Turbo, Celica All-Trac Turbo, heck, even my mom's Camry V6 with a manual transmission was quick. They just weren't making money from the sports world, but hopefully they will come back.

 

^ok I don't know how to use the bold function sorry guys

 

Nice explanation. One more thing to add (Torque x Engine speed) / 5,252 = Horsepower. The RSX-S makes lots of HP because it revs very high. Bigger displacement engines can usually make more torque and smaller displacement engines can usually rev higher because of less rotating mass. If you drive both you will notice the difference in torque. I drove the old Integra with 130 or 140hp I think. It is a quick car but only if you are reving it and in the right gear because it has a small powerband. The tC with more torque can be driven normally in a higher gear. Both need to downshift to pass if you are in a hurry though.
RSX-S
Horsepower @ RPM210@7800
Torque @ RPM143@7000
tC
Horsepower @ RPM160@5700
Torque @ RPM163@4000

 

the biggest difference I would say that has still not been mentioned is the aggressiveness of the cam. The lobe in the rsx-s is going to be much larger than the lobe in the tC. I will do some looking around real quick and see if I can find some specs.

 

wow.. this is probalby the only humanly-discussed topic on the tc vs rsx threads!!! And a lot of people actually learned somehting (thanks to TheQuietThings and the others) so if we see more of these threads, this place will not be such a bad place to learn new things off of afterall

Thanks

-Emo