oh i know that a b18 still needs to be wound out to make power, but less so than the b16. ive driven both too, and i personally find the b18 much nicer around town. just my opinion. i personally am stuck with my d16z6, but ive heavily researched swapping options. unfortunately, my school comes before my car, and i need to pay off my crash debt before i can continue modding.
as for vtec-e, it operates differently than normal vtec. vtec-e's camshaft has 3 different lobe patterns, where as normal vtec has 2 patterns (both low speed lobes are the same). one lobe is almost perfectly round, only opening the valve enough to keep fuel from pooling on the backside of the valve. the second low speed lobe is still short lift/duration, but opens more than the other one. the reason for this is the engine's lean burn technology, and having only 1 intake valve open creates swirl in the combustion chamber. below 2500 rpm at light throttle, the engine can run as high as 25:1 air/fuel ratio (normal or stoichiometric is 14.7:1) and the swirl creates whats called "stratified charge" meaning that right around the spark plug the a/f mixture is locally rich, allowing it to burn. normally a spark plug would have a very hard time lighting off a 25:1 charge, but with the swirl, its able to light it off. after 2500 rpm, oil pressure in the head forces a pin through the cam followers making them follow the larger third lobe. this is a bit longer duration/higher lift than the standard lobe found on non-vtec d series (like the dx motor) which is why vx/hx motors have a bit more hp than their counterparts.
as for vtec-e, it operates differently than normal vtec. vtec-e's camshaft has 3 different lobe patterns, where as normal vtec has 2 patterns (both low speed lobes are the same). one lobe is almost perfectly round, only opening the valve enough to keep fuel from pooling on the backside of the valve. the second low speed lobe is still short lift/duration, but opens more than the other one. the reason for this is the engine's lean burn technology, and having only 1 intake valve open creates swirl in the combustion chamber. below 2500 rpm at light throttle, the engine can run as high as 25:1 air/fuel ratio (normal or stoichiometric is 14.7:1) and the swirl creates whats called "stratified charge" meaning that right around the spark plug the a/f mixture is locally rich, allowing it to burn. normally a spark plug would have a very hard time lighting off a 25:1 charge, but with the swirl, its able to light it off. after 2500 rpm, oil pressure in the head forces a pin through the cam followers making them follow the larger third lobe. this is a bit longer duration/higher lift than the standard lobe found on non-vtec d series (like the dx motor) which is why vx/hx motors have a bit more hp than their counterparts.