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Honda’s Latest 3.5-liter V-6 Ditches VTEC

honda 3 point 5 liter j35y8 v6 engine
Honda’s Latest 3.5-liter V-6 Ditches VTECHonda

The Honda Motor Company has just unveiled a new naturally-aspirated V-6 engine for the 2023 Honda Pilot, known as the J35Y8 engine. While it retains the same bore, stroke and compression ratio as the previous motor, J35Y8 ditches the brand’s iconic VTEC system for an additional set of camshafts by way of the TLX Type S’ DOHC heads. This marks the first time that Honda or Acura have built a naturally-aspirated DOHC V-6 since the first generation NSX.

Simply put, VTEC is a variable valve-timing system that uses oil pressure to shift between different cam profiles throughout the rev range. It allows for lower fuel consumption at lower RPMs, but brings the character of a high-performance engine towards the top of the powerband. The frenetic shift associated with the changeover of profiles has become a staple of Honda products.

The VTEC-less J35Y8 V-6 engine brings a gain of five horsepower to the all-new Pilot, up to 285 hp in total. The new engine doesn’t provide a boost in torque, retaining the same 262 lb-ft rating. Both of those peak figures come slightly higher in the rev range than before, 100 and 300 rpm, respectively. The engine will come to the Pilot lineup first, but should ultimately find its way into Honda’s other V-6 products. While the overall performance gains are minimal, the benefits of the J35Y8 come on the emissions side of the equation. Honda says the engine is significantly cleaner than its predecessor, with particulate and NOx output dropping by as much as 40 to 50 percent. This brings the engine into SULEV30 compliance, and should remain so until at least 2030.

2023 honda pilot elite
Honda

Part of that improved efficiency comes by way of the J35Y8’s improved direct-injection fuel system, which now runs under 50 percent more pressure. The system can also now do up to three sprays per combustion cycle, while utilizing smaller injector holes in the process. The loss of VTEC has also been a significant advantage in the efficiency department, with cam phasers now precisely and continuously adjusting intake and exhaust timing.

honda nsx
The original NSX, with its DOHC VTEC V-6Honda

While the J35Y8 V-6 might not bring the sort of performance gains that Honda fans were hoping for, it does help Honda fill the gap until its electric vehicle program has time to catch up to the industry at large. VTEC itself wasn’t a main selling point for the Pilot by any means, but it’s still sad to see it go. Honda has done the VTEC plus DOHC combo before, as it did with the original NSX, even. Here’s hoping the next chapter of internal-combustion Hondas is just as sweet as the last.

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