my fellow import fans! i have been enlightened!!! i popped the hood this morning to locate the wire that mr. red94teg spoke of, and i decided to pop the cover off my airbox and see how the filter element was lookin. then i decided to take it down the road with the filter still in place but the cover removed...wow. everything you guys have been talking about is clear to me now. what a nasty snarl those things make, damn. ive known forever that factory intake systems are restrictive, but ive never felt and heard such a drastic difference. i love hondas...

to answer my original question, yes, the vtec is working, is does take on a different growl like i expected, its just that honda motor company puts a muzzle on the beast before it leaves the factory, i gotta go get an intake asap...