01 Prelude VS. 01 Eclipse GT - Honda Prelude Forum

Morpheus78 · 05-25-2006, 07:13 PM

Does anyone know how they compare, or has anyone raced one? I like my Lude, but am a little curious about the Eclipse

Si4WS · 05-25-2006, 07:17 PM

Smoked one numerous times in my H23 i/h/e/ply

Berzerker · 05-25-2006, 08:58 PM

01 is the v6 model right? if that is it, then u should have no prob, if u dont totaly fk up the start, u should be ok

I have killed 3 my self, one of them costed me a 35 mph over ticket

petern101 · 05-26-2006, 12:35 AM

my friend has a 02 eclipse gt v6, but its an auto

i can easily take him

Rich_A · 05-26-2006, 12:53 AM

my 99 base swept my friends 01 GT Auto pretty easy.

Morpheus78 · 05-26-2006, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petern101

my friend has a 02 eclipse gt v6, but its an auto

i can easily take him

Ok, well my LUDE is an auto as well. This guy wants to sell me his Eclipse and his is an autostick also. I was figuring that with the extra torque of the V-6 it would be a faster car. Has anyone here driven an Eclipse? How does the handleing and other aspects of it compare to my LUDE?

Berzerker · 05-26-2006, 06:23 AM

I still see the eclipses as chick cars

Ludelove99 · 05-26-2006, 07:08 AM

Yea screw eclipses, IMO the only eclipse worth driving is the gsx or gst.

Kap TypeSH · 05-26-2006, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morpheus78

Ok, well my LUDE is an auto as well. This guy wants to sell me his Eclipse and his is an autostick also. I was figuring that with the extra torque of the V-6 it would be a faster car. Has anyone here driven an Eclipse? How does the handleing and other aspects of it compare to my LUDE?

Eclipse V6 is fat, it's heavy, it can sort of keep up with a Prelude in a straight line. Throw in some turns, and the car will drive as ugly as it looks.

Prelude FTW.

Edmunds.com had less than kind words for the Eclipse in a Sport coupe comparo circa late 2001.

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpconta...1/article.html

Here are some [shamelessly cherry-picked] excerpts:

Despite having a curb weight and horsepower rating similar to the Eclipse (not to mention 49 lb-ft of torque less), the Prelude was more than 2 seconds faster per lap. Its fastest lap, a 1:26.0, was the second-quickest lap time of any of the front-drivers.

On the freeway, the Prelude produces minimal wind and road noise. So does the Eclipse, and both the Eclipse and the Prelude seem designed to be primarily touring machines. Yet somehow Honda's engineers have come up with a way to give the Prelude an excellent balance between comfort and performance.

As one editor said, "[The Eclipse] has a floppy, insubstantial chassis that allows too much flex and body roll. Of the cars in the test, I had the least amount of confidence to push this car hard in the corners." On canyon roads, the Eclipse feels big and unwieldy in comparison to the lithe Celica and RSX. The steering has a quick enough ratio for enthusiastic cornering, but it's overly light in feel and communicates virtually nothing to the driver about tire grip.

Overall, we're not impressed with the Eclipse. For the 20-point evaluation category of this test â€” the part where each editor rates the car on everything from engine performance to cupholder design â€” the Eclipse earned an average score of 58.5 percent. Not only is this the worst evaluation score of the six cars, a casual check of other previous comparison tests we've conducted reveals that this is one of the lowest scores any car has ever earned.

The Mitsubishi might be OK for somebody wanting a comfortable and stylish two-door to punt around in and nothing more. But if that's the case, why not just buy a Toyota Camry Solara? Consider your decision long and hard before settling on an Eclipse.

Ouch. You sure you wanna go Prelude -> Eclipse?

If it's change you desire, why not go Prelude SS -> Prelude 5MT?

Or if the skies parted and a higher power told you a V6 Auto was your destiny, how about an Accord Coupe V6 circa 2001? I mean, for crying out loud, edmunds.com as much as said the Eclipse was no more sporting than a Camry Solara... yes, a freaking Camry Solara... The Accord V6 Coupe has at least twice the sporting factor as any Solara does.

Sorry if I'm being overly critical, just want to make sure you've thought this thing through...

Morpheus78 · 05-26-2006, 09:23 AM

OK OK LOL, youve convinced me. Ill keep the LUDE! I think im in withdrawals from my 98 240sx. My LUDE is faster than my 240 was, but that 240 handled MUCH better IMO than this LUDE. Granted the 240 was RWD. It was just getting old and blowing smoke and the like. If i lower the LUDE and put stiffer gas shocks on it, will this help things out? I had the 240 lowered with Tokico's but the rear ones always blew out on me every season, it was really annoying. I cant do 5spd, it just annoys me. Im just one of those people that doesnt have the patience for it. I mean, its fun and all, but as my daily driver, it pisses me off. I have considered an accord V-6, but i love my AutoStick, and i feel the Accord is too big. I guess, basically im looking for an automatic car that you can shift manually that has more balls. Wow, good luck finding that without going American. LOL Maybe a 350Z. Suggestions?

Kap TypeSH · 05-26-2006, 09:29 AM

I'd go with Koni Yellows, and they're adjustable, so you can keep it comfy when you want and then change to firmer settings when you want. I wouldn't even bother with springs unless you want it for the look, and really want to go all out on handling. But Koni Yellows themselves will do 85% of the handling you want w/o a worse ride.

As for another car that's not bigger than the Lude, comes in autostick and has more power/torque, but still good handling, you got me, but I'll put some thought into it...

Morpheus78 · 05-26-2006, 02:53 PM

What about the Toyota Celica GTS, i hear they are pretty good also. Can i use my stock springs with aftermarket shocks and not have a problem?

vtchprelude1997 · 05-26-2006, 10:54 PM

Ive taken out my friends gs-t with intake, exhaust, and bov by two cars from a stop with no problem.

Ludelove99 · 05-27-2006, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtchprelude1997

Ive taken out my friends gs-t with intake, exhaust, and bov by two cars from a stop with no problem.

Yea i believe that... our cars are pretty damn quick in the start. second gear pull to 65mph and you'll leave alot of cars behind. Now gsx on the other hand i dont think we would have a chance off the line.... cant really beat the awd in a start. And as soon as they spool up there gona be gone without a doubt... put some basic little mods on one like an intake, exhaust, and a MBC and they're animals.

black'n'white · 05-29-2006, 01:35 PM

if i remember correctly the gst actually beat the gsx in 1/4 mile time by like .1 seconds stock. its heavier but launches better as well as it handles better

Kap TypeSH · 05-29-2006, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morpheus78

What about the Toyota Celica GTS, i hear they are pretty good also. Can i use my stock springs with aftermarket shocks and not have a problem?

Stock springs & aftermarket shocks is no problem. Celica GT-S is not a good car to have in auto. It's motor is well suited for it's 6-speed manual, but from what I hear the auto GTS is actually slower than an auto GT

If you really want a 'smaller than Accord' coupe with an auto-stick, how about a base RSX 5AT? It's only got 20 less hp than the Celica GTS and plenty more torque.

Vtecdreamer · 05-30-2006, 09:03 AM

how much do v6 eclipse push?

Morpheus78 · 05-30-2006, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kap TypeSH

Stock springs & aftermarket shocks is no problem. Celica GT-S is not a good car to have in auto. It's motor is well suited for it's 6-speed manual, but from what I hear the auto GTS is actually slower than an auto GT

If you really want a 'smaller than Accord' coupe with an auto-stick, how about a base RSX 5AT? It's only got 20 less hp than the Celica GTS and plenty more torque.

I have been looking at the Lexus IS300 and the Infinity G35. I dont think i can get the power im looking for in a sport coupe unless i boost.