The Prelude platform sucks :( - Honda Prelude Forum

fmshaw1971 · 10-24-2003, 11:02 AM

I've defended the Prelude for as long as I can, but I have finally seen the light. I was racing a debadged BMW, probably a 330I 4 door, up a hill and he was able to pass me on some high speed curves. I had the power to keep up with him, but I had to back off or my rear end would have come loose and that would have been it. I'm sick of this sh!t! After all the money I have spent upgrading my suspension, there is no way a stock BMW should be passing me on a curve. Man I'm pissed!

The fact is that the Prelude platform just sucks for a high performance car. The car has a good strong chassis and the suspension is well designed, but there is only so much you can do for a 3000lbs car that rides on stock 205 tires!!!! Honda has never put tires on any of their cars and they never will. An RX7 that weighs less can put 285s on the rear. The best we can manage is a pitiful 225. That's just not enough for a car that weighs this much. Balance also sucks on the Prelude. Honda did a good job controlling it, but there is only so much you can do for a car with such a front weight bias.

It pisses me off because I think my Prelude is one of the prettiest cars on the road, but short of going with full fender flares with some meaty 255s in the rear and some serious weight reduction, the Prelude will never be more than a sporty luxo-economy coupe.

I'm just going to stop racing and making a fool of myself. This SUCKS!!!!! Anyone wanna buy all my mods? I need a Lotus Elise or a modded RX7.

nuro · 10-24-2003, 11:10 AM

IMO, the prelude's chassis will outhandle a 330 no problem. put 205's on the 330 and see how it handles!!! i'm not doubting your knowledge, but it sounds like your car is set up for too much oversteer. ESPECIALLY if you were on the point of oversteering going UP a hill....

i was racing on california highway 17 with mrmanz1691 in his prelude with progress sway bars and tein HA (i think. the hardcore one, whatever they're called). we were taking an M5 around the turns, and that M5 was REALLY trying....

nuro · 10-24-2003, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nuro
IMO, the prelude's chassis will outhandle a 330 no problem. put 205's on the 330 and see how it handles!!! i'm not doubting your knowledge, but it sounds like your car is set up for too much oversteer. ESPECIALLY if you were on the point of oversteering going UP a hill....

i was racing on california highway 17 with mrmanz1691 in his prelude with progress sway bars and tein HA (i think. the hardcore one, whatever they're called). we were taking an M5 around the turns, and that M5 was REALLY trying....

well i wanted to edit but hit quote. where is the darn delete button???/

ShadowSonic · 10-24-2003, 11:14 AM

See the light move on... join the DARKSIDE!

apocalypse · 10-24-2003, 11:16 AM

well the 330 weighs more than your prelude
and BMW is known for handling
maybe he is a better driver than you in the 330
plus who knows what that guy had done

Vapor · 10-24-2003, 02:09 PM

Just because you've spent a lot of money doesn't mean its going to handle well. Dial out some of the oversteer.

bleacht · 10-24-2003, 05:41 PM

also, how would wide tires in the rear benefit a fwd car? you have a nice ride and i'm sorry you feel this way but maybe if you follow some of the other's opinions and try to dial out oversteer, try different tires, and practice more around curves, you may be better off. also, police are cautious of BMW's if they get in a chase with them because they handle so well aound corners (my cousin told me this, he's taking courses to become a cop), so don't be so hard on yourself.

[SUB[EX] · 10-24-2003, 06:30 PM

Yea some of them are prettty sweet. I raced one on the freeway one day and we were running between 120 and 145 the whole time. It was pretty crazy. After that i can really give them some respect.

achemze · 10-24-2003, 06:43 PM

BMW is known for its handling period. In fact, when i was just a youth (HEHE) and i didnt know diddly about cars, i even knew that nothing handled like a bmw. The fact that you can watch a 540 (which weighs a TON

more than our car) hit bumps on a surface street and the car simply doesnt move at all. The entire suspension absorbs _everything_, shows you how much better off of a head start they got. And when i get my M5 to twin turbo (:dreams

i'll have stock suspension :P

Also remember what the price of that M5 was compared to your prelude. I would hope that it had more than just a few more ponys for the MAJOR markup. So that one M5 got you, its okay ... picture getting smoked by a '89 civic hatch si (with a GSR Swap), a late 80's delsol with a late 90's SI (b16) motor, and then imagine getting smoked by an '84 4 door civic dx with all the windows down and a stupidily loud and annoying big muffler, and then talk about wanting a new car. *lowers head in shame*

You win some, you loose even more. Thats just the way it is.

And dont forget the motto, the one who spends the most money wins. And i can bet that M5 spent more money to get to the point it was it, then you'll spend in the entire life of you're prelude, Just from the MSRP price.

Dont swim in the shark tank, unless sharky has a camera!

Now go wax you're car and dream of the days when she was new and you were making 5.0 owners girlfriends wink at you

fmshaw1971 · 10-24-2003, 11:09 PM

To answer a few questions, wider rear tires would also cure my oversteer, but give me much more grip than dialing in a bunch of understeer. I would also want to go with 235s or so in the front. Like I said, I was putting down the power so front grip was not the problem, but my back end was loose.

The BMW is a great handling car for sure, but I expected to do better. I know the road well so I was taking it as fast as I know I can without losing control. It just really pisses me off that he was able to pass me on a curve. I think the BMW wears 245s in the rear and he had Pilot Sports so they were definitely good tires. It just pisses me off that no Honda makes accomodations for some decent sized tires. A serious sports car that weighs 3000lbs needs to be wearing 245s. The tires were the main difference in our race although the BMW has near perfect weight distribution too vs the huge front bias in the Prelude.

My only options for better handling are a carbon fiber hood and relocating the battery to the rear. I can't really put on tires wide enough to make a difference without flaring the fenders. I could run some autocross tires, but they would be eaten alive in 6k miles. One final option would be a real wing to give me a lot more downforce, but that will sacrifice speed for handling.

Yeah, I could do all of this in addition to all the money I've already put into it, but for what? To stay even with a STOCK 330I!!!!! GRRRRRRR

NXLude · 10-24-2003, 11:25 PM

Your forgetting the most important item for changing the personality of your suspension....some sort of change in your differential.....if you want improvement get a quaife....it helps in the corners too.......

NXLude · 10-24-2003, 11:27 PM

Oh, another thiing....if you want to get fancy with the chassis flex when you corner, get you frame foam filled.....ive seen it done with other cars and it significantly tightened things up......

99Prelude_LC · 10-25-2003, 07:53 PM

dude, at a fraction of the cost of a bmw i was outrunning e46 m3's like they were hotwheels racers

when i had tread on my falken azenis up front, FRONT with just sway bars, no other suspension, (thats about 225 in the front) my car was handling like it was on rails, i've never been been able to lose the back end, only understeer the car ever so slightly in a very sharp curve very fast. i've driven bmw 330s and i dont' think they would hold up, maybe he had some stuff done

just gotta set up the car right and the tires make all the difference. or you can go spend 50k on a bmw and feel good about that lol

Deepmist · 10-25-2003, 10:34 PM

How do you know the bimmer was stock?

achemze · 10-26-2003, 01:50 AM

you need boost my friend. That is that.

14Psi would of showed the 330 how much power he doesnt have. :P They're only inching us out stock for stock. So he had to be modded. but remember its an inline 6 ... more torquey per pony. Dont sweat it bro. Go find an M and wonder why you even went to japan in the first place :P Go Europe!

bsi · 10-26-2003, 12:29 PM

has no one seen this yet though..... in corners RWD>FWD

nuro · 10-26-2003, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bsi
has no one seen this yet though..... in corners RWD>FWD

sort of.

show me a RWD, stock, that corners better than, lets say, the RSX-S for the same stickerprice.

B0b · 10-26-2003, 02:19 PM

^RSX S still looks like a bubble.

lude is clean. Just get a CF hood and battery rellocate like you said. why so much hate? It has more power.

2001 BMW 330I sedan
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 6.7 sec. Braking Distance: 126 ft.
Base Number of Cylinders: 6 Base Engine Size: 3 liters
Base Engine Type: Inline 6 Horsepower: 225 hp
Max Horsepower: 5900 rpm Torque: 214 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 3500 rpm Drive Type: RWD
Turning Circle: 34.4 ft.
Curb Weight: 3285 lbs.

nuro · 10-26-2003, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by B0b
^RSX S still looks like a bubble.

lude is clean. Just get a CF hood and battery rellocate like you said. why so much hate? It has more power.

2001 BMW 330I sedan
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 6.7 sec. Braking Distance: 126 ft.
Base Number of Cylinders: 6 Base Engine Size: 3 liters
Base Engine Type: Inline 6 Horsepower: 225 hp
Max Horsepower: 5900 rpm Torque: 214 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 3500 rpm Drive Type: RWD
Turning Circle: 34.4 ft.
Curb Weight: 3285 lbs.

i dont like the S either, i was making a point, and needed a comparable car on the market.

ShadowSonic · 10-27-2003, 08:38 AM

Than just solve all your problems and get rid of the lude.