So I bought a 98 honda prelude with the automatic and trip tonic system it has 115k miles on it. I bought it as a second car to go to work. I want to add some more power. What can I do on a budget to make it faster. I know exahust, headers, intake. What about certain chips, vtec contoller, etc... I know my first mistake was the automatic, but I needed a car in a hurry. I want to go beyond just bolt on parts. Or am I just stuck with a slow prelude, and just make it pretty or is the help for her?
I would convert it to manual first and foremost. If you don't want to do that, I would spend the money on exterior and interior mods. This is my opinion.
If you really wanna add pefromance mods on a auto, my best advice is DO NOT go cheap. Avoid fakes, replicas, cheapos etc. Do A LOT of research. Yes you can chip it and do the whole controller etc. Ask your questions, this is a good forum and has the right people who can help you.
So dont go cheap. How much is the diffrence of quality and horsepower if I do go cheap? Like not spending $600 on the up most exhuast system and headers, etc.. is there a in between quality and good horsepower without breaking my bank. And what chip would be the best for a budget?
Ignore the previous suggestions. There's absolutely no reason to attempt adding power to an automatic. You can spend $2000 on I/H/E and still not reach the power of stock 5spd. Plus, you'll need that money soon for the transmission replacement when it dies.
If you want more oomph, sell it and buy a manual. All other advice is a waste of time and money.
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1988 Prelude S - victim of an 80mph backflip
1991 Prelude Si - sold
1989 Accord DX - impounded
1998 Prelude SH - totaled on 3/29/12
2006 CRF150F - sold
2006 YZ250F - sold
Ignore the previous suggestions. There's absolutely no reason to attempt adding power to an automatic.
read the first sentence of my post. Where did you see me suggesting to add power to an auto? I said in my opinion its better to convert to manual and upgrade interior and exterior.
The second paragraph of my post is an attempt to help the OP.
Oh, since I was falsely accused, I am gonna take that route as well.
To the OP, yes you can add HP to your auto. Headers, Intake, Exhaust will add power to your auto. You can chip ECU, turbocharge, supercharge etc. all of that will increase HP.
Transmission has nothing to do with anything when it comes to adding HP. Yes standard trans is more beneficial and perform better under performance mods, but that doesn't mean you can't add power to your auto.
The reason I wouldn't bother with performance mods for your car is because its a 5th gen Prelude auto, and it will be a waste of money because of how problematic that trans is. But in reality YES, you can add HP to ANY auto.
"Swap to manual" On a car he just purchased? No. That'll cost an extra $2500. Just sell the ****ing thing and buy a manual. No price difference that way.
"Avoid replicas" Best bang for your buck performance part is the HyTech replica. Period.
__________________
1988 Prelude S - victim of an 80mph backflip
1991 Prelude Si - sold
1989 Accord DX - impounded
1998 Prelude SH - totaled on 3/29/12
2006 CRF150F - sold
2006 YZ250F - sold
Last edited by Kronn 98SH; 11-13-2011 at 08:09 PM.
I agree with you Kronn and I respect your opinions. But comon mate sometimes you can be a little out of control. The OP wants extra HP with what he already has. Now me and you both agree that it makes no sense to spend the money to add HP to an auto. But isn't the main point to answer OP's question? which in this case adding HP to his automatic, no matter how crappy this decision is?
I don't see it that way. My role is to guide nooblets to the right choice. Answering his question doesn't really "help" him.
__________________
1988 Prelude S - victim of an 80mph backflip
1991 Prelude Si - sold
1989 Accord DX - impounded
1998 Prelude SH - totaled on 3/29/12
2006 CRF150F - sold
2006 YZ250F - sold
Increasing the output of the engine will only promote transmission failure, all Honda's of that time period had bad transmissions, wasn't just the 5g Preludes.
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New Formula Red 93 BB2: JDM OBD1 H22a/T2W4 Accord Euro R transmission
You are not 'adding' any power. You are unlocking power. And it should be added that it is negligible at best, the prelude is already aggressively tuned stock and does not respond that well to I/H/E alone for the money you spend (You are better off just lightening the car). It has been said before, you are better off upgrading suspension components to bring out the quality's of the Prelude. Leave the strapping on the fart cannons to the ricers who think they made their car super fast by putting a larger metal pipe on a stock engine.
Things that add (produce) power:
Nitrous
Supercharger
Turbo
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