Hello everyone, i am new to this site. I have been reading waayyy too much info about preludes to NOT make an account on here. I recenty purchased my first prelude. 01 base. H22a4 engine i believe. 5 spd. Electric blue Pearl paint. 138 000 kilometers. Sexy car
Now, I have a crazy desire to make this thing into my baby, but i want to know what order should i put the mods on? I wanna put on an exhaust, headers, cai, tbs, throttle body, chip, intake manifold. That's what i go planned right now. Once i fix up a few things, the modding begins.
congrats, thats awesome man!!! figure out what you want from your car then build to suit those needs. Suspension is always great to do on the lude, escpecially the base, also look into an lsd. You will need to figure out if you are gonna need to resleeve or not then plan out your build.
It's good you're doing a lot of reading; our cars have been out long enough where nearly every topic has already been discussed. Make friends with the search function to take look up older threads that could answer your questions. As far as what order to mod? Don't start with a chip, because you'll never get to mod #2... The prelude can't be 'chipped'. Before you get into modding it, ask yourself what you want when you're all done. If major power is your goal, don't even start. The H22 doesn't respond to power mods like many other cars do. IMO, stick to suspension mods and you'll be very happy with your prelude.
The engine you have is one pretty refined machine. One example of that becomes apparent when you compare the 3rd gen Prelude header to the 5th gen one as shown below.The 3rd gen Prelude header is restrictive enough that and aftermarket one might make a difference in that lowly 67 peak hp / liter engine . The 5th gen header is much less restrictive part of a significantly more refined 91 peak hp/liter engine and installing a aftermarket one will not yield much in the way of gains.
How experienced a driver of the Lude you are probably has a lot to do with how satisfied you are with your engines power. As an inexperienced Prelude driver , you are probably exiting corners at a speed such that the engines is only turning around 4k rpms which results in sluggish performance . As you become a better driver of your lude , you may find your self exiting the same corners with the engine running at a higher 4.8k rpms . Because 4.8k rpms is near the torque peak of the low rpm cam / intake runner you are able to launch better off the corners are find the engine output much more satisfying.For a small improvement in mid rpm/throttle response with no loss of top end power , you might consider getting a oem Type S intake.
I do not suggest lowering your car because it in effect has already been lowered and on the street and you risk damaging your car by lowering it more . Just look under the front of most stock Prelude's and you will see some signs of damage from striking the road or other objects . Shown below are pictures of the bottom of my stock ride height Prelude.
In the past , Honda's came with fixed rate springs and one could significantly improve the performance of the car by going with a variable rate type spring. Your Prelude came from the factory with variable rate springs so no upgrade is necessary.I want to also point out the two advantages your car has a a result of having a double wish bone suspension. When cornering, as the car leans, the suspension alignment is designed to change so as to keep the tire normal with the road which in effect reduces the benefit of lowering your car if you so desire to do it. The first gen Prelude used a McPherson type suspension . On such a suspension the strut towers not only have to support the suspension components, but has to help support the weight of the car. On such a car a strut bar was need to help support the strut tower.Because your car uses a double wishbone suspension set up, the strut towers are relived of the burden of holding up the weight of the car so if you should install a strut bar , don't expect a big improvement in handling.To improve handling ,I would suggest getting the best set of tires you can afford and maybe a shock replacement .
Audio improvement:
Check this IPOD adapter.
Unfortunately the trunk mounted cd player on the Prelude did not put out enough audio to fully drive the car power amp in the stock head unit . Replacing this cd changer with this unit not only enables you to control you IPOD using the radios controls and also sends enough audio to the stereos power amp to greatly improve the sound output.One end of this unit plugs into the cd changer input on the back of the radio and the other end is the male plug for the ipod.
If you want to do things to your car, you should first consider what you want out of the modifications. However, my opinion is this:
First is Maintenance. Make sure the timing belt, water pump, seals, clutch, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and all other things are replaced and/or inspected.
Second is Safety. Better tires, better brake pads, better shocks/springs, bigger rear sway bar, etc
Third is Power. The Prelude doesn't respond to intakes, but it does respond to good exhaust work. Getting a header that isn't just OEM replacement is a great start. Follow that up with 2.5"-3.0" exhaust piping. Then you can do cams, pistons, and other internal work.
Fourth is Tuning. When you change aspects of the engine/exhaust, it changes your Air-Fuel ratio and timing. The two choices are OBDI-conversion or piggyback. Research both before choosing.
Fifth is Dieting. Lighter rims, lighter flywheel, CF body parts,
Sixth is Audio. Nothing extreme unless you are going for the 12yo show car idea. You only need to upgrade as much as it takes to make the car more enjoyable.
Seventh is Cosmetic. Lip kits, pretty lights, paint job, etc.
__________________
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; 05-28-2010 at 05:46 PM.
That's Robert Taylor for ya. He was already removed from PP, but he created a new name and rejoined.
__________________
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
If you want to do things to your car, you should first consider what you want out of the modifications. However, my opinion is this:
First is Maintenance. Make sure the timing belt, water pump, seals, clutch, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and all other things are replaced and/or inspected.
Second is Safety. Better tires, better brake pads, better shocks/springs, bigger rear sway bar, etc
Third is Power. The Prelude doesn't respond to intakes, but it does respond to good exhaust work. Getting a header that isn't just OEM replacement is a great start. Follow that up with 2.5"-3.0" exhaust piping. Then you can do cams, pistons, and other internal work.
Fourth is Tuning. When you change aspects of the engine/exhaust, it changes your Air-Fuel ratio and timing. The two choices are OBDI-conversion or piggyback. Research both before choosing.
Fifth is Dieting. Lighter rims, lighter flywheel, CF body parts,
Sixth is Audio. Nothing extreme unless you are going for the 12yo show car idea. You only need to upgrade as much as it takes to make the car more enjoyable.
Seventh is Cosmetic. Lip kits, pretty lights, paint job, etc.
This list is correct I think this is a well put list I suggest you follow this seriously it will make your life so much easier and you will then realise how much money you are spending on your car if you are rich then you will have no problems.
By the way Robert Taylor can get the Fuk out of here he is an idiot and puts disrespectful comments on peoples profiles and doesn't even reply he seems like a person who only cares about his own input and no one elses input. F you Robert F off!
If your dumbass knew how to drive worth a damn, your car wouldn't be so torn up at stock height, let alone lowered.
To the OP, brakes and suspension first, dont worry about power at this point IMO, it takes a lot more work to get anything more out of the H22.
Much of what I post comes from many years (1979 to the present) of reading publications about the 1st thru 5th gen Prelude and my own experiences with the 2nd gen si and the 5th gen SH I know own. One of the articles I remember reading concerned braking. The stock brakes on your 2900lb Prelude are larger then the brakes on my 4000lb Lincoln Town car which means they are very able to say the least. As was stated in a article on the Prelude:If your driving technique on the street (non auto cross setting) is such that you are experiencing brake fade on a 5th gen Prelude , you really need to check your driving technique because something is very wrong. A brake upgrade for anyone other then a dedicated auto crosser is a waste of money.
Last edited by SH DRIVER; 05-29-2010 at 06:33 AM.
Reason: prelude brakes are larger
Much of what I post comes from many years (1979 to the present) of reading publications about the 1st thru 5th gen Prelude and my own experiences with the 2nd gen si and the 5th gen SH I know own. One of the articles I remember reading concerned braking. The stock brakes on your 2900lb Prelude are larger then the brakes on my 4000lb Lincoln Town car which means they are very able to say the least. As was stated in a article on the Prelude:If your driving technique on the street (non auto cross setting) is such that you are experiencing brake fade on a 5th gen Prelude , you really need to check your driving technique because something is very wrong. A brake upgrade for anyone other then a dedicated auto crosser is a waste of money.
Upgrading the brakes to ceramic pads is in no way a waste of money. Just think about how much time, effort, and money you'll save on washing the car alone. Then there's the fact that they improve braking ability and tend to last longer than metallic pads.
Everyone knows you're anti-mod, but some of them exist for a damn good reason. Since you lack the experience to know this, you should remain silent on such subjects.
So no one else gets confused:
4G Prelude S MT = 2809lbs
4G Prelude S AT = 2862lbs
4G Prelude Si MT = 2866lbs
4G Prelude Si AT = 2921lbs
4G Prelude VTEC MT = 2932lbs
5G Prelude Base MT = 2954lbs
5G Prelude Base AT = 3009lbs
5G Prelude Type SH MT = 3042lbs
Oh yeah, and fix your sig.
__________________
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; 05-29-2010 at 10:53 AM.
Figured I would post Robert Failure's PM response to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SH DRIVER
1:Reducing brake dust is considered a performance characteristic?That does not compute. lol
2:Because the stock brakes are over sized, it has been documented that the stock brakes pads on the car last a incredible length of time. In real life the brake rotors probably need to be removed and turned long before the pads expire if one wants consistency in their braking which is the most important factor in real life.Whose going to go to the trouble of removing the rotors and not replacing the pads.
3: In the real world at any given conner one must consider such problems as telephone poles, ditches and gravel so I am not able to charge into a conner, brake at the last second, and use close to 100% of the cars braking capabilities to slow me down at the conner so the additional stopping performance of such pads would not in reality ever be used.
4: I noticed all your engine enhancements netted you about a 10% improvement in peak hp over my stock lude . All your engine modifications and your dyno plot probably look o so fine on a car show plack at a car show but in the real world , where most passing occurs on exiting of corners, 10% is something close to worthless . The factors that determine your success in passing someone in such a situation is :
1: maintaining int era thru the curve
2: having a higher exit speed then the guy who just exited the conner so as to cause your engine to be a few 100 rpm higher on exit causing the engine to output more power on exit compared with the other guy.
3: engine TORQUE and throttle response on exit.
Yes its torque and throttle response on exit and not peak hp is of more importance in real world back road situations.The only time peak hp makes a difference is on the high way.Even with a 173 hp, you can easily be whipped by most any stock V8 powered Mustangs out there on the high way so whats the point of it.I thought I would give a you a real world view from beyond the information super highway where you seem to spend much of your time traveling on.
Good By
Ignoring the 7-10 misspelled words, he's wrong on pretty much everything.
__________________
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
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A brake upgrade for anyone other then a dedicated auto crosser is a waste of money.
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