JDM H22a with h23 trans..? NEED HELP! - Honda Prelude Forum

armydude2006 · 01-26-2010, 02:53 AM

Hey i'm new to this whole prelude stuff, I traded my 96 integra ls for a 92 prelude si 4ws. The guy put a JDM H22a with a h23 trans. He told me it was because the h23 trans has longer gears. Is this true and is that a good thing or a bad thing?? If it is what trans should i get? Would a gsr or another trans be better if i get the H2B adapter kit??

I'm debating on swaping it into a 95 civic coupe or spending a lot of money on fixing the lude's body its in right now.. i got the nathan morris Ultimate H22 Swap Guide and i think i can do it myself when i get back from Iraq. I'm a mechanic in the army but thats like saying your a professional cheif trained at McDonalds.. Well i'm sure on this forum everyone will tell me to put the money into the prelude body

but i figured might as well ask to get some advice from someone who has actually done the swap. Thanks for the help

minilogoguy18 · 01-26-2010, 10:09 AM

Longer gears mean better gas mileage but slower acceleration. You could go H2B but I don't know if there are axles out there for a H2B prelude considering it's wider wheelbase. You could also try finding a close geared H trans like the U2Q7 or T2W4, not sure which will cost more, short geared H or H2B.

red92si · 01-27-2010, 04:16 PM

I re-used my M2S4 (Si/H23) transmission when I swapped to a JDM H22A in Jan. '09. I did this mostly for two reasons. First, saved money by buying the H22A without the M2A4 transmission, and second, better gas mileage. It's my daily driver and work days can mean driving anywhere from 45-120 miles. I opted to have a new clutch and pressure plate installed and had my current flywheel resurfaced.

I'm sure the shorter gearing available with other transmissions makes for faster acceleration, but I've been quite satisfied with how quick my Prelude is now after doing the engine swap. I just logged 28mpg three weeks ago on a 220 mile trip to a friends ranch.

petern101 · 01-27-2010, 05:14 PM

^doesn't the 5th gear of the jdm transmission have a longer or equal gear ratio to the h23 5th gear?

I thought this was the case but I am actually too lazy to pull up the tranny ratio chart

red92si · 01-27-2010, 06:20 PM

Yah know... you're correct. Just pulled up the chart and the M2S4 has a .812 5th ratio, and the M2A4 has a .787 ratio. 1st and 4th are the same, and 2nd and 3rd are shorter on the M2A4.

armydude2006 · 01-28-2010, 06:17 AM

Well i'm not too worried about gas mileage, i'm thinking about getting into curcuit track racing. fast acceleration is what i'm going for, and shorter gears would be better for that? I have a M2S4 if its a h23 tranny right? if the M2A4 has shorter 2nd and 3rd thats probably what i want to go with huh? expectially for accelerating around corners and taking off at the end of the turn

minilogoguy18 · 01-28-2010, 07:28 AM

The CL1 Euro R tranny I'm using has the same FD and 5th as well but super short 1st-4th and LSD. I went from H23a1/M2S4 to this and it's like a totally different car, it cost me more than the H22a did but worth every penny.