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Rice or not??

3K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  S-LudeDan 
#1 ·
Hey guys, it's my first time on any prelude forum. Anyways, I was wondering if my set up is rice or not. I want to learn how to tune cars and I really don't wanna be placed in the same category as ricers due to my minimal knowledge on cars. My set up runs with the following: 4-2-1 Megan racing headers (I know it's considered as a low budget brand), blackworks racing test pipe, and a cat back skunk2 megapower exhaust. Any thoughts are fine with me so don't worry about my feelings lol. I can handle the truth! I'm currently at work so I can't upload any videos. In my honest opinion the set up sounds fine. It has nice deep tone when accelerating and not that raspy noise. I also want to add that this set up is on the stock engine. I did notice the car pulls a lot harder during acceleration. I'm just confused because this is my first time installing aftermarket parts on my car. So what are your thoughts? Am I just being paranoid or is it pretty ricer?
 
#4 ·
That depends on what your goals are.

If you are looking for added performance, aftermarket intakes (or any bolt on parts for that matter) do little or nothing on an H22. If you want something to make your car sound cool when VTEC engages and dress up the engine bay a bit, then an aftermarket intake may be worth it for you.
 
#6 ·
If you are looking for noticeable hp gains, $750 won't get you very far with these cars. Not trying to rain on your parade, just being honest.

The best bang for your buck mod you can do is get a dyno tune from a reputable tuner, if there is one in your area. That will also require a chipped ECU or piggyback such as a vafc. Even then, the hardware and dyno time will likely exceed your budget.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the honesty. So if the bugdet is the issue I'm more than willing to wait till I have enough to start building this car the best way possible. The only part I'm confused on is where to start and how much it would cost. I know I need to replace the engine becuase it's has been driven to the ground. All in all, I am more than willing to make this into a project car and spend around $8000 under the hood just because the car has sentimental value to me.

The only reason why the budget is so low is because I'm saving up for a viper (lol I know, from a prelude to a viper. But if my brother and my brother-in-law have one... I must too!). In the end I just want the car to faster and a bit meaner then it was before. For the mean time I'll just work on the body. I have a few dings, dents, and a nice rust issue near the back wheels. To be honest I love the stock look. I think it looks good enough already. The most I would ever do to it is add a lip kit and maybe set it on some 17" rims.

Lol I know I should've said all this in the first part of the thread and it's no way near the actual thread topic, but I am new to writing on forums and your the only one that's replying to me. So pretty much any honest advice is helpful.

Oh, and I'm sorry you had to read this essay lol.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the honesty. So if the bugdet is the issue I'm more than willing to wait till I have enough to start building this car the best way possible. The only part I'm confused on is where to start and how much it would cost. I know I need to replace the engine becuase it's has been driven to the ground. All in all, I am more than willing to make this into a project car and spend around $8000 under the hood just because the car has sentimental value to me.
Budget is part of the issue. Another part of the issue is that a prelude is not a ideal platform if you are looking to make tons of horsepower or if you are after straight line speed. I think it's best to embrace the car for what it is, not try to make it something it is not.

What a prelude is, arguably, is one of if not the best handling front wheel drive cars ever made. Around the time Prelude's went out of production, nearly every front wheel drive car on the market switched to crappy McPherson strut suspension to cut costs. That's really all that is available even today, even on new Honda's. No front wheel drive car can take a corner like a Prelude.

What a prelude is not is a car that was designed for straight line speed. Sure, you can build up an engine and put an enormous turbo on it to create ungodly horsepower numbers, but a FWD platform is not, and will not ever be, a good setup for putting that power to the ground. If you're looking for ass-chattering wheel hop, wrist snapping torque steer, unpredictable losses of traction, and watching other cars pull away as you sit at the starting line smoking your tires, this is how you get it. None of that seems very appealing.

That's my opinion anyway. Take it for what it's worth.

The only reason why the budget is so low is because I'm saving up for a viper (lol I know, from a prelude to a viper. But if my brother and my brother-in-law have one... I must too!). In the end I just want the car to faster and a bit meaner then it was before. For the mean time I'll just work on the body. I have a few dings, dents, and a nice rust issue near the back wheels. To be honest I love the stock look. I think it looks good enough already. The most I would ever do to it is add a lip kit and maybe set it on some 17" rims.
Since you are planning to swap engines anyway, that may be a good time to upgrade performance wise. Just about any engine combination you can think of has already been done by now, just do some reading. Each available engine has it's own benefits and drawbacks. A swap is probably the best way to increase performance while still maintaining reliability and driveability of the car. Back when I did my swap several years ago, it hadn't been done successfully many times yet, so information was scare. That's not the case anymore though. All the information you could ever need is out there.

Lol I know I should've said all this in the first part of the thread and it's no way near the actual thread topic, but I am new to writing on forums and your the only one that's replying to me. So pretty much any honest advice is helpful.
Yeah, you will find that this prelude forum and all the others like it get nowhere near the traffic they once did. Preludes have been out of production for over a decade, most tuners and enthusiasts have long since moved on. I myself rarely drive mine anymore. Like many former members here, I have moved onto other cars that have higher performance ceilings to play with.

Oh, and I'm sorry you had to read this essay lol.
I replied with an essay of my own. :)
 
#9 ·
I know I probably wouldn't listen to me if I were you, but in all honesty if the Prelude isn't going to be a car you have in the future because you are wanting to buy a Viper, then don't spend any more money on it than you have to now, and save that money for your Viper.

If you detach yourself from the situation, try to analyze why it is that you want to get a Viper in the first place. You said it is because your brother in law has one. So what? It sounds like a jealousy issue then. Buying a Viper like he has won't win any respect points from him and probably won't impress anyone he knows.

And if it all boils down to getting a car that can beat him in a drag race, then there are plenty of other cars out there that cost less to own, maintain and insure than the Viper, especially if he doesn't have the latest generation of them (which the Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcat both will beat in a straight line and for 2/3 the price)
 
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