Sup guys, i'm an H series fan
Now i have a prelude that i do hpde in and Daily Drive as well. The engine is pushing 237whp and i already have some koni and GC suspension combo on there. Currently it weighs 2560 lb without me.

My long term goal is to be racing wheel to wheel, most probably in H1 of HC series. and i'm in no hurry to get there. ( I know i can get the prelude to weigh 2400lb with me in it, going to need quite some work though)

Im at a crossroad where the choices are:
Get a DD and make the prelude my dedicated track car
or Keep the prelude as a DD and build a H2b civic to race with.

The civic will be alot lighter ( no need to invest in weight reduction), and the b series tranny mated to the H engine has way better transfer of power (15-20whp) and better gear ratio..


Your opinions and feedback will be greatly appreciated, on which decision you think would be a better investment

 

I am biased. I race a 2680 Pound Prelude with an H2 set-up at present, 180 WHP, and I loev this car! The longer wheelbase makes th ecar much more predictable and stable, which suits my driving style. I"ve tried CRX and Civic, not really to my taste....plus, if you are going to do a hybrid Civic, go K, not H. My 2cents.

 

Everything I've read says that H2B civics are more of a drag setup, people say there is too much weight in the front with the H series engine, therefore throwing off the weight distribution and making it a very ill handling car for the track. However, the civic would definately be lighter and would have a great amount of acceleration to go with it. I'm sure you could deal with the weight distribution issues (carbon hood, remove ac and other heavy items), but the real question is would it be worth it? I'm all for doing something different, and an H2B track car would be a very different from how most perceive the H2B. I say go for it!

 

If you have a 4th gen prelude (92-96), you should definitely make that the track car. That car is inherently better balanced than any pre-'06 Civic. And if your goal is to be in H1, the Prelude will have no problem getting down to 2400lbs. PLUS the H22 has the potential to be the MOST POWERFUL H1 spec engine under the current H1 rules. I can LEGALLY get the H-series engine to push around 260whp, 170tq (on dynojet) in H1. Honestly, it's a no brainer. 4th gen prelude w/H23 vtec power would donminate H1.


I've seen H2b Civics handle pretty well on the road course and getting the car to weigh 2400lbs wouldn't be a problem.

 

Thanks for your replies guys,
I have a 5th gen prelude though, i forgot to state that. Would you say the same thing about the 5th gen vtecjj??

 

The 5th gen is heavier than the 4th gen and getting the 5th gen down to 2400lbs. might be a problem (you'll be able to get down to 2500lbs. no prob.) But even then, the 5th gen will still handle better than any 88-05 Civic in H1 with an H-series or K-series engine. In addition, the 5th (or 4th gen) Prelude has better aero than older civics as well...just make sure you have the braking power to slow down the car. If there was a way to use the prelude chassis, the h22 and the B-Series ITR tranny together would be a killer package. Essentially a H2B Prelude in H1. The only issue would be making the shift linkage work in the prelude chassis.

 

thanks again man,
How i would love a h2b prelude,
seems like i'm keeping the lude as racecar, i'll get it to 2400 no matter what, dedicated to do that.
Thanks, Martin

 

Someone needs to build an H2B prelude just to prove it can be done lol, it would be a killer combination, and the preludes look so cool, too!

 

Jonathan...Can that engine put out that power and last at least a season, preferably more?

 

Yeah Percy, it'll last over a season..provided no driver error occurs (i.e. misshift, over revving past redline, etc). Seeing that the H series blocks uses a closed deck design(except for the '98 H22a4), plays a HUGE ROLE in lower end reliability (unlike the B-series open deck style). As far as the head is concerned, QUALITY valvetrain is also needed.

Making that power is feasible with a H1 spec H22/H23 by using the right parts, having good headwork, doing the math involved for YOUR particular engine build and tuning it to get it to all work in perfect harmony will get it to reach those numbers in H1 spec

I would've chose to use H-series engines in 2011 had I not already have a K24 sitting in my garage since early 2009!

 

But Preludes are soooo heavy!

 

The can get down to 2450 or so with driver...and...Torque is KING, IMHO. Frankly H22 or K24 are the only honda engines that interest me because of the torque.

 

hey dont forget h23 in there
prelude just have a load of **** in them, it's not even funny.

 

Depends. With the way HC rules are, torque plays a huge role at tracks with elevation changes like Infineon or Willow. Flat tracks like Miller and Buttonwillow aren't so torque dependent, where B16's do just fine I've proved it

 

even lower than that if you're not classed. 2100lbs w/o driver, no cage is the lightest I have heard of.(GoldLudeRay)

Just had to throw that out there...haha!
13yrs of Civic owners telling me my car was heavy, then me telling their car was TQless and slow.

 

power to weight man. civics for the win lol

 

goldluderay is actually around 1960 now

 

Sick!

At same weight for HCH1 with an H series, I'd rather have the Prelude...
Slightly biased!