What do you guys think? Is it doable? There is one for sale very close to me. I am scared about the lack of aftermarket support and I can't find Preludes that were raced.

If someone can point in the right direction I would be thrilled. Who has done a road race 5th gen? Car has to run at 2900 lbs...

 

Are you looking to win or just race? If it's race ready and you haven't raced before, buy it if it's cheap and just get some seat time.

 

Not race ready. It is prepped for a different category (SSB) and would require some $ to make it competitive in ITS. Needs suspension, header, intake, tuning etc...

I'm more scared of people not really having done I before

 

there are a few people that road race 5th gne preludes
there's
71dsp
577hondaprelude
mugen22

 

you talking about the Black SSB Prelude For Sale in Florida with the blown engine? -- that is an unbelievable deal -- I have been half tempted to pick it up myself just because of how great of a deal it is.

Supposedly there is talk that these could be pretty competitive in ITS -- not sure how much work may go into making it competitive but I do know one thing -- at the price you can get that Prelude at whether it is competitive or not you will have a blast racing it.

 

Yup. That's the one. Going to be $$$ to get it ready for ITS though.
motor is $1000, machine shop is $500, header is $1000, intake is $300, suspension is going to be $1500... Plus $2000 more in crap it is inevitably going to need (bushings, coolers, lines fittings) and you are in the $9000 range...

And then you are in a unproven car that you are basically developing yourself because no one else has really done it before...

PLus where can you get parts for it? I mean legit motorsports parts?

I like that it is close to me, and that it is so cheap... but then I start thinking about the other stuff...

 

Wow, glad to be mentioned in with that group! However, I am not racing just yet. Yet being the key word!! That said, I would like to touch on a couple of things that I have learned through researching racing options for myself. When prepping a car for an IT or Honda Challenge or PT class, the cars are pretty damn equal from a Civic to a Prelude to an Integra to an S2000. If the car is well prepared, it boils down to the drivers and the tracks. Any combination can be stronger/faster than the other at a given track.

Preludes have been proven to be extremely compeitive. Chris F won NASA H1 in the midwest a few years ago, Corey J (the previous owner of Chris' car) did well with it on the east coast before that, Lawrence Loshack won SCCA E-Production (I believe on a national level) in his Prelude, there is another guy in NorCal that I believe won H1 or H2 last year in his Prelude and I am sure there are more.

577 (Walt) and 71dsp (Billy) are both working through classing changes and plan to race in NASA PT which is similar to SCCA IT but you have more flexibility with power to weight classing. Both are competitive with their cars.

When it comes to this level of racing, the aftermarket support is nearly as good as with the other cars. Sperical bearings are spherical bearings, brake pads are the same as an NSX and an ITR, suspension is only limted by your pocketbook, a custom rear anti-rollbar is custom for any application, it already has a cage although you should check to make sure it is legal for the type of racing you want to do, the engine has tons of support and its a Honda so parts are fairly easy to come by!

As for pricing, $9k for a car built to YOUR specifications sounds like a great deal to me! That said, I really enjoy my Prelude so I am likely a little biased. I have had my car for 13 years and have been tracking it for 11 of those year. Every spring when I take it out of storage for the first time, I still have a huge smile on my face. When I get it onto the track, I am about as gitty as a school girl!

I guess it comes down to what you feel comfortable with. It is really hard to look past Spec Miata, but my love for all cars makes me want to stay away from it. SCCA B-spec is going to be interesting too.

What is your experience level?


Anyway, I hope that some of this rambling makes sense and helps!
Brian.

 

Been doing track events since '03. I'm an instructor w/ NASA. I had my SCCA Beginners license (got it in a SM).

My track car is too expensive (see sig) . Tires/ brakes/ Fuel... want a cheap disposable race car. Love that ITA and ITS both have huge fields down here. Car has to be a Honda for work reasons.

Thinking of this car or picking up an ITA CRX.

This car logistically is very easy for me to do (close to home). CRX makes more sense from everything else. Except the car is 24 years old! Consumables are cheaper, plus I used to have a CRX... I think the Prelude would be a fun car as a project. It being newer is appealing. Being able to run it in two classes is appealing. I think it would be better suited to our tracks down here. But the CRX is just easier man. However, the CRX is getting beat lately in ITA ...

 

Also SCCA is MUCH bigger than NASA down here. Fields are much bigger... But I would probably run it in PT as well...

 

That car was at Daytona last year and was fast. It put down pretty good laps times and according to the current owner had the SSB track record at daytona for a while. Also remember you dont need to do all the suspenion and other stuff right away to run in ITS. You can just put a motor in it and get it tuned and put some ITS stickers on it and go race.

 

I know I can just slap stickers on and race, but that's not really what it's about. I want to go out there and race and know that if I have do my job driving, the car can win...

You guys familiar with those Preludes?

 

i also have a 5th gen prelude but I'm just smacking down hpde to get my nasa license. It sucks that Honda Challenge has a really low turnout down here. Went to watch a few nasa events hoping to see HC cars, but nothing...

 

Yes and no, for the most part it is going to be like any other honda.

If I where you I would get the car and get it running. Then race it and develop it as you go. Trust me if you are going to run that car in ITS no matter what you are always going to have someone around you to race. The competition is good and you will not regret it.

 

There is fabrication that comes with having a racecar and I think that's the fun of it. If you wanted a car with everything on it already awesome then get a 911 GT3 RS...

Sorry I had to.

Prelude sounds like a great start the only thing about it is its weight compared to the other cars in class like the CRX... tires and brakes are going to be taking more heat and wear so that's something else to consider if you want to be competitive. Don't want to lose your tires before the other guys near the end of a race... when you need them the most.

boogity

 

^ yep.

 

Thanks. No offense taken. That car is awesome. But not raceable...

Prelude is classed above the CRX (ITS vs. ITA). Still a heavy car, but can also run in ITR at 2500lbs... Consumables are slightly more expensive ($12/ tire vs CRX)

 

You are going to need a bit more then that to be competitive in SEDIV ITS. There are big fields and some very well prepped and driven cars. The ITS crowd is a great group of guys. Good racing.

I think the Prelude is a competitive car and can win. For ITS, I think the 4th gen H23 is the best bet. The 5th gen is heavy, so the consumable cost is going to be a factor. Though you can run 16" wheels, which may help. Also consider the VTEC preludes are in ITR at a much lower weight. The ITR car counts are still low however.

One other factor with the SH is the lack of aftermarket LSDs. You will want the best LSD money can buy. I don't know if it feasible to convert an SH into a base within the IT rules, but if that is possible, it is probably a must to have a competitive car.

 

Crap. Now you are scaring me. What else is there?

 

Like a built and tuned motor. IT in the SE is super competitive. Sell the GT3 and you should just have enough to develop a front running car and have some money for a budget tow rig.

 

I kind of budgeted for that in post above. I'm thinking of pulling the trigger. Or I am looking for an ITS ready integra if you know of someone selling theirs...

 

I'm racing a Prelude in norcal. Bottom line, the Prelude is the easiest Honda to drive quickly. The amazing handling via the suspension geometry and long wheelbase is worth the extra weight IMHO. Prelude or the S2000 is the only Hondas I care to race. Not to mention the Prelude (especially gen 4) is the best looking honda, again IMHO besides the S2000....

 

I also think it would be easy to drive.

Any more specs on your car? Spring rates? Suspension? What rear sway? Hat LSD? Final drive?

 

The car is set up for H1/STU/PTA-B

The motor is an H22 built to the limit of the rules in H1. Detuned to 215/185 at 2570 pounds to class as PTB in PT. It was the second place car in H1 at 2010 Nats when driven by Brandon Kraus. Koni 2812 suspension, 4.6 FD, Kaaz LSD, Custom Huge rear swaybar, Tranny cooler, accusump, all the usual high-quality racecar parts.

 

Sounds like a beast. Any pictures of a build thread anywhere? What spring rates are you running?

 

1100 front, 1600 rear.