Good Morning,
My name is Ian and I've been lurking in this forum for a few weeks now. I recently purchased a 1997 Prelude (base...the dealer told me it was an SH and I didn't know how to determine that until I brought it home; growl) and aboslutely love it. Right now it's stock, but I'm planning on slowly modifying it (nothing too outrageous...yet) and would like all of the advice I can get.
Just FYI, I use my Prelude as my 'daily driver' and don't plan (in the near future at least) to take it to a track/go autocrossing.

I've got a few questions and figured this would be the best place to ask. First off, the first mod I was planning was an AEM Cold Air Intake w/ a bypass valve. Does this sound reasonable?

Second -- I'm a little frustrated by my lack of low-end power. It's fair but leave a bit to be desired (IMHO). Unfortunately, most of the mods that I've looked at (including the AEM CAI) seem to increase high-end power at the expensive of low-end. How could I increase my low-end power? I figured one of the first steps would be to decrease the PSI on my front tires to 28-30 (currently all tires are at 35) for better traction. Any other ideas?

Third -- I've noticed that the car sometimes 'pulls' when accellerating quickly from first, and when shifting from first to second (around ~6k+ RPMs). Between first and second it almost gets a little dangerous because it's a strong, sharp pull that yanks me 6-12 inches to the left (sometimes the right). Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any help; I hope to be a decent contributor once I learn a few things.

--ian

 

1. AEM CAI is a good idea
2. A supercharger will give you all of the low end power that you want(It's an expensive, but straight forward, reliable modification.)
3. Sounds like torque steer.

 

2. A supercharger will give you all of the low end power that you want(It's an expensive, but straight forward, reliable modification.)

Hmmm. That's a good idea; I was under the impression that they would put a lot more stress on the engine. Do you have any reccomendations (Jackson Racing, etc?)?

3. Sounds like torque steer.

Could this be reduced (or eliminated) by installing a limited slip differential? If so, again, do you have any reccomendations? I've read both good and bad about the Phantom Grip units, so I'd prefer to stay away from one of those.

Thanks for your responses.

 

all fifthe generation preludes do that when the vtec kicks in. your vtec should kick in about 5200 rpms and about 6500 rpms is when you feel an oversteer due to the vtec. when vtec engages it changes your cam shaft lobes and decreases your lower end to addd higher end torque. thats where the over steer come from. to reduce that over steer i recommend you lower the vehicle about 1.50 inches to help maintain traction and reduce the over steer. thats what i did and i noticed a tremendous result. h& r springs.

 

Jackson racing is the only company that makes superchargers for preludes and it will put extra stress on the engine , but the engine can still handle it for years.

I'm not good with tranny and suspension questions. Honda318dx can answer this one for you.

 

your vtec should kick in about 5200 rpms and about 6500 rpms is when you feel an oversteer due to the vtec

Another issue is that I feel my VTEC @ 5500rpms instead of 5200...I'm not sure if that has to do with my altitude (driving @ 5300ft above sea level /sucks/) or what. But that's another matter.
I don't feel any oversteer in high gears, but that's probably because I'm going faster, as you said. The oversteer actually may be happening around 6k-6.5k, you're right.
I'll take a look at springs. Thanks!

--ian

 

The stock tachometer isn't particularly accurate - it gets farther off the higher the rpm. And I believe the VTEC cross-over is somewhat variable depending on ambient conditions.

 

the vtec kicks in around 5200- 5500 rpms depending on the conditions. if you just started your car, vetc will not be there due to a certain oil pressure that has to be triggered in order for vtec ot kick in. also vtec ranges in alot of cars depending on hills , slopes or what not so does the rev limiter. all i got to say is going down a hill in 1st gear rev limiter is 6000 rpm's but on flat ground << track >> its about 8200 rpms. it all depends on conditions. as for the over steer again, it only will jerk to the left or right when you are in vtec around 6000-6800 rpms or higher depending on some variables. remember when you are in vtec the cma shaft lobes change and add more torque to the upper end and you actually squat down in the rear and remeber you have a front wheel drive vehicle so when that happens the force of the front lifts up a little because the rear of the vehicle squats down a little at high rpm's in lower gears thus you lose traction which in turn will cause over steer which can pull you., all i have to say is lower your car. i have koni adjustbles with h & r springs 1.50 with strut bars and i do not notice it as much.