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Coupes & Convertibles Honda Prelude Honda Prelude 1997-2002
2482 messages, Last post on Oct 20, 2009 at 6:36 AM
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Replying to: nyccarguy (Feb 06, 2007 6:59 pm) You must know that after driving a donut for 5+ years (a Camry--I experimented by going into a conservative, sensible stage that put me into a driving coma), I decided to get back to my roots--where I genuinely belong. I learned the hard way that I absolutely need to have a sporty, great handling car to drive, a car that makes my soul smile. It's akin to dating a guy for a long time who's really nice and kind and dependable--and your family and friends think he's great--but there's no chemistry or passion. You yearn for a little bit of badass. The thing is, nyccarguy, the transition from the Camry to the Prelude has been so dramatic--such a welcome relief--I haven't even noticed how bad these original tires are! Really!? What with the bitter cold weather we've been having over the last two weeks (since I purchased the car actually), I've been driving rather cautiously due to lots of icy patches and black ice--especially in the Merritt: scary! I will definitely take your advice on the tire situation. May I use your response as a shopping guide per se? I am very grateful for your enthusiasm and generous insights. The guy I bought this from, a 25-year old, needed to unload his car payment but told me his plans for the car if he had kept it. He wanted to install a turbo charger kit. Well, I'm not planning to race at Lime Rock anytime soon, but I would certainly love to find that happy medium. Sounds like you've done some really cool things to enhance your car's performance! How fun! It's like redesigning a room! (Pardon my girly analogies.) It's also inspiring to know that your car drives so well at 78,000. But then again, it's a Honda--and a Prelude--and a well-maintained auto is like a well-maintained body--can look great at any age. How loud is your exhaust? Or, rather, how much louder is it over the original? Also, if I may pick your brain further, how did you decide on the specific brands/parts your mechanic installed...for example, the Apexi world SPort exhaust and Suspension Techniques. There is such a plethora/variety of after-market options...I find it overwhelming. How did you decide? Since I'm in lower Fairfield County, I have no prob. whatsoever driving to Westchester--if that's where your mechanic is located. I love taking field trips--except to, ahem, Long Island! Anywhere but there! Oh...before I forget: This might seem like a silly question, but did you have new speakers installed when you upgraded your radio? Bless the guy's heart who sold me his beloved car because he was genuinely concerned and emphatic about my continuing to use the synthetic oil...he even gave me a few "cans" to make sure that I keep up the same level of maintenance he did. I promised that I would give it a great home, which I fully intend to do. I even took great care of the Camry until it was totalled in an accident on 12/28--an accident I must have orchestrated on a spiritual level because I always wanted to experience the last generation Prelude. (I was run into by an Italian visitor in a rented mini-van--he ran a red light and almost killed me. It was a horrible collision, yet I walked away without a scratch.) The fiction writer in me believes in happy endings, and I ended up with this mint condition Prelude. It was exactly what I wanted--the SH manual, low mileage, black. O.K...so it will cost an arm and a leg for a clutch replacement someday. Oh well! I'm still smiling. (Why would I want an automatic, and why wouldn't I want to experience the extra "whatever" that the SH offers??) Am I not worth it? (BTW, there are some interesting reviews on the SH on epinions...have you read them?) And...I just discovered this helpful forum! How fortuitous is that? Thank you again for your advice...You're a wonderful resource!
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Replying to: lulu9 (Feb 06, 2007 10:02 pm)
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Replying to: timothyaw (Feb 07, 2007 6:47 am) This is definitely a "Guy Thing" I've observed over the years, which is definitely a Good Thing: owning more than one car to accommodate more than one purpose--very smart and practical. Hmmm: 2nd car vs. clothes/shoes? What is your opinion on this AEM short ram air filter the former owner installed? Guy I bought it from thinks it makes car faster and gives better gas mileage. Considering the expense of upgrades, it was a fairly inexpensive part to change (he installed it himself): about the price of a pair of shoes (that's my measuring stick). So I'm wondering: If this is so great, why haven't other proud Prelude owners done it? Like NYC Car Guy, who's first bone of contention were the tires, and he did not hesitate to buy better tires--two different kinds, no less (I'll have to look those up)! Now that gets my attention. See how important "shoes" are?? My fashion advice to friends has always been to start with the shoes first as a focal point/foundation--and go (build) from there. Seems that this can apply to cars too! How funny! |
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Replying to: lulu9 (Feb 06, 2007 10:02 pm) Wow, a camry huh, damn I'm sorry! You must feel like you're driving a Maserati coming from a camry! As far as snow tires go, since it is already February and we're having a mild winter snow wise (but damn is it cold) you can probably slide by. Forced induction is great, I'm a huge fan. Turbocharging is VERY EXPENSIVE and from what I hear it is not easy to Turbocharge an H22A motor. My Exhaust. It is an Apexi World Sport fully stainless steel cat back exhaust system. At idle and around town it is quieter than stock. It doesn't drone on the highway. When you down shift from 5th to 3rd & bury the throttle at 60 mph it roars with a deep bellow! The only reason I originally replaced it is because my original exhaust system got damaged by a 1/2" thick steel plate about 6 months after I got the car. I was able to salvage the muffler and have a muffler shop fabricate a pipe for me. That OEM muffler and fabricated pipe lasted me a few years. When it finally crapped out, my car sounded like something from the Fast and Furious. I got a quote from my dealer to replace the exhaust system and then a quote from the speed/stereo shop. For about $200 more I got a much better exhaust that I couldn't be happier with. Something to keep in mind if you ever need to replace the exhaust. I decided on the World SPort because it was recommended to me by a few people. I told the guy when I bought it that I wanted quiet around town and loud when I opened it up. As far as the sway bars go, there are lots of companies that makes suspension parts for the Prelude, but not too many that make them for the Type SH. Again, they were reccomended to me by the installer. I'm very happy with them! Besides new tires, the best modification. Somewhere around $500 too. I forgot to mention that at 78,000 miles I'm still on my original brakes & rotors!  The clutch was VERY EXPENSIVE! on our Type SH Preludes, the ATTS unit has to be removed & re-installed for the clutch to be replaced. It is about an extra 5 hours of labor!  When my clutch burnt out, I replaced it with a CENTERFORCE clutch. Do asearch in this forum for clutch replacement and you'll see some of my various rants! I did not have new speakers installed with my radio. I'm not an audiophile by any means. I wanted to have SIRIUS (HOWARD RULES) installed and new that an FM modulator (FM radio tuned to 88.7 so Satellite Radio can play) would sound like garbage. If you like the Merit, you'll LOVE the Bronx River Parkway! It is half the reason I love being at work at &:30 on Saturday mornings! The place that does all the "work" on my car is AUDIO VISIONS. Coming from CT, take 287 to exit 5. Make a left at the traffic light at the top of the exit ramp. Go to Rte 119 and make a left (Mitsubishi dealer). Make a right on Aqueduct (Enterprise Rent A Car) and AUDIO VISIONS is about a block up on your left. Talk to Manny (he's the owner). Tell him Bradd with the Red Prelude sent you. They do EXCELLENT work! Saturday is probably their busiest day. You'll be very pleased if you have them do work on your car. I got my stereo, i-pod adapter, exhaust, sway bars, tires, and had them do a major service on my car. They got me tires and put a new radio in my wife's car. They put new brake rotors & pads on my sister's Jetta. |
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I had the Honda Fog Lights intsalled on my car. They light up the side of the road and the road directly in front of you really well in conjunction to the headlights. since nyccarguy jr's arrival in late September I've cut down on my Prelude's mileage. Now I just go back and forth to work 6 days a week. On the weekends we take my wife's car. I was putting on 20K miler per year and it will probably go down to 12 or 13K. When the time comes in a galaxy far, far, away, I'd probably replace my Prelude with a used E46 M3 or a new Mitsubishi EVO X. |
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Replying to: steveh (Jan 17, 2007 7:29 pm) |
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Replying to: nyccarguy (Feb 07, 2007 7:52 pm) So you went with the Milano Red…That shade of red is a great color. Obviously, red on any car is definitely a color that gets noticed—-not necessarily for good reasons—-but I’m sure on our Prelude it’s especially cool up close and personal and adds some attitude—-and dimension—-to its understated presence. You must get lots of compliments! Yeah, a Camry! Quite painful! What was I thinking? Well, I knew the person selling the car, the miles were very low as was the selling price, and it was an opportunity to basically have $0 in transportation costs except for insurance--and even that was cheap. As I shared in my earlier post, my soul was obviously (desperately) crying for help because, after 5+ years of Extreme Dullsville, the Camry died a very sudden and dramatic death. From a pragmatic perspective, thank goodness the accident was not my fault--and I was not injured. The real lesson, however, was that I better love my cars from now on, otherwise I'll be orchestrating traffic accidents! So you can understand why my objectivity is way off in terms of evaluating these original tires. It really does feel like driving a Maserati comparatively speaking! (If I can imagine what such an experience would be like.) But your tire commentary is duly noted and appreciated. As we’re finally supposed to get some snow this week, at least you'll have a chance to take advantage of your winter tires. And the Potenza tires I have on now will have to suffice. Thanks for the warning about the clutch (the hassle & expense) and the advice about replacing it with a CENTERFORCE when that time comes. I will definitely heed your been-there, done-that wisdom. Considering the limited number of Model SH 'ludes out there (with the ATTS), I consider this to be an esoteric piece of info! May I comment that your keen writing ability does not represent the demographics that I “normally” associate with a "Howard Rules" kinda guy!  Well, what a delightful surprise.  This just goes to show how off-base and unfair "profiling" can be. Howard’s in-your-face brutal honesty about the male psyche (and how “base” you guys really are) is true enough. There’s no argument there from me! It’s just that-—once in a while at least—-we women need to idealize our men. Case in point: Would I ever, in a million years, aspire to be with Howard Stern? No way! But ask me about the new 007 in Casino Royale (Daniel Craig...The best Bond ever!). After all, it’s the nicer, finer things in life we all aspire to, don’t we? As you blissfully ended your last post with two of your “some day” cars, where would any of us be without our aspirations? Understandably, considering your “Howard Rules” sensibility, it was essential for you to have a SIRIUS radio installed. I am not an audiophile either, but I would love to have HD radio reception and an i-pod adapter. In addition to the clutch, that sounds like quite an ordeal you went through with the original exhaust—-having it damaged like that after owning the car for only six months. Ouch! Oh my goodness! This sounds so typical of a mishap that would happen on the streets of Manhattan! It’s one thing to plan/strategize an upgrade to our cars-—as we’re discussing here. It’s another thing to have an expensive repair forced upon us due to a mishap, especially on a precious new car. Well, you made the best out of what must have been an upsetting situation. Question about your Apexi World Sport exhaust system: Does this give our car significantly more power as well? I would imagine it does. I also like the way you describe its sound—-not juvenile, as in a noise that would appeal to a teenager and piss off your neighbors. When that time comes, I would definitely go for an after-market exhaust such as the one you purchased. I have read your prior posts and am now up to date on your clutch and why you had it replaced so soon. Obviously, city driving is way different than the suburbs. But congratulations on your brakes! Now that’s truly amazing, especially considering your driving in the City. The guy I bought my car from was all about turbo charging. From his perspective, the Prelude was a great car to have turbocharged and, apparently, one of the reasons he bought it in the first place. He told me in all seriousness that, “It was set up for it.” He was looking for a car that would be great fun for him to drive yet a classy car that he could take his girlfriend out in. He looked at a lot of different sports cars, shopped around a lot, and loved the Prelude because of its unique characteristics and decided that this was the car for him. He thought the fact that Honda discontinued the 'lude made it that much more special in that not many people could own one. He drove to PA to get this. In his price range, this was the car that impressed him the most. So the turbo-charging (or as you nicely put it: the “forced induction”) was on his to-do list from the get-go. But then he bought a house so all his “big plans” for the ‘lude suddenly went to the wayside as his new economic reality forced him to change his priorities--and sell his car! Actually, I was rather amused about his enthusiasm for carrying out this plan. More realistically—-for my own day-to-day driving enjoyment--my first upgrades are going to be: the Yokahama tires (per your recommendation) and an HD radio and i-pod adapter—-both this spring. I have no idea where to start for the radio so I’ll check out the Crutchfield website to get some ideas. Additionally, I am interested in the sway bars you had installed and would like to have them installed at the same time as the tires. Another silly question: I’m assuming that these (the sway bars) are added/installed to my car’s existing suspension, correct? In other words, I don’t have to wait for something to crap out before I can justify this particular expense? It just sounds well worth it for $500 or so--especially when combined with the tires. My car came with the fog lights installed. These will certainly come in handy once the cold gives way to fog. I look forward to trying these out. Was this a package that was originally installed at the dealership or factory in Japan? After all this, last but not least, what town is your Audio Visions in? I will do a MapQuest. I think it’s adorable that there is a “NYCCARGUY Jr.,” and his arrival in September has no doubt had an immediate impact on your weekend driving. Well, our car’s design is what it is, and this is just one of the reasons for the Prelude’s poor sales. No, I certainly would not put a baby in the backseat of our car. Thank you again for sharing your insights and experience--the good, the bad and the ugly--as well as giving me the name of your mechanic. Your postings are a highly-valued resource!
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Replying to: lulu9 (Feb 12, 2007 6:05 pm) Howard is so much more than people make him out to be. He's not just some guy on the radio who tries to get women to take their clothes off. He is very progressive, intelligent, quick, and pull off to the side if the road because you are laughing so hard funny. I actually was an aspiring copy writer at one point. I wanted to work on billboard ads and SuperBowl commercials (which I could have been damn good at considering how bad the commercials were). Just as I was putting my book together (Sometime in late 2000), the market went south and lots of companies cut their ad budgets. The company I worked for was not only laying off people, but obviously not hiring Junior Copywriters. I got another job and eventually quit to go and work for my Dad. He owns a plumbing supply house in The Bronx started by my Great-Grandfather in 1900 (that makes me fourth generation math majors). My Apexi exhaust gives the car a smidge more power (I'm not sure of the exact number). Nothing earth shattering though. I don't even know if more power is the way to describe it. It really seems to increase the throttle response. With your situation, I'd definitely get to know the Prelude more before you start messing around with it. I don't know why you'd go for HD radio. The cost of an HD radio unit is rather expensive. For $12.99 per month (SIRIUS) you get 100% commercial free music. Even if Howard left the air tomorrow, I still will have SIRIUS in EVERY car I own for the rest of my life. It is that good! Fog Lights are a dealer installed accessory. They look cool! Regarding the sway bars. You OEM sway bars are taken out and the new ones intsalled. Mine also came with Urethane Suspension busings which will last longer and provide better ride/handling characteristics than the stock rubber bushings. Audio Visions is in White Plains. I wrote the directions in my last post. Thanks for your compliments! Glad I could be of some help!
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Do you mind sharing what you paid for your beautiful, black, Prelude? I'm just curious and you don't have to answer if you don't want to.
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