Is an automatic alright?

[94preludeSI]

dude guys i love my prelude but im afraid people are going to make fun of me because its an automatic. i mean is still fast and all and im going to pimp the shit out of it but im just wondering what you guy's view on automatics. yeah my car has the big h22 160 horse dohc non-vtec so it has some power

[Layla's Keeper]

All right, honestly it depends on what you plan to do.

If straight line is your gig, then it doesn't really matter what tranny you use (some actually prefer auto because you don't miss gears and the shifts can take less time).

But if you plan on doing any serious cornering work, then a manual transmission is definitely a must. They give you better control of wheel speed and can keep you in the powerband in crucial moments.

[Auto_newb]

With ATTS the prelude will corner like a god, even with automatic. But to answer you, I'd say it doesn't matter if you want auto or manual, there are lots of people in my area that have auto preludes. In my opinion, either transmission requires very different skills to be used to the limit.

[94preludeSI]

yeah im defintely going for the whole street drag racing and stuff. i dont even care if its an automatic and it is great not having to worry about a really good shifting job or anyting. its just that 5 speeds are defintely really popular out here where i live and when i get some parts that i ordered im going to go and meet some of the street racers and just see what they think of my car and all that crap. i think they all will be cool because most are stupid rice boys with civics and big performance stuff and once i show them vtec isnt everything i think they will be alright

[94tegRS]

ok, well fi you dont have vtec, you dont have the H22, you have the H23. the H22 is a 195HP(most likely unless its JDM, then 200 I think) with VTEC, the prelude S has a F22B SOHC non vtec like the 94-97 accord(exc. EX) and the SI which im guessing you have has the H23, DOHC non vtec. anyways about the auto if thats what you like then ok, but as for not missing shifts, even if you take your time and be sure you got it into gera you stil shift fatser than almost all stock automatics do, then theres the gear ratios that differ so you stay higher in the powerband once it does shift, add that to controlling where your revs sit instead of your computer doing it for you, I dont see how id ever drive another auto again(had one for a year and hated it for about the last 47 weeks of that year) and if you meet with riced out civics your probably gona smoke them anywyas, cuz even though you got an auto, you got the honda "big block" so you got the torque to make up for the disadvantage against the 5 speed civics.

[94preludeSI]

yeah im a dumbass i should have rememberd that it was the h23 (im not just saying that to not look stupid because i actually knew that but i wasnt thinking) but yeah i have to say i do have a shitload of torque compared to some of the newer hondas. i have one question though. does anyone think i could beat a 2003 stock civic si? because i mean we both have the same horse but i make up with it in the torque.

Prelude si - 160hp, 156 lbs/ft trq.
Civic si- 160hp, 132 lbs/ft trq
let me know.
and if anyone wants to talk import shit with me, im me on doom325 because thats my aim name.

[LjasonL]

Originally Posted by Auto_newb

With ATTS the prelude will corner like a god, even with automatic.

You don't understand the reason manuals rule road racing. It has nothing to do with theactual cornering force the car can generate, but the way it responds to throttle imput. If you're cornering hard in an auto, and it decides to upshift or downshift, it upsets the balance of the car. With a manual you avoid sudden surprises like that. If you let off the gas coming into a corner, an auto might decide to upshift since you stopped accelerating, then when you exit the corner and floor it you have to wait for the auto to decide it needs to downshift again then wait for it to actually do it. In a manual you can just leave it in the proper gear and have instant response when you need it.

[Polygon]

Originally Posted by Layla's Keeper

All right, honestly it depends on what you plan to do.

If straight line is your gig, then it doesn't really matter what tranny you use (some actually prefer auto because you don't miss gears and the shifts can take less time).

But if you plan on doing any serious cornering work, then a manual transmission is definitely a must. They give you better control of wheel speed and can keep you in the powerband in crucial moments.

I couldn't have said it better.

Originally Posted by Auto_newb

With ATTS the prelude will corner like a god, even with automatic. But to answer you, I'd say it doesn't matter if you want auto or manual, there are lots of people in my area that have auto preludes. In my opinion, either transmission requires very different skills to be used to the limit.

Also driving an automatic takes very little skill which is one reason I prefer a manual. In my opinion an automatics only place in my vehicles will be in my trucks, never in my cars except my daily driver and perhaps old muscle cars.

[94tegRS]

how much heavier are you than the new SI tho, I dont know and dont feel like looking it up right now, but having the SI auto, just guessing id say the new SI wiht a manual might beeat you, who knows.

[94preludeSI]

the 2003 civic si weighs about 2744 lbs and my 94 si weighs about 2809 lbs so i really dont think its that much of a difference to really matter but yeah i think it would be a close race

[94tegRS]

if you had a 5 speed id say you got him, but being auto(and being ive never driven or ridden in any auto lude) i dont know what its like, but you still probably got him

[Plastic_Fork]

I prefer manual myself, but nothing wrong with automatic. I just like the control a manual car offers my driving style.

As for the '03 Civic Si, they're slow despite the numbers on paper. I don't think you'd have a problem pulling on them. I believe they have the same engine as mine (B16A) but they have the i-VTEC thingie, so dunno if there's any other differences. You've got more torque and displacement than them. Might have more trouble with a modified Si, but depends on what they've done.

It'd be a similar setup to my car and my roommate's. I've got the "Civic Si" engine which is a B16A - 160hp and 111lbs torque. My roommate has an Integra LS ("Prelude Si"), which is a B18B. 142hp and 127lbs torque. So he has an engine similar to yours. More displacement and torque, but his is SOHC and non-VTEC. His car is also just slightly heavier which will be similar in your case. Maybe a hundred pounds or so difference. Basically, he wins -- for now. His torque eats me every time. Only other difference between our engine is he has done his exhaust, sparks plugs and ignition system, and has a header. Otherswise our engines are comparable in mods. We both have manuals as well.

[TatII]

the new civic si are slow as balls. but they do not run on a B16a. they run on a K20 motor. which is hte same 2.0 as the one found on the base model RSX. which also has 160hp but has more torque then the 1.6 liter motor. also the motor is one of hte first honda motors to spin the conventional clockwise direction when the older models spun in the counter clock wise direction.

[mynismo]

Originally Posted by 94preludeSI

yeah my car has the big h22 160 horse dohc non-vtec so it has some power

it all depends on what you want. sticks will be about .5 to 1 sec faster than an auto 0-60 time, especially hondas. older cars usually the auto is faster.

[carrrnuttt]

Originally Posted by Plastic_Fork

...his is SOHC and non-VTEC.

FYI: The b18b in your buddie's LS is a DOHC.