YACT: POLL: Prelude SH or Integra GSR?

[Actaeon]

So, I decided I want another car by June 04. My current insurance policy ends, and I really want something else. I'm still not sure if I want a 300hp American Muscle (z28/trans am), or a sportier more nimble high reving 4 banger (preludes/integra). I think I'm leaning more towards the 4 bangers though.

I'd like the car to be pretty sporty and fun to drive. I plan on autocrossing, and perhaps going to the drag strip for fun every once and a while, but mostly autocrossing. I'm not quite sure if these are totally awesome autocross cars, but they can't be that bad. Faster the car, the better. My price range is around $10k, don't want to spend that much.

Prelude SH:

Pros:
More power
Nice looking (IMO)
Newer, so less wear and tear.
Not as common as Integras

Cons:
More Expensive
Less Aftermarket
Heavier


Integra GSR:

Pros:
Can look super sweet with the JDM Front end (IMO)
Huge Aftermarket
Lighter
Cheaper

Cons:
Less power stock
More common
Generally older with more miles


So... what do you think?

 

[Rent]

You should buy a miata and turbo it for that $$.

 

[atom]

JDM Integra >>>>>>> Prelude.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: Rent
You should buy a miata and turbo it for that $$.

If I wanted to do that, I would rather buy a Miata and drop a 5.0L in it .

 

[TechnoKid]

Both are still insured at high rates.

Each car has it's own benifits, but in your case fr mainly autocrossing I'd reccomend the gsr. I'd get that and put a quaffie LSD in it, imo, a much better combo than the prelude SH. The gsr is also lighter.

 

[OS]

I'd probably get a prelude, less likely to be jacked and the look isn't as played out.

 

[iamme]

i had a 98 Prelude base model (5 speed manual) and i had lots of fun driving that around. i test drove the SH and that thing feels like a go kart, the way it sticks to the ground. just remember to drive safe!

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
Both are still insured at high rates.

Each car has it's own benifits, but in your case fr mainly autocrossing I'd reccomend the gsr. I'd get that and put a quaffie LSD in it, imo, a much better combo than the prelude SH. The gsr is also lighter.

Eh, not any harder to put a Quaffie into a 'lude either. There is a growing aftermarket for the H22 still. I know Skunk2 is in the process of getting an intake mani certified. Throw on some Skunk2 cams and some better exhaust stuff, get some tuning and 200hp at the wheels isn't that hard to come by. But, I think I'm a bit biased

 

[boyRacer]

both are thief magnets...

but i think the integra is an easier target.

i say you can't go wrong with either.

EDIT: BTW... S2000s are the hot sh*t right now in autocrossing... 11 of the top 16 were S2Ks IIRC. The previous top car was the Boxster... and the MR2 Turbo.

 

[Jejunum]

of those two i vote prelude ; much less commmon


how about a gc8 impreza rs? 00-01 have lsds in the rear btw

 

[TechnoKid]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
Both are still insured at high rates.

Each car has it's own benifits, but in your case fr mainly autocrossing I'd reccomend the gsr. I'd get that and put a quaffie LSD in it, imo, a much better combo than the prelude SH. The gsr is also lighter.

Eh, not any harder to put a Quaffie into a 'lude either. There is a growing aftermarket for the H22 still. I know Skunk2 is in the process of getting an intake mani certified. Throw on some Skunk2 cams and some better exhaust stuff, get some tuning and 200hp at the wheels isn't that hard to come by. But, I think I'm a bit biased

As far as I know, the SH with the "atts" system doesn't have an avaible lsd out there. The base model would be a better choice in this respect. Things may have changed from when I last opened up a sport compact etc.

I like the h22 engine; it has a lot of potential, either na, turbo or supercharged. If he is serious about autocrossing, he would spend more money at first on suspension (chasis [front and rear upper and lower tie bars], sway bars, springs, shocks, tires/wheels) than his engine.

 

[thomsbrain]

prelude is less of a theft target, although they are both targets.

Prelude handles better, at least according to car and driver (named it the best handling car under 30K a few years back, and damn close the M3). more power and better handling? sound like the winner to me.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: TechnoKid

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
Both are still insured at high rates.

Each car has it's own benifits, but in your case fr mainly autocrossing I'd reccomend the gsr. I'd get that and put a quaffie LSD in it, imo, a much better combo than the prelude SH. The gsr is also lighter.

Eh, not any harder to put a Quaffie into a 'lude either. There is a growing aftermarket for the H22 still. I know Skunk2 is in the process of getting an intake mani certified. Throw on some Skunk2 cams and some better exhaust stuff, get some tuning and 200hp at the wheels isn't that hard to come by. But, I think I'm a bit biased

As far as I know, the SH with the "atts" system doesn't have an avaible lsd out there. The base model would be a better choice in this respect. Things may have changed from when I last opened up a sport compact etc.

I like the h22 engine; it has a lot of potential, either na, turbo or supercharged. If he is serious about autocrossing, he would spend more money at first on suspension (chasis [front and rear upper and lower tie bars], sway bars, springs, shocks, tires/wheels) than his engine.

Yep, suspension mods and engine mods will come over time.

You think it would be best to avoid the SH? As far as I know, the SH has the Active Torque Transfer system, I think it was supposed to help the turning radius or corning ability or something.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: TechnoKid

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
Both are still insured at high rates.

Each car has it's own benifits, but in your case fr mainly autocrossing I'd reccomend the gsr. I'd get that and put a quaffie LSD in it, imo, a much better combo than the prelude SH. The gsr is also lighter.

Eh, not any harder to put a Quaffie into a 'lude either. There is a growing aftermarket for the H22 still. I know Skunk2 is in the process of getting an intake mani certified. Throw on some Skunk2 cams and some better exhaust stuff, get some tuning and 200hp at the wheels isn't that hard to come by. But, I think I'm a bit biased

As far as I know, the SH with the "atts" system doesn't have an avaible lsd out there. The base model would be a better choice in this respect. Things may have changed from when I last opened up a sport compact etc.

I like the h22 engine; it has a lot of potential, either na, turbo or supercharged. If he is serious about autocrossing, he would spend more money at first on suspension (chasis [front and rear upper and lower tie bars], sway bars, springs, shocks, tires/wheels) than his engine.

Yep, suspension mods and engine mods will come over time.

You think it would be best to avoid the SH? As far as I know, the SH has the Active Torque Transfer system, I think it was supposed to help the turning radius or corning ability or something.

Yeah, Technokid is right. I forgot to take into acount ATTS. You're probably better off the a base model. Same power just without the ATTS. Then you add in the LSD and be off and running

 

[bubbadu]

Both of my friends have 98 Type SH's, one white, one dark green... one was bought for 10K, the other 11K. Here in Vermont, you CAN'T find Preludes or GSR's. I got super lucky with my Integra, got it for 2 grand, and its a 95 with only 88K miles on it. Pic BOTH cars are SWEET, but I think a Prelude would be the way to go, unless you could get a GSR for a good price.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: TechnoKid

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
Both are still insured at high rates.

Each car has it's own benifits, but in your case fr mainly autocrossing I'd reccomend the gsr. I'd get that and put a quaffie LSD in it, imo, a much better combo than the prelude SH. The gsr is also lighter.

Eh, not any harder to put a Quaffie into a 'lude either. There is a growing aftermarket for the H22 still. I know Skunk2 is in the process of getting an intake mani certified. Throw on some Skunk2 cams and some better exhaust stuff, get some tuning and 200hp at the wheels isn't that hard to come by. But, I think I'm a bit biased

As far as I know, the SH with the "atts" system doesn't have an avaible lsd out there. The base model would be a better choice in this respect. Things may have changed from when I last opened up a sport compact etc.

I like the h22 engine; it has a lot of potential, either na, turbo or supercharged. If he is serious about autocrossing, he would spend more money at first on suspension (chasis [front and rear upper and lower tie bars], sway bars, springs, shocks, tires/wheels) than his engine.

Yep, suspension mods and engine mods will come over time.

You think it would be best to avoid the SH? As far as I know, the SH has the Active Torque Transfer system, I think it was supposed to help the turning radius or corning ability or something.

Yeah, Technokid is right. I forgot to take into acount ATTS. You're probably better off the a base model. Same power just without the ATTS. Then you add in the LSD and be off and running

Thanks for the advice... is that the only difference between the two? Anything else? The base model is cheaper, which is good.

Sorry for being a little noobish, I know an LSD is a limited slip differential... but what does it do?

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: bubbadu
Both of my friends have 98 Type SH's, one white, one dark green... one was bought for 10K, the other 11K. Here in Vermont, you CAN'T find Preludes or GSR's. I got super lucky with my Integra, got it for 2 grand, and its a 95 with only 88K miles on it. Pic BOTH cars are SWEET, but I think a Prelude would be the way to go, unless you could get a GSR for a good price.

Nice car, Nice Price. In Florida, both cars are kinda common.

Did you drive the Preludes? What kind of Integra do you have? Is that the base model? Seems kinda cheap if it was a GSR. For $2k, thats a killer deal!

How did you like the Prelude compared to your car? Interior, performance wise, and such.

 

[TechnoKid]

As far as the lsd vs atts, they both mean to serve relatively the same purpose; but the atts goes about it differently than the conventional lsd. Also, the atts is electronic, rahter than mechanical. I would venture to say that an electronic would fail faster than a mechanical counterpart. A lsd can suposedly handle more power than atts can.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Thanks for the advice... is that the only difference between the two? Anything else? The base model is cheaper, which is good.

Sorry for being a little noobish, I know an LSD is a limited slip differential... but what does it do?

That's the main difference, besides some equipment differences I guess. LSD means that both wheels get power. In an open diff setup (90% of cars) if one wheel loses traction all the power goes to that wheel. Doesn't do much good if its just spinning. LSD will ensure power is delivered to both wheels, regardless of whether it has traction or not. And when you turn, it still allows the wheels to turn at different speeds.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Thanks for the advice... is that the only difference between the two? Anything else? The base model is cheaper, which is good.

Sorry for being a little noobish, I know an LSD is a limited slip differential... but what does it do?

That's the main difference, besides some equipment differences I guess. LSD means that both wheels get power. In an open diff setup (90% of cars) if one wheel loses traction all the power goes to that wheel. Doesn't do much good if its just spinning. LSD will ensure power is delivered to both wheels, regardless of whether it has traction or not. And when you turn, it still allows the wheels to turn at different speeds.

Thanks :beer:

Your Accord has the same engine as the Prelude right? How is the aftermarket? Is it possible to get around 250-300hp Naturally Aspirated? Any perfered route for power? How are the available turbo setups? I really want to baby my first "good" car... I think Preludes are awesome, and I'll definately be modding it.

I guess If I am going the 4 banger route, I'll go with the Prelude unless anyone else can convince me otherwise. Going to go read more about Preludes .

 

[atom]

Well, i say Integra because:

1. Lighter
2. Easier to find than a SH.
3. Better Aftermarket
4. They are 100x better looking than a Prelude.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: atom
Well, i say Integra because:

1. Lighter
2. Easier to find than a SH.
3. Better Aftermarket
4. They are 100x better looking than a Prelude.

That pic isn't fair. The JDM integra was 100x better looking than our integra.

 

[Rent]

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Thanks for the advice... is that the only difference between the two? Anything else? The base model is cheaper, which is good.

Sorry for being a little noobish, I know an LSD is a limited slip differential... but what does it do?

That's the main difference, besides some equipment differences I guess. LSD means that both wheels get power. In an open diff setup (90% of cars) if one wheel loses traction all the power goes to that wheel. Doesn't do much good if its just spinning. LSD will ensure power is delivered to both wheels, regardless of whether it has traction or not. And when you turn, it still allows the wheels to turn at different speeds.

Thanks :beer:

Your Accord has the same engine as the Prelude right? How is the aftermarket? Is it possible to get around 250-300hp Naturally Aspirated? Any perfered route for power? How are the available turbo setups? I really want to baby my first "good" car... I think Preludes are awesome, and I'll definately be modding it.

I guess If I am going the 4 banger route, I'll go with the Prelude unless anyone else can convince me otherwise. Going to go read more about Preludes .

The accord uses the F23 I believe. Its been a while since I read up on them. They did not get the H22a.

250 n/a? No. My friends base w/ the JRSC put 230 to the wheels I believe.

If you're serious about getting a 'Lude, make sure you take it on the highway on a testdrive and get it into 5th. See if it grinds and/or if it pops out of gear. Its a fairly common problem with that generation of Preludes that Honda will NOT acknowledge.

 

[Howard]

Whichever Honda you choose, you won't lack for power if you want it.

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: atom
Well, i say Integra because:

1. Lighter
2. Easier to find than a SH.
3. Better Aftermarket
4. They are 100x better looking than a Prelude.

That's the JDM Conversion.
The stock USDM integra is ugly.
Depending on where he is, he aint' gonna find a JDM conversion that easy. And if he decides to do the conversion it's gonna cost him a pretty penny.