preformance question
 

I just got a '89 model Honda Prelude 2.0s. I want to increase the perfomance. I am either going to get a cold air intake or an exhaust put on. I was wondering what gives the most hp for the least money, and what suggestions you have on brands.

Also, what other small things can I do to increase performance.

Thanks in advance.

Really, one of those does not outweigh the other as far as performance gains. But I would highly recommend that you do an exhaust and CAI together, because you will have much higher gains than if you just did one or the other.

Also dont have unrealistic expectations. generally you dont get 30 HP from an intake and cat back as many honda owners would lead you to believe. an intake or exhaust alone would give you maybe 2 - 3 HP, but if you replace them both, its possible to achieve 10+ more HP.

One word....nitrous...when used properly....wow!

Don't expect it to feel like a sports car afterwords. It may not feel different at all. The only thing you could do to an engine that small to make respectable power is forced induction (nitrous, turbo, supercharger). Nitrous is the cheapest way, but it has its downsides. Turbos are complicated and expensive, and your engine may not be able to handle much anyways (I don't know). It'd be easiest to just buy a faster car.

I wouldn't expect any performance gains out of that. On a piston engine, especially one that small, dont expect more than about 7hp at the flywheel, and just a few at the wheels. Thats if you do CAI AND exhaust. You will notice basically zero difference in power or drag times, though you might think it feels faster. Basically the placebo effect. The one thing you probably will notice however, is throttle responce. You can expect to rev a little faster, and get a little better response from your throttle, particularly at the lower end (well, for a honda...). This doesn't make too much more power, but it feels a lot nicer.

Realistically, dont expect anything more than to think its faster, and to get better trottle response.

Make it a 5.0 liter.

The only "cheap" performance upgrade that you'll actually feel is nitrous. Of course if you go the cheap route and just attach a bottle, you'll only go fast for so long. Do your research, figure out costs for nitrous plus the necessary engine upgrades, a turbo plus necessary upgrades and engine control, and supercharger plus necessary additional mods.

The last thing to remember is that it is a FWD. It will only perform but so well. Don't push it too hard.

do a CAI, it's quite a bit cheaper than exhaust and you'll instantly be able to hear and feel a difference in throttle response and engine tone. I gained 3 peak whp from my K&N cone on my 2.2 liter, but, more importantly, I gained upto 4 or 5 hp at various points in the powerband, mostly the middle. I still have stock exhaust, though, so when i upgrade my exhaust i should get a few more HP.

HA HA HA!! Or a 383 Chevy. That'd be the best way. Get rid of that fucking overblown sewing machine engine and give it some real power!!

Simple performance mod : GET RID OF YOUR "SUPER TOURING 80,000 MILE " TIRES!

The car will only go as well as the tires can handle. Put some decent all-weather sport tires on and you'll notice a decent world of difference in handling and gain a small ( but largely unnoticeable) gain in acceleration. I have a 95 thunderbird that was a handling mess and then I put on some cheap sport tires (Dean Quasars, $70 apiece) and they've improved nearly every aspect of my cars handling. Your experience may vary. Some cars it will make a big difference for, some it wont.

The cons? Sport tires are expensive, wear out 20k miles sooner than regular tires, and are noisy.

If anyone says sport tires can be long lived, they are lying. There is no known way to have high performance and high life. Touring compounds are very hard and have less friction with the road, therefore they take longer to wear down. Softer sport compounds wear down faster but give better grip.

Disclaimer : Make sure you buy the right size, and don't go for DOT slicks or "supersport" tires. You do not want to run around in rain or snow with slick tires... traction is much worse than even the supertouring tires .

My edit :
For those who are about ready to jump all over me about calling the Deans sport tires.
The Dean Quasar series are not actually sport tires. But, they are 'sportier' tires than what I had on my car, simply because they have a better traction rating ( A instead of B ) and they have excellent foul weather performance (IMO). Yes, I have driven my RWD car in rain, snow and ice. Yes, I am stupid :)

Headers will also make a big difference, since you are freeing up the intake and exaust, you will be able to handle more fuel, so you might look into bigger injectors, and some ignition upgrades

I dunno about other cars, but on F-bodys throwing bigger injectors on without changing the prom is a bad idea. SO I would suggest to not to do them inless you must.

ive been looking into supercharging as an option for smaller displacement engines, and it seems worth a shot. There are some kits out there for Honda's, but I like doing more homebrew stuff. If I can find anything on the cheap, I'll post it.