Hi everyone!
A few months ago, I picked up an 89 Honda Prelude 2.0Si off my local craigslist. As I've been driving it I've come to the conclusion that the suspension is pretty much shot and it's time to at least change out dampers. Discouragingly, the only parts I can find are the cheap coilover kits and OE replacement shocks. Anyone know of other Honda models that have suspension parts that will interchange with a 3rd gen Prelude, preferably something for which Koni makes stuff?
I think some parts for similar are Accords might interchange but there isn't much for those either.
The only other Honda that uses 89 Prelude suspension parts is a 90 Prelude. The shocks are similar to Civic/Integra, but a couple of inches shorter. Springs are roughly the dimension of a 2 1/2 inch coil over spring, but really, thats about it.
We run a Ministock Prelude, and they are a cast iron bitch to find parts for around here. In fact, we have decided that there are more third gen Preludes running around in circles on the track than there are driving on the streets- much like Vegas and Monzas at the drag strip.
CB7 Accord parts should interchange.
Isn't there a way to convert these cars to struts using '82-85 Accord parts?
Maybe out of the frying pan and into the fire.
That engine is a b20 but it in no way, shape, or form shares ANYTHING, ANYTHING, ANYTHING with the b16/18’s or the b20 in the the crv. It is an orphan bastard of the lude and Honda community. Also, get rid of the 4ws suspension if you have it. It’ll try to kill you some day.
In reply to Trackmouse :
No way! The mechanical 4ws is the greatest thing in the world. The test drivers always said they thought they felt like they were going slower, but they were always faster in the 4ws prelude vs the 2ws.
Koni made yellow/red struts for the 3rd gen prelude, they're discontinued - but you can find them NOS if you dig. I had a set for a long time, eventually sold them.
Ouu, my specialty! I've owned 9 over the last 13 years. Currently have 2.
Unfortunately your options are OEM replacements or the cheap coilovers (K-Sport being the most popular). Ground Control makes a coilover sleeve kit and the universal Honda sleeve kits also fit, but that doesn't really do you any good without a decent shock. As said, Konis did exist at time (I have a set) but they're long discontinued. The tricky part is the fronts, they're much shorter than almost anything else.
No accord bits fit. The 4WS system is rock solid and I've never seen a failure, although it doesn't really provide a performance benefit on track. More like a really cool gimmick.
The Prelude B20A/B21A share bore spacing and the 81mm diameter with the Civic/Integra B16/17/18 but that's about it. You can use the cam gears, and non-Vtec B18 cams will work with some minor machine work. There have been a couple running B16/18 VTEC head swaps performed, but none fully completed and working reliably. There are now off the shelf swap mounts to run both the H/F series Accord and Prelude engines as well as the more common B16/17/18/20 engines. Also a couple K swaps. The H22 swap is the most popular for fitment reasons.
Thanks for the help everyone! So are the K-Sports actually any good? I might just do that if they are, but if not I'll just do OEM replacements shocks while I embark on a quest for Konis.
I don't have any personal experience with them, but I haven't really heard anything negative. Unless you can find a used pair of Konis they're probably your best option.
There were also tokico blues that were popular, but also now discontinued.
Avoid the Function and Form coilovers, they are basically civic sleeves repurposed and as a result barely lower the front apparently (if that's what you're after. That's what most people are after when purchasing low end coilovers).
Preludepower.com is your best resource for model specific forums, although it's pretty dead nowadays. It's been replaced by the Facebook groups.
I'm not really looking to lower it - just looking to enjoy twisty roads and autocross it every once in a while. The ride height is actually pretty good where it is. So, it's sounding like K-sports are my ticket.
I posted on PreludePower back in the day when I had a 5th gen, but signal to noise ratio wasn't amazing. I can't imagine it's better now on the Facebook groups.
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