Engine Modifications

[moester4]

I want to make my 01 automatic prelude faster, but dont know how. Ive already added a intake and headers; but no change has occured . Got any tips on mods?

[spiffyguido]

When you say 'faster' I'm going to assume that you mean 'quicker' meaning that you would like your car to accelerate faster.

Believe it or not, the easiest (and usually cheapest) way to make your car quicker is to make it weigh less. If you've got any un-needed things in your car (such as heavy sub-woofers, etc), take them out. From a power-to-weight ratio perspective, dropping even 50 pounds can make a big difference.

If you would like to make your engine more powerful, I would start looking into more advanced tuning upgrades. A new camshaft and appropriate tuning will help you out. 'Skunk 2' makes a high quality set of cams for your engine last time I checked.

If you're really serious about power, you might want to start looking into Forced Induction. Turbo and Superchargers put up horsepower numbers that are not easy to attain by other means. It's costly, but putting on a good turbo system is probably one of the easiest ways to boost your horsepower substantially.

If you want your engine to rev a little faster, consider reducing the rotating mass of the engine by lightening your flywheel a few pounds. You'll go through your gears a lot faster with this mod. Careful though, if you lighten the flywheel too much the car will be more difficult to drive and will struggle going up hills.

[moester4]

ive recently baught a carbon fiber hood, to make my car lighter and i plan to get the trunk. anyways my question is can i put a turbo in my car even if its an automatic (tiptronic)? and what should i upgrade first cam shafts, cam gears, pistons, or does it not matter?

[spiffyguido]

Yes, you can turbo your car if it is an automatic.

If you're going to turbo the car, I would say that upgrading your pistons and rods is the most important. If you're not going to turbo your car just yet, I would get new cams and cam gears and get your timing tuned by on a dyno.

[DJTEMA]

ok ive heard different things about cams..that some are good and some are only good for like 2hp...and they are pretty expensive..what cams would u reccomend for the h22a4? becuase im trying 2 make it a lil quicker, but im not goin to F/I...only thingi ve done is a c/a/i becuase i refuse 2 put a exhaust on it becuase itll sound nasty

[spiffyguido]

I don't have direct experience with any particular cam for your engine, so I can only suggest that you go with a high quality brand. 'Skunk2' and 'Crane' would be good manufacturers to start looking at. Be sure that you by a cam that is intended for the correct type of application. Don't buy a cam for forced induction if you're not going to turbo your car. Similarly, don't buy a drag cam if you're just going to drive your car around town. Think about what RPM range you spend the most time in, then get the cam for that range. If you use your car as a daily driver, get a cam tuned for low-end performance and you'll be lovin' the extra torque at the bottom end.

As for your exhaust, I think you should still get one. Not all exhausts sound nasty. My exhaust, for example, is so quiet that you can hardly hear it till I get to about 4000 rpm, then it start to scream a really low growl. If you choose a good quality exhaust, the sound can be pleasant. I agree with you that most import aftermarket exhausts sound aweful, but it is possible to get an aftermarket performance exhaust that does sound nice.

[Hardcoredan52]

If you want to make your lude go faster convert it to a 5 spd. I've seen autos make 130-140 to the wheels...when manuals make 160-170 to the wheels stock.

[prelude95]

i think that auto is quick also the good source is check out skunk2 cam they do have dyno graph on the site, and for quick idle responce i would go with a lighter pully as far as flywheel and ur under drive gears. get mor voltage by upgrading ur plug wires and yes weight reduction.