More potential? 01 prelude base or 02 rsx type s

jonny801

New Member
I own an 02 rsx type s. Body is good interior is ok. Bought it with no mods @ 190 k mostly highly miles. Compression is great. And only engine mods are a dc sports intake. It feels pretty damn fast. I also own an 01 prelude base vtec. Aem intake is the only mod engine has 140 k. Engine has a few leaks definitely driven like shit in the past. But still very strong engine and drivetrain.
The prelude was bought as a project rsx has been my daily driver. Clutch took a shit and bam I was forced to start my project as my daily. Heres my take on the two cars. Rsx is definitely faster by a long shot, car is smoother, sleaker. I think my cv axle may be bad (just replaced ball joint) so handling I cant really judge my front suspension has been shit since I got it. Not sure if thats how they handle but I doubt if it was fixed it would be as loose. The prelude handles better by a long shot. The vtec in the prelude feels less powerful. The engine was maintained but barely. It sat for about 6 months wrecked when I bought it for 1500 bucks. (again not too sure what to compare if maybe my vtec is going bad or something) I have changed plugs, wires (prelude rsx doesnt really have wires) belts cleaned egr and ports and new radiators on both. Both clean titles amd both have sunroofs keyless etc.
What car has more potential to be faster and hold its value better? Well faster on a budget i dont have the kind of money to slap a turbo in not at the moment. Prelude 2.2 l h22 a4 said to have 195 horsepower stock. Rsx k20 2.0 l said to have 200hp stock. If I have anything else to add its that the prelude has alot more body and paint that needs to be fixed. The rsx only has small cosmetic issues. Heres all the upgrades of both cars.
Rsx type s: dc sports intake, legal tint, front and rear bumper lips, custom grille, led halo headlights, tinted tail lights kenwood dvd nav, all alpine door and lid speakers, 0 gauge stinger wiring kit with circuit breaker 150 amp fuse block, two 12inch jl audios, fosgate 500×1 amp.
Prelude: Aem cold air intake, limo tinted, tinted turn, side markers, head and tail lights, new side mirrors, kenwood bluetooth hu, sony door speakers alpine 6×9, trunk is all dynamat.
Any pros cons would be appreciated. I want to either sell one and put the money into the other. Or keep them both one just nice and lightly modded with the other being my money to hp dump. I would rather keep them both. I love both cars and they both have so much potential. So I figured that I would go with popular opinion rather than googling for the next 6 months and not doing either. Here are some so far pictures of both cars from start to finish.
 

JustinMcGee1

I like Hondas
Edit: I was wrong. Prelude has double wishbone front and back.
 


Last edited:

JustinMcGee1

I like Hondas
K series is a better engine compared to the H in the prelude. I'd say work on the prelude, it will be faster in the corners.
 

itzrivera

Member
^the prelude was H series from the 4th to the 5th gen (92-96;97-01). From what I've read over at CRSX, the K series is very responsive to modding. If you check preludezone you'll prob get a feeling of how responsive the H22 is to modding.

I think the downfall of the prelude is how high the engine idles when you're cruising in 5th. As for the rsx, they're suppose to have tranny problems. I would personally go with the rsx.
 


DonJulio

Reppin' tha NW
Sell me the type s, spend the money on the prelude IMO.

Or wreck the type s and sell me the complete swap.

Been itching for a kseries for awhile.
 

jonny801

New Member
The only mechanical problem I have had with the rsx has been the clutch. The prelude has been constant chasing of a new check engine light. I just did the egr ports and valve yesterday. And today im running rich. I gained a little power from the egr manifold cleanjng. But its still not where its supposed to be. Thinking my 3 inch aem cai may be too long causing it to suck too much air and hence make her run rich.
My rsx issues are the flimsy bumpers, suspension feels great but it tends to almost over steer. The rsx torque steers a bit which I dont really mind ( had an srt 4 which is the definition of torque steer). Im not usually one to even bring up interior but theres no damn storage. Worst blind spot ever. Yet you can actually have a back seat passenger without humping the wheel. I like the hatchback for the stereo possibilities I have 2 jls that pound and there is not a single rattle. I love the rsx's responsiveness, its like the throttle is linked to your right foot. Shifting is the smoothest experience possible out of a manual tranny. I love the 6 speed but 4th gear seems to be my arch enemy. The k series seems like a higher quality engine with less problems like burning oil. It hands down sounds meaner. Its hard not to chirp the tires into second gear if pulling hard. If I could get the rsx to handle like the lude I would say rsx. Whats the use of added ponies if you cant control them?
Prelude issues theres always something to fix. Powerband feels like it should have more power. I can only explain acceleration as laggy between 3 to 5k rpms. The ride is nothing short of damn uncomfortable. Why put a back seat in the damn car if my dog barely fits back there. Theres some damn water leak in my trunk from the retarded sunroof drainage system. Everything in the engine seems to have a harmonic balance to place every vacuum line, bolt, valve, right where you need to put a wrench to complete the simplest of repairs. The engine feels like it is capable of alot. It never feels even the slightest bit strained at any rpm. The rsx engine feels like the rabbit that smoked too much crack before the race. Not necessarily strained but you know the engine is working to put the revolutions to the pavement. The cabin is way too loud in the prelude. I have drove to North Dakota and Montana from Utah. And by the end of the road trip your throat is sore from trying to conversate over the CONSTANT engine drone and wind hitting the windshield like a tornado. But hitting a freeway curve at 120 accelerating it almost makes the fact that you can feel the road, wind, and engine in your fingertips a positive.
So as you can see im dead locked between the two. Despite either cars short comings I would highly recommend them both. Speed is speed so I think im gonna mod the rsx heavily focusing first on suspension then on hp. I forsee dumping alot of cash into the lude to get the acceleration up to par with the rsx.
 
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