93 civic ex or 88 lude si 4ws, give me all opinons/comments/ideas. on which is better with over all wieght ratio to low end vs top end..


sohc vtec civic vs. dohc non vtec lude

 

93 civic gets my pic...

88 ludes are weak... 4ws is weak... pop-up headlights are weak... interior is weak... boxy lude shape is weak... the dohc in the lude is weak...

honestly, how many nice 88 ludes have you seen on the street? I've seen fixed up ludes... but its never pretty.

My opinion... but chose what you like. Just a thought but civics have enormous aftermarket compared to 88-91 lude.

 

The Civic has a vastly greater aftermarket. I doubt you'll find many parts available for the Prelude. The B20A(that's what's in it, right?) is also not that great of an engine.

 

the 88 preludes were cool....back in 1988



i'd go with the civic

 

93 hatch

 

ohh and about 4ws (if thats one of the reasons your considering lude)... its only active at low speeds like in a parking lot to manuver. It sounds koo, "wow, all four wheels MOVE to steer JUST like those monster trucks on TV!" But its weak.

 

Slightly newer, go 93!

 

I have a 92 civic EX and my brother has an 88 prelude 4WS. Close enough... I'll just state some of the things others have already said and add some more.

1. The prelude is much more "torquey" especially in the lower rpms. The 4WS feels a little heavier too but I'm not sure if that's just my brother's car (which he purchased already modified). I had a bottom rung 88 S and it felt lighter and more tossable.

2. The civic has MUCH stronger aftermarket support. About the only things left out there for the Prelude are springs, shocks, wheels, headers, and intakes. The choices aren't so great either.

3. 4WS isn't as bad as everyone says. It's pretty interesting but pretty unecessary. At half rotation (typical of high speed lane changes), the wheels turn in the same direction and with more steering wheel rotation (typical of low speed parking lot turns), they turn in the opposite direction. Great for wowing your friends when you're turning in a parking lot because it feels funky. Also feels good on the autocross course (to me).

4. Steering and control in the prelude is point and go. Prelude has a quicker rack. Steering and control in the civic is fine but not as "racey".

5. Civic seats freaking suck! The 4ws lude's seats are immensely more supportive and are adjustable. BUT, you'll hear more rattles and squeaks in the older lude. Back seat in lude less comfortable.

6. Civic gets much better gas mileage. I get around 30mpg with my d16z6. He gets around 24mpg with his b20a5 (actually had it replaced with a JDM b20a, no real difference).

7. Civic has more ground clearance and less wheel well gap. To close the wheel well gap on the prelude, you'll have to drop it to the ground...literally. You can get rid of a lot of gap in the civic but still have a good amount of ground clearance.

8. Prelude lets you use greater variety of wheels. For some reason I hear of more rubbing issues with civics. Rims that dont' rub on his car, rub on mine at full lock.

9. Prelude is just old. They'll have their share of problems. Synchros gone, pop-up headlight woes, rattles, etc. My brother's car lasted him from high school through college and it's still running fine for him through his daily commute but he's always thinking about getting a newer better car. The love affair is gone...and it ended rather quickly (after about 2 years of ownership).

I'm sure I'm missing a lot of little things but feel free to ask. Basically, the civic seems like the wiser choice because even if the engine or suspension are shot, you can always swap. The prelude is darned fun but it's just old and it was never really loved by the aftermarket.

 

if it were a 92+ prelude, it would be a completely different story. But, with condtions as they are, I'd say get the civic. Its newer, and newer=less problems. Plus, you'd be hard pressed to find a car with a bigger aftermarket following.

 

i beg to differ on that. i own an 88 si 4ws. it does work at high speeds. trust me on this. yes the back wheels only turn at the most of 6degrees but damn it makes a huge difference. IMO i would go with the lude. yes it is difficult tryin to find aftermarket stuff for it but thats what makes it fun. and its a very quick and fun car to play with. and i can get whatever you want for that car. everything is made for that car. its just a matter of finding it. and i have already found all of it. the 4ws is by far not weak at all. it makes a huge difference. go to preludepower.com, honda-prelude.com and ask around. trust me, u wont be disappointed