(maybe I'm just bitter b/c I had a 97 Prelude SH for $10,9 snapped away from me at the last second because I was stuck in traffic)
I have a 98 Accord coupe...I want to make the car well handle more like a Prelude does, a friend suggested Tein coilovers..before I spend that kinda money is that something that would considerably help to lower/stiffen the Accord to something closer to a sports suspension? I'd like to know, otherwise I'll just go buy one of those pricer Preludes I suppose.
(btw, forgive me, I'm a girl and I'm still figuring out this car stuff so I know this might be a stupid question but frankly my Accord's soft and fluffy feel, is starting to piss me off especially even more so after test driving a few Preludes...)

 

Prelude and Accord share the same basic chassis design and the major differences are more in the body design than anything else.

The Prelude actually doesn't have all that impressive handling for a "sports car" (here comes the Prelude goons to bash me now).

Teins are nice but unless you buy the high end models they are just like any other true coilover...I can find better true coilovers that perform better for less.

A set of good springs, adjustable struts, upgraded sway bars, and strut tower bars both front and rear will make a Prelude look like a joke as far as handling goes.

BTW welcome to the board.

 

Can't compare the handling of the prelude to the accord. Didn't the prelude get best handling car under 30k a few years back in C&D? You have to take into consideration what kinda car you are dealing with here....family luxury car vs. a sport coupe. There are certainly ways to improve the handling of the accord, but to get it to the level of the prelude (at least the SH) won't happen on any type of street setup. The prelude was made to be sporty.........the accord on the other hand really had more lux/comfort in mind. Of course the accord can handle good after some mods, but the prelude is lighter, shorter, lower, and overall more tuned for the twisties than the accord.

 

Weight is within a couple hundred pounds of each other.

Chasis is near same on the coupe Accord and the Prelude.

Full suspension is identical which is why it was named "the sports car that never was"

Its handling was the very thing that did the car in with sports car buyers along with its unimpressive power and it was a freakin tank.

 

Thanks BTW. I just know that I got the Accord which is a really nice looking car but it handles stock like a joke. Now I came from a 86 Prelude Si (105 HP be damned) it was a fan car to drive because you could slam that car around a corner on a dime...I've lived with the Accord for 1 yr now and frankly it's getting to be too much, it handles like a grandma car (I have the 5 speed, I'd die of boredom if I had an automagic).
So if you had to guess what should I look to spend on what I need to tear up on the turns and hold onto the curves well?

 

Springs will vary from $250 to $400 but you can find them for less here and there.

Struts will be around (rough guesstimate) $300 for Tokico Blues (non adjustable) to as hogh as you want to go and again it can be found for ess aross the web...KYB adjustables are an excellent deal for the money.

Strut bars wil run on average $300 for both front and rear.

sway bars I am not sure on.

another thing that will improve the handling is a wider contact tire. Most people go to 17" rims because the contact patch is greater which means you get more overall traction because it touches the ground over a larger surface area from both the front to back of the tire as well as the average width being 7.5" which gives you lateral contact.

 

Forgot to mention..

Although the 17" wheel gives greater contact it does make the car a little slower overall because of rotational mass.

This means the wheels take a little more to get to rolling speed so if you are looking to do 1/4 mile then switch back to the stock size setup for wheels.

 

how bout 375 width tires with 150 offset 10" rims

 

:fawk: :slap:

 

Well I thought about new rims but being weird...I like the stock alloys (but I need better tires, the ones that the dealer put on are meh..ok but they just don't get really good traction IMHO)
Thank you for the continuing insight...after missing out on that SH for $10,995..I was feeling pretty damn grumpy...can't believe the father got his teen a car like that...gee can't wait to see it on the road with the altezzas and the fat wing) *sigh*