i'm about begining the modification process pretty soon! Where should I start first? rims? suspension? engine? body? sound sys????? what order shold i start?

 

welcome to han and a prelude is a great ride to start with
if its all stock then i'd sugguest getting better tires forr it
nmakes a huge diff with better tires
next looking into a decent header/exhaust combo
i'd maube leave the intake OEM since it's not worth money upgrading
its already good from the factory
post up some pics of you r ride if u have any

 

Start with a good quality set of Shocks and springs - you'll find this to be the best modification as you'll be able to take corners better and the car will feel more solid... there are a number of different setups you can go with, for shocks: Koni Yellows are really good, if you want something a little cheaper you can go with KYB AGX, or if you want top quality ones go with Tiens... Springs are very important too make sure you look at the spring rates, H&R race seem to be pretty popular with Prelude owners, or you can go with Coilovers (Skunk2 and Ground Control are both pretty good)... you may also want to change your tires (stock Bridgestones are horrible) at this time unless you plan on upgrading your rims...

Well from this point you can either go two ways, upgrade your sound system and the exterior (body kit/rims) if you are satisfied with the power and improved handling from the suspension... or if you are satisfied with the look of the car and the factory sound system and want more power, proceed to the next steps...

Start with basic bolt-ons Intake/Exhaust/Header then progress to pullies, cams, etc.

Just on a side note, the stock intake is pretty well designed, you may just want to remove the resonator you may feel a very slight gain. Another good item is the JDM Type-s Intake which seems allow better air flow, and looks stock.

With the headers don't buy DC they are a waste of money, it's pretty much just a "bling" item for your engine, try to get a Fujitsibo, Megan, or Mugen header they will net you the most gains... There are others, hopefully there we be more suggestions.

An exhaust is another thing you may want to research first before you buy. You'll have to take into account certain other factors such as how tight the police are in your area about noise and imports in general. If you want one of the more quiet ones you should look into RSR, Apex'i WS 2, or Mugen($$$)...

After the basic bolt-ons a VAFC would be beneficial to help lean out the fuel (5th gen preludes tend to eat a lot of gas), and porper tuning will also net you more hp and a smoother hp curve. It should also give you better gas mileage, I have gotten approx. 100km (60 miles) more per tank.

Oh and to add this is just my opinion, and what I did...

 

I have so much to learn!