How can I improve low end power?

[Pyrorocketeer]

those gm crap boxes you speak of, actually know what torque is all about.

 

I love not revving a car to 2 grand just to let out out on the clutch.

[Buddy Cole]

tis what i have to do to my lude, rev to 2gs then release. its sad, yes.

[Pyrorocketeer]

sound just like a ricer don't ya?

 

i guess thats what you get when you run almost nothing for your bore, and all stroke.

[Col]

Honestly I think you're expecting too much. A stock Prelude has more power than a stock Integra. Sounds like you want to drive like an ass. If that is truly the case, sell it and buy a GM ___box.

That's the reason why I don't have a GM in North America - they don't sell you the good ones ;)

 

The reason why I want more low-end power is that I would feel like an ass driving at 5k+ everywhere, and if I wanted to drive slowly I would have stayed with my Protege. Having expectations doesn't make me an idiot - just naive if I think I can do it within my budget (or that the Honda is the right car).

 

Well... I have decided to get an intake soon, then look at an exhaust and header in the Spring. Other than that I am going to accept the Prelude for what it is - the reality is that it's a pretty decent ride - and then get myself a Beemer when I can afford a better car in 3 or 5 years

 

So... Advice on an intake please. Is it true that a full kit will suck in lots of water in the wet Calgary spring? Am I better off with a short-ram for this location?

 

Cheers, Col

[cranny]

bigger displacement = bigger torque.

[Pyrorocketeer]

not necessarily. you guys would have decent torque, if you ran a lot more bore, and less stroke. same displacement, just more torque.

[mycarsux]

not necessarily. you guys would have decent torque, if you ran a lot more bore, and less stroke. same displacement, just more torque.

So would you say changing the bore/stroke ratio will increase torque?

[cranny]

that wont give you torque pyro. if you decrease the stroke and up the displacement , it would be the same. thats what they do for high revving racing engines like F1 for example. they have a very short stroke and big pistons. they dont have torque either. top end monsters. if you did what pyro is talking , you could rev alot higher safely. for bottom end anyways.

[Buddy Cole]

its extremly hard fto "hydrolock" your engine via sucking water through a cai. but if it rains a bunch where you are, and your woried about puddles and wat not, they make plastic shields that help protect from water gettin in thur.

 

i drive my lude around town, shifting at 2500 or 2000, to save gas, and i don't really have many problems with low end power. thisd might be because i drive an accord wagon before this but i'm pleased with my lude. but yea to make it sing, you gotta get them revs up ter.

[Pyrorocketeer]

No, it will provide more torque if you up pistion diamater. until the point where your engine is "square" "rod to stroke ratio is 1:1" then when you go "over sqaure" or "under square" it starts to go back down.

 

edit.

 

Looked up the subject and the reasons why.

 

Breathing is the important thing, then. Over square engines have an advantage here, in theory. In a big bore engine, the edges of the valve are less obstructed by the cylinder wall. This is called "unshrouded" and helps breathing. A big bore can fit larger valves and give them more breathing room, too. The 2002 and 911 engines are good examples of over square motors which benefit from big valves.

 

The downsides of a big bore are flame travel and burn time, a reduction in strength, and some emissions related questions. A bigger bore is harder to ignite evenly. That's why the 911 engine with dual plus make more power than with a single-ignition setup. Physically, the bigger span of the open bore contributes less to the strength of a motor, too. Finally, a longer stroke motor seems to offer more favorable emissions conditions than a big bore motor.

 

Let's look at a past and present English racing engine to show how engine design trends have changed. The current 3.5 liter Ford Formula 1 V8 has a 4.0 inch bore (about 101 mm) and a short -- ridiculously short stroke of about 2.12 inch (53 mm!!). This gives the engine the maximum allowed 3.5 liter displacement. This is an over square engine. The Ford beauty breathes through four-valve-per-cylinder heads with a pair of 40 mm intake valves for each cylinder, and it spins to incredibly high rpm -- purported to be in the 13,000 rpm range or even higher.

 

Compare this to the classic Jaguar 3.8 liter twin cam as fitted in the XK series Jaquars. Don't think that this wasn't a racing engine -- it was the real thing in its day, with a long string of victories that included Le Mans. The Jaguar motor has only six cylinders and slightly larger displacement than the modern Ford Formula One V8. The bore is 3.45 inch (87 mm) and the stroke is 4.17 inch (about 106 mm) or just about the opposite of the F1 V8. The Jag has an incredibly torquey stump puller of a motor, but one with a redline in the 5500 rpm range. Because the rpm is limited by the long stroke and heavy pistons adequate breathing is provided by a single inlet valve in each cylinder. Under square? Radically.

 

 

A good read, if you care to.

 

It basically comes down to....under certain situations it will add torque.

I assumed that it would, but guess this proves it that there is no correlation.

[Buddy Cole]

and col, remember, its a honda, those damn torqueless wonders. even tho the prelude is a torque-ery vehicle by honda.

[Kastigir]

Pyro, when you increase stroke you increase torque...not the other way around.

[Pyrorocketeer]

did you like read what i posted at all?

 

almost no correlation with a proper setup is what that article is saying.

[Kastigir]

All I can say, is look at the S2K. When they went from 2.0 to 2.2 by lengthening the stroke, they gained 30 or so torque, and zero HP.

[cranny]

im sure it was a combo of both lenghtening stroke and bigger bore. usually is. much better to have bigger bore to up displacement than up stroke , healthier for engine anyways.

[Col]

did you like read what i posted at all?

 

almost no correlation with a proper setup is what that article is saying.

You have to make the test on the same engine as there are so many other differences. The F1 engine is a completely different animal.

 

Buddy - Cheers. I have never seen those plastic things, where do I look for them?

[Chubs]

Alright dude maybe you were buying a Prelude and expecting a supra ? I dont know, maybe you are just an un happy with life.

[Buddy Cole]

i'm not sure where to get those guards, but just google em or something, or you could fabricate em, shouldn't be to hard if you've have some tools.

[..SSR..]

You have a 2.2L so you have two options.

 

1. Put in a stroker crank or bore it.

 

2. Get something other than a Honda.

[cranny]

bore them out , strokers no good for longevity.

[Col]

Alright dude maybe you were buying a Prelude and expecting a supra ? I dont know, maybe you are just an un happy with life.

 

Lol

 

You are right, I was expecting a bit more from the Prelude. I had to keep in mind Calgary winters - I was going to buy a twin turbo Nissan 300ZX, and that wouldn't have worked well at -30C in snow. Maybe the Prelude is the perfect balance between power, cost, all-weather handling and quality. As I said before, it's still a decent car and will keep me happy until I can afford something a little more fun. Life could be a lot worse than having a Prelude...

[Buddy Cole]

i'd would have gotten that tt 300zx. tis me tho.

[Col]

i'd would have gotten that tt 300zx. tis me tho.

 

I was going to even when the guy selling it emailed me suggesting it's a dangerous winter car... until my wife saw the email. I don't expect to live in Calgary for the rest of my life, and even if I do there's always the WRX or a BMW 330 (ever driven one of those with a reprogramed ECU? - it doesn't hang around!). For now I am going to learn to enjoy the Prelude.

 

I don't think it's running correctly which may be why I am a little disappointed. I checked the distributer and broke a bolt putting it back on. I think it may have been damaged whilst I waited 3 days to have it fixed. It was "ever so slightly" loose, and now it feels as if the car isn't quite firing properly. The plugs are new Bosch +4s, but I haven't changed the HT leads. I have changed the oil and filter, but not the fuel filter. My money is on the distributer or arm being at fault.

 

So far I have had nothing but bad luck - and have only had the car for around 10 days. On Thursday I had a nail jam between a rear tyre and the well, which destroyed the tyre. Yesterday I hear a knocking sound on the front right wheel, noticeable sometimes when I hit a bump slowly. It is most noticeable when I reverse slowly and hit the anchors. My feeling is that it's a loose brake pad (maybe the mechanic who has looked at the car knocked something loose), but do you have any other ideas?

[Kastigir]

First, dump those Bosch +4s and fire some NGKs in there. You won't regret that. Honestly, I think you should sell it. All of your posts scream of not really liking the vehicle, and instead of keeping it and making yourself unhappy, find what you really want. Honestly though, it sounds as if you're somewhat immature, and want a racecar while your wife is deathly afraid of you having anything that is remotely fast. I say sell it and buy a Prius.

[TS John]

Yeah, +1 on dumping the boschs. I put a new set in mine with wires and distributor all matched brands and it feels more sluggish off the line than the old stockers I had in there. Now I need to rebuy the whole setup, which is on the list sometime soon.

 

Getting a CAI, header, and exhaust system will increase your response a bit, as will getting a stiffer clutch and lighter flywheel, but it's not gonna change the feel into that of a mustang. It's still not gonna be quick like you're used to with your euro cars at low RPMs.

 

I mean, take the new Rabbit, for example. I think it has something like 100 more torque than horsepower. That's a totally different beast than a honda -- they're just designed completely differently. And so they'll feel really different when you drive them. Same with muscle cars etc....

 

For me, the difference between bumpin' along under 3500 RPMs and revving it high and actually going places is great. I feel like I have two cars: a daily driver and a weekend ride -- all in one. Mind you, my car's even slower than yours, but that doesn't bother me. Every mod I get makes a lower RPM feel like a higher RPM used to feel, and I like the hobby. Plus, I'm not a big speeder like you europeans are, haha.

 

But kastigir might have the right idea for you, man. It sounds like you don't like the car, and in that case it's not a good idea to keep it. Why spend money (and lots of it) on something you don't like?