Hi all,
Just an update on probably the last big mod/upgrade that I will perform on the prelude.
I thought long and hard about it, mainly due to the cost and the urge of owning an S2000. I have owned the Prelude for over 5 years and it was mainly intended for a weekend toy and a fun track day car, the car has been brilliant within the 5 years I have had it and very little has gone wrong with it. I have done several track days and the car really needed a limited slip differential, with all that in mind I decided to go ahead with a modification that I have wanted to do for a long time. A final drive and limited slip differential upgrade.
Here are some gear ratio numbers and benefits from the mfactory gear calculator website
After some initial enquiries the best person to perform this work had to be Rich at Performance Autoworks
The parts I required are:
Mfactory H22 Helical Diff (LSD)
Mfactory H22 Final Drive 4.64 (FD)
Genuine Honda Diff Bearings
Honda Part Number: 91005PG2004
Honda Part Number: 91006PX5008
Oil Seals
Honda Part Number: 91205-PX5005
Honda Part Number : 91206-PX5005
Torco RTF Transmission Fluid 2L
Date: 27-07-15
Remove Gearbox and fit Mfactory LSD and FD
On the Saturday the 27th June 2015 I dropped the car with Rich at Performance Autoworks, Rich started the work on the following Monday and was completed by the Wednesday.
The gearbox and all components were removed with ease; Rich reported that the gearbox was in splendid condition and a pleasure to work on.
Many thanks to Rich for taking photos during the process
Photo descriptions written by Rich at Performance Autoworks
001.jpg - Gearbox before opening up (note the selector housing already removed)
002.jpg - Main shaft and countershaft gear clusters, selectors and stock diff
003.jpg - As above but all removed from the gearbox (the right hand cluster is on the countershaft which is also the FD pinion)
004.jpg - OEM open diff vs M-Factory helical LSD
005.jpg - FD gear, pinion and diff comparisons
006.jpg - Gearbox casing after hot tank clean with diff bearings and seals removed
007.jpg - OEM vs M-Factory countershafts
008.jpg - Diff and FD parts fitted and ready to have the gear case bolted back up for good.
The car was picked up on the Saturday 4th July, superb fit and finish. The car drives beautifully.
So how does the modification feel?
After driving around several back roads locally; the LSD totally transforms the car. Initially when you accelerate, the power is instantly transferred to the wheels. There is very little wheel spin and the car is pretty stable. When cornering it feels like it wants to pull you around the corner. The final drive is an added bonus; I find the biggest difference is that it is easier for the engine to stay in the vtec sweet spot. Theres an instant feeling of a little more torque or pulling power and the car does noticeably accelerate faster. The large 17” wheels and the heavy weight of the prelude don’t help but I have to say it is pretty quick for a stock H22 engine.
Its definitely a lot more fun now, the prelude seems to have come alive..
The car revs higher as expected, cruising at 70mph its around 4k rpm, it is still amazingly quiet too at that rpm. I haven’t experienced the consumption of a full tank of fuel for daily driving but I have definately noticed that the car drinks the fuel faster when pushing the car.
I am looking to do a few more track days this year so it would be a great opportunity to fully exploit the modifications, the LSD will definitely come into its own on a track.
Incredibly pleased indeed, and very happy with the way the car feels and performs
Big Thanks to Rich at Performance Autoworks
Thanks for reading
Future plans
Brake Fluid Flush
More track days
Maybe’s
Change hands free kit
Re-Spray front bumper
(due to stone chips and someone slightly scraping the front bumper)
Date: 19-07-15
Parrot Ck3000 Bluetooth Handsfree Installation
One of the low priority tasks that needing resolving on the Prelude was to rectify the hands free Bluetooth issue. Currently the existing Pioneer BTB200 Bluetooth adapter does not automatically connect to my phone upon engine start, this can be very annoying and not very safe. Especially when a call is received and the phone is not connected to the system. I now had the time to finally resolve this issue.
The issue came around when after a few phone upgrades the system failed to automatically connect to the phone when the ignition is switched on, this is probably due to the later android OS phone system updates. Unfortunately the Pioneer BTB200 unit is unable to have its firmware updated so it is unable to work with newer phones.
The quickest and cheapest solution to this issue was to change the Bluetooth hands free system, the system I choose was the popular Parrot CK3000. Easy to use, install and reasonably priced.
No other additional ISO SOT leads were required. The Prelude only required the CK3000 parrot system for installation.
Parts purchased
-Supplier: Amazon
-Parrot hands free Kit
-CK3000 model
The Kit
The first task was to decide where to mount the small remote. The pioneer system didn’t need a separate remote, as the display of the AVIC D3 double din unit was used. The perfect location in which required little re-work for mounting was the small recess to the left of the steering wheel – currently blanked of on UK cars. This would be the climate control sensor location I think for the JDM cars.
A small hole was drilled to allow the connector of the remote to pass through and the supplied plastic mount plate was attached to it to provide some height to clear the recessed section of the position.
The microphone would install in the same location as the existing pioneer microphone and using the supplied indicator stalk clip holder. The steering wheel cowling was removed and the microphone wiring was fed through for a neater install.
Once these items were installed the main head unit could be removed. It has been a while since I installed the Pioneer AVIC D3 unit (2010) and the plastic surround fascia was a little tough to remove due to not wanting to break it or damage any clips. It finally came off with some tugging and the double din unit was easily removed via four screws.
All its existing wiring was disconnected and the parrot systems harness connected, all wiring was plug and play with the exception of the mute wire. This consisted of a yellow wire exiting from a small black box (part of the parrot system) and which was connected to the yellow/black mute wire on the rear of the pioneer unit loom harness.
Once all that was completed the system was tested and confirmed working.
The trickiest part of the install was to tuck all the wiring behind the head unit, it was actually quite surprising how much wiring there is to make the parrot system work. There is a lot of space within that area of the prelude but it did take some organising to get all of it to comfortably fit.
A full test confirmed the unit operating well and muting all speakers when a call is made and received. One gripe with the unit is that a voice tag has to be recorded for each contact. That contact had to be sent one at a time from the phone to the system. So it does take some time to setup.
All previous components removed
All components connected and tested before installation
Installation finished
Thanks for reading
Date: 01-08-15
Track Day Bedford SEN Circuit
To utilize the FD and LSD upgrades I decided to do another Bedford SEN track day. This took place on the 1st August 2015.
It was a great day and the car performed brilliantly. The FD and LSD upgrades providing the car with that extra bit of performance
Some pics of the day
Quick pics of the day
Thanks for reading guys
Future plans
Snetterton Track Day
Brake fluid Flush
Possibly a pair for front Stop-tech grooved brake discs to aid better braking for track days
Maybe’s
Re-Spray front bumper
(due to stone chips and someone slightly scraping the front bumper)
except mine isn't with paw 
