Forget the 4WS Prelude as an autocross car, Rich.
I tested one in a couple of autocrosses back when they were new. The
car literally felt like it was running on marbles, and the times were not
good.
If you look at how 4WS works in that car, it is a mechanically operated cam
system. Small steering inputs cause the rear wheels to aim parallel with the
fronts, supposedly beneficial for lane changes. But when the steering input
is increased, the cam system returns the rear steering across center so that
the
rear wheels become angled in the opposite direction as the fronts. That was
to aid in tight u-turn type maneuvers?
Unfortunately, the phase changes of the rear occur at steering inputs
common in autocrossing. The effect was a sensation of rear directional
instability. Sometimes it felt planted, but others... It had me often feeling
like I had to correct and then re-correct for a slide which may not have been
actually happening. I drove on OEM tires, so I can't speak from experience
about using race rubber on one. The car was in use by a Honda salesman
who at the time was considering it for a serious autocrossing effort. I
advised
"thumbs down". He went with a Civic Si instead. Worked out much better.
Alan Sheidler
>
> Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 20:09:39 -0400
> From: "Rich Johnston" <richj50@bit-net.com>
> Subject: 4 wheel steering -- bad?
>
> I'm considering buying a 92 Prelude Si with 4 wheel steering which would
> serve as a daily driver and GS autox car. Would I be better off staying
> away from the 4WS option? The car feels very nimble on the street and the
> steering response is super, much better even than my 98 Prelude SH. But I
> don't want a car that's great on the street and problematic on course
> because of the 4WS.
>
> If anyone has any thoughts on this I'd appreciate hearing them.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rich Johnston
> NER SCCA
>
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