Competition Clutch Stage 1.5 Clutch for Prelude and Accord

Competition Clutch Stage 1.5 Clutch for Prelude and Accord

The H22 Prelude is still one of the best front wheel drive cars Honda ever built, and most of them are riding on tired original clutches. The Competition Clutch Stage 1.5 Gravity Series clutch kit, part number 8014-1500, is the H series and F series answer for a 1992-2001 Prelude, 1990-2002 Accord, or 1997-1999 Acura CL that needs a fresh clutch with a little more holding power and zero change in street manners.

What It Is and Why It Works

Stage 1.5 is Competition Clutch's entry performance kit: an upgraded pressure plate matched to a full face organic disc. Per manufacturer it adds roughly 30 to 40 percent torque capacity over stock while keeping stock pedal effort, and because the disc is full face organic rather than a puck style ceramic, engagement stays smooth and easy to modulate in stop and go traffic. Some distributor listings quote higher capacity numbers; we go with the manufacturer's figure. The 1500 Series box is complete for the job: pressure plate, organic performance disc assembly, the applicable bearings, and an alignment tool. It suits a healthy H22A or H23A1 Prelude with intake, header, and exhaust, an F22 or F23 Accord daily, or a CL that just needs its clutch done right without paying dealer prices for OEM parts.

Specs

Fitment

Manual transmission four cylinder cars only. The 3.0 CL and the Accord V6 of this era were automatic only, so they are not in play. If your Prelude or Accord runs a swapped H22 on its factory style H or F series hydraulic gearbox, this kit still applies.

What to Know Before You Buy

Know what Stage 1.5 is for. It is a stock feeling clutch with headroom for bolt-ons, not a boost clutch. Competition Clutch is explicit that it should not be used with turbo, supercharger, or nitrous setups, and a boosted H22 will walk right past its capacity. If forced induction is in the plan, buy a Stage 2 or higher once instead of doing this job twice, because an H series clutch swap is not a quick afternoon. Resurface or replace the flywheel while the transmission is out, and give the organic disc its break-in of easy street miles before any hard pulls. Our take: for a naturally aspirated Prelude or Accord that gets driven daily, this is the sweet spot. You get insurance over stock capacity without the chatter, noise, or heavy pedal that come with more aggressive friction materials.

Manual transmission four cylinder cars only. The 3.0 CL and the Accord V6 of this era were automatic only, so they are not in play. If your Prelude or Accord runs a swapped H22 on its factory style H or F series hydraulic gearbox, this kit still applies.