Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit for 97-01 Prelude SH

Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit for 97-01 Prelude Type SH

If your fifth-gen Prelude SH still rides on its factory rubber, those bushings are pushing 25 years old and have cracked, compressed, and gone soft. That is why the car feels vague turning in, clunks over bumps, and no longer tracks the way a Prelude should. This Energy Suspension master kit replaces the bushings across the suspension with polyurethane, so the chassis tightens up and the car feels connected again. For years 5G owners had to adapt the 92-96 kit, but this is the one Energy built specifically for the 97-01 SH, so it drops in as a direct replacement with no improvising.

This is a complete master set, not a single position. It does the front and rear control arms, the front strut rod, the front and rear coil spring isolators, the front and rear bump stops, the front and rear shock bushings, and the rear trailing arm bushings, all in one box. On a double-wishbone Prelude that was built around its handling, refreshing all of that polyurethane at once is the single biggest thing you can do to bring the chassis back. Energy's polyurethane also shrugs off the oil, salt, and grime that rot rubber, so once it is in, it stays tight for the long haul.

What is in the kit

This master set covers the suspension positions Energy makes for the 97-01 Prelude SH. Note what it is built around: this is a strut-rod, coil-isolator, bump-stop, and trailing-arm style kit, which is different from the sway-bar-and-shifter style master kits Energy builds for the Civic and Integra. It does not include sway bar bushings, end links, steering rack bushings, shifter bushings, or ball joint and tie rod boots, those are not part of this particular kit.

Specs

Fitment

This kit is for the Type SH only. Energy is specific about that: the SH uses different radius rod and inner control arm bushings than the base Prelude, so this master kit is built for the SH and is not listed for the base car. If you have a base Prelude, do not assume this drops in. Confirm your model before ordering.

What to know before you buy

First, the honest tradeoff, and a full poly kit makes it real. Going to polyurethane across the suspension firms the car up noticeably. You will feel and hear more of the road than you did on fresh rubber, because poly transmits more than the soft factory bushings were designed to. For a driver's Prelude this is the point, the chassis feels tighter and more planted. If you want a plush, isolated ride, a full poly kit is not the move.

Second, this is a serious install, plan accordingly. This kit gets into the coil spring isolators, bump stops, and rear trailing arm bushings, which means real disassembly. Owners report it can run several hours per corner and that you will need a press to do the bushings properly. This is not a quick afternoon job. If you are not set up for pressing bushings, factor in a shop, and either way grease every bushing thoroughly on install, because a dry poly bushing is what squeaks later.

Third, since you are this deep into the suspension, it is the right time to handle anything else that is worn, shocks, ball joints, or the sway bar bushings and end links that this kit does not cover. On a 25-year-old Prelude you are rarely just replacing bushings, so doing the related wear items in the same pass saves you pulling it all apart twice. Do it right once and the SH chassis stays tight for years.